i5 vs i7 battery life on Dell XPS 13

[djlewis]

I have a Dell XPS 13 on order with an i7 processor (i7-5500U, 4M cache), but I am concerned that it will not have as good battery life for everyday (non-game) use as the i5 (i5-5200U, 3M cache).

Is this correct? Would folks recommend switching to the i5 if I am not much of a gamer?

Or, will they be about the same on battery life for non-cpu-intensive use?

 

[Deuce65]

They both have a 15 watt TDP. You'll be fine.

 

[jaguarskx]

For non CPU intensive use both i5 and i7 versions should have similar battery life. Just avoid getting the model which has a 3600x1800 resolution screen since it does consume more power than a 1080p screen due to having more pixels.

 

[djlewis]

This article -- http://www.ultrabookreview.com/6135-intel-core-i5-5200u-i7-5500u/ -- says --

"The i5 will also be slightly more efficient, as it runs at lower frequencies, which should only translate in roughly 5-10% longer battery life (varies which each implementation though)."