DU tech people - what's the deal with Intel's new i5 CPU?

[Initech]

Is it any different than the i7 920 that I have in my computer? What are the benefits of the i5 vs. the i7?

[Deja Q]

1. Not as overclockable

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=602807

A shame; until the Q9##0 series was replaced by the i7, overclocking from 333 to 400 actually made Vista usable. (still damn slow though). With the introduction if the i#, they added in calculations so if the CPU used more than x # of watts, it won't run. To help prevent thermal death, but to keep people from ramping up CPU speeds. :nopity:

Maybe Microsoft will get off its fat ass and make efficient code...

:spray: Yeah, right. They weren't ever that way, not even from the ye olde days of DOS. Why we tolerated it all those years, I have no idea... oh, it came with the machine... didn't stop me from OS/2, BeOS, SuSE, Red Hat, and Ubtunu... or even the Intel version of AmigaOS... http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/olpc-hacked-to-run-amiga-os/

[Initech]

2. That's funny that Intel discourages overclocking yet motherboard manufacturers embrace it.

I just got a new i7-920. I have yet to play around with the overclocking features on my motherboard but it's definitely there (I have the Asus P6T). It's a fucking sweet system otherwise.

[pokerfan]

25. Core i3 & Core 2 < Core i5 < Core i7 & Xeon

Core i5 is a brand name used by Intel for several upcoming processors. It is positioned between the mid-range Core i3 and Core 2 and the high-end Core i7 and Xeon brands.

As of September 7, 2009, there is only one Core i5 processor: The Core i5 750,<1> which is a 2.66 GHz quad-core processor with Hyper-threading disabled. This appears to be a case of crippleware, as the other two speed grades of LGA 1156 processors introduced at the same time include Hyper-threading, but are Core i7 processors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_i5

[darkstar3]

26. Actually, Intel discourages overclocking SO much

that you'll find a lot of Dell, Gateway, and HP machines UNDERclocked slightly. Chances are if you have a machine with a Pentium chip paired with an Intel motherboard, it was underclocked by default. They do that on purpose because many people in the IT world feel Intel has a reputation for dependability (un-earned in my opinion), and Intel wants to keep it that way by maximizing the stability of their builds.

[flvegan]

3. The i5 series

Has 4 doors and a 6 cyl engine. The i7 has 4 doors and an 8 cyl engine.

[LeftyMom]

4. That's incorrect.

I5 runs North-South through California, Oregon and Washington, connecting with Canada's Hwy 99 and Mexico's Hwy 1.

I7 was a proposed renaming of State Route 99 in California.

Gawd, can't you explain anything right? :rofl:

[flvegan]

5. So the i5 is a massive NAFTA supporter then, I guess.

[LeftyMom]

6. Well, the i7 won't take you on booze and pills run to Tijuana,

so you should show a little appreciation.

[flvegan]

7. I can get Sol at the Publix.

That NAFTA-lovin' road is dead to me.

[LeftyMom]

8. Good luck getting to my house from the airport then.

Well I guess you could take Garden Highway...

[flvegan]

9. I can't believe you threadjacked Initech's question.

[Initech]

10. I approve of this threadjack.

:rofl:

[flvegan]

11. I knew

you wouldn't old friend, but I have to give her a tough time whenever I possibly can.

[LeftyMom]

12. I would prefer you gave me a hard time.

:rofl:

[flvegan]

13. Locking. Sex thread.

[LeftyMom]

14. Barn door. Escaped cow.

:P

[flvegan]

15. You know a cow can't live in the wild. She'll get hit by a car.

Or predated by a...ummmmm lion. Or a pterodactyl.

[LeftyMom]

17. Or a 450 lb, diabetic American with a shotgun rack and confederate flag on his heavy duty Lark.

Disgusting slobs kill cows, cows eventually kill them. It's the circle of life.

[flvegan]

19. I think a cow, should she wish, could dodge a Lark.

Worst case scenario, the lark kind of runs to the cow and stops, little engine whining away.

Unless the cow is...ill-tempered. *raises pinky to corner of mouth*

[LeftyMom]

20. Oh, how I wish. One of the neighbor kids ran their grandfather's scooter into my Dad's car.

We had to make a claim. The insurance guy was cracking up while I explained that it would have to fall under uninsured motorist because you can't get a policy that covers preschoolers joyriding on the local Oxycontin dealer's medical scooter.

[flvegan]

21. Was it totaled?

See, I'm thinking that no Lark is gonna damage a cow. No way. Especially if the cow...is also a ninja.

[LeftyMom]

22. No, but they hit the thing enough that the computer thought it was a break-in attempt

and locked the thing up tighter than a drum. We had to have it towed on a flatbed to someplace that could reset the computer, and then get the dented up door fixed and painted.

I hate that family's pack of evil inbred sprogs, with their beady little eyes and giant foreheads.

Wait what? Ninja cows? That's just not on.

[flvegan]

23. Ever SEEN

a ninja cow? Exactly. They take their training seriously.

[Initech]

16. Giggity?

[flvegan]

18. Someone...likes to...watch?

[darkstar3]

24. It's the same chip

i5 uses the same architecture, but it's designed for budget PCs built with smaller cases that have less airflow. They've lowered the clock speed and done everything they can to cool it down, and to balance that they've streamlined and integrated a few things to try and bring the speed back up.

It's the i7 for people who don't want to drop the money on the i7 rig and wouldn't notice a difference between the two anyway. So basically, it's the same chip.

I'm still a hardcore AMD guy. My Phenom II Quad with 8 GB of DDR3 runs circles around every intel machine I've played with yet. Sure, the benchmarks of the i7 look nice, but I've never seen an intel machine that could run 7 virtual machines while doing a MASSIVE amount of multitasking all around. As a friend of mine once said, "If you need your machine to be able to drink from the firehose, get an AMD."