i5 vs i7 for future games

[FLanighan]

I know the i5 is considered the sweet spot for gaming these days but since new games are starting to use more than 4 cores (like crysis 3 for example), would it be a good idea to buy an i7 for extra future proofness? Games DO use hyper-threading ie if you look at the difference between an i3 and a Pentium G (only 2 threads) there is a huge difference, so if most games were starting to use 8 threads instead of the current 2-4 then an i7 would be justified, correct?

 

[Ohmybad]

You're confusing cores with threads... Cores != Threads.

If you're worried about cores then you should be thinking about the LGA2011 Hex-core i7...

 

[songorocosongo]

That is correct, but by the time there is a noticeable difference between i5 and i7 even the i7's on the market today may be kinda old

 

[FLanighan]

You're confusing cores with threads... Cores != Threads.

If you're worried about cores then you should be thinking about the LGA2011 Hex-core i7...

How am I confusing cores with threads? The Pentium G has 2 cores/ 2 threads whereas the i3 has 2 cores/ 4 threads. The fact that there is a significant jump in performance going from a Pentium G to an i3 suggests that games that are coded for 4 threads will make use of those threads whether or not each one is physical or virtual.

edit: and yes I am aware that the i7 is 4 core/8 thread if that is what you were referring to

 

[i8myhippo]

You're confusing cores with threads... Cores != Threads.

If you're worried about cores then you should be thinking about the LGA2011 Hex-core i7...

How am I confusing cores with threads? The Pentium G has 2 cores/ 2 threads whereas the i3 has 2 cores/ 4 threads. The fact that there is a significant jump in performance going from a Pentium G to an i3 suggests that games that are coded for 4 threads will make use of those threads whether or not each one is physical or virtual.

edit: and yes I am aware that the i7 is 4 core/8 thread if that is what you were referring to

I follow you. Yes, there is a huge difference between 2 and 4 threads, but this is a question of relevance in relation to time. If you were buying right now, I would say get the i5. The same will probably be true for a few/many months. However, there is no doubt that there is a push to make all software run in parallel, and a time will soon come where 4 cores is insignificant.

but by the time there is a noticeable difference between i5 and i7 even the i7's on the market today may be kinda old

I stand by this answer.