Is an Intel Core i7 processor always faster than an i5? – I know this question, for those who are on the subject, is quite easy to answer! But in fact, many users come to talk to me with this doubt, and for that, we will try to answer the best way possible. Because, deep down, that’s a good question!
Primarily, an Intel Core i5 is exactly the same as an Intel Core i7! The big difference is that the Hyper-Threading feature is disabled.
In short, if you disable Hyper-Threading from an i7 processor, it will have the same exact performance as a comparable Intel Core i5.
Note: This has been truer in the past since in the current generation the i7-9700K and i9-9900K have eight cores, while the i5-9600K has only 6 cores.
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However, we can say that now, i7 and i9, are exactly the same, except for ‘Hyper-Threading’.
So how does an Intel Core i5 CPU, will it be faster than an i7?
Very simple, in’single-thread’ workloads, a comparable i5 will be faster if it has a higher frequency. That said, we speak incomparable, if we are talking about the same generation, and with the same number of cores.
In addition, Intel Core processors are constantly evolving! And so an Intel Core i5 of the latest generation may be faster than a previous generation Intel Core.
But how is this possible?
For example, the still very recent i5-8400 is a processor with six cores, that reaches to the 3.8GHz, with the functionality ‘Turbo’. It is also much more recent than the ‘old’ Intel Core i7-2700k, and therefore, will perform a lot better.
The same may happen in generation much closer. (Intel Core i5-9600k vs. Intel Core i7-9700k)
We also have the example of the recent super i5-9600K, which may be faster than the old i7-7700K in some situations.
After all, while the 7700K has four cores (with Hyper-Threading). The 9600k has six cores (without Hyper-Threading). What with the help of some architectural improvements, will give you the advantage in various types of applications.
However, within the same generation, an i7 will always be faster than an i5.
If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!