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Intel I3 vs I5 vs I7

Intel I3 vs I5 vs I7 – What’s the difference between Intel i3 and i5 and i7 CPUs?               

Gaming, Industry


What’s the difference between Intel i3 and i5 and i7 CPUs?

When looking at Intel CPUs, you will see the following options: Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7.  If you don’t know much about CPUs, these three options could make or break your PC.  It all depends on what you are doing with your PC.  While other options exist, such as the Xeons and the Pentium offerings, the Core family is more purchased.  Xeons are more workstation and server-based while Pentiums are just there to help get the base job done.

13th gen intel core processors

What is Intel Core i3?

Core i3 CPUs are the baseline offering of the Core family offering just enough to do basic tasks and not-so-demanding gaming, such as League of Legends, Old School Runescape, DOTA 2, CS:GO, and some others.  I have always recommended I3 CPUs to consumers who want to get by and don’t need much more.  These units don’t have near the number of cores as an i5 or i7, however, that shouldn’t be a deal breaker if you just want to play basic games and surf the web.  With the newer generation of i3 out and about, they are still only sporting 4 cores with the 13th gen i5 offering 10 and more cores, depending on the model you purchase.  With other options being slightly more expensive, I would recommend staying away from i3 units unless you are doing a base desktop tower build and nothing more.

What is Intel Core i5?

Core i5 CPUs have come a long way from where they once were.  Essentially being 10th gen i9 units now with their amount of cores frequency, these CPUs have never been better for gamers.  Not only are they friendly on the wallet, but they are also powerhouses and will do everything you need for gaming.  While many games are GPU intensive, more and more titles are becoming more CPU intensive as well.  With these vast immersive worlds coming to life, your CPU is doing a lot more work than it used to, and that is where this cost-friendly option comes into play.  It uses Intel’s P+E core technology, and that will go far with your custom gaming PC.

What is Intel Core i7?

Their flagship CPU of the Core family, the i7, was the top of the line for the Core family for the longest time however, a new member of the family has been added: The Core i9 CPU.  Both units are powerful and can offer a great gaming experience and options for application use, streaming, video editing, and more.  With both of these offerings, you no longer need a two-PC setup if you are a streamer and that is nice for space and cost.  While the cost of these units are higher than the i3 and i5 units it is a justified cost when you look at the performance they provide and what can actually be done with one of these units in your build. Your gaming experience will be top-tier if you are on the latest generation hardware and provide the smoothest gameplay possible, granted you have the GPU to back it up.

Looking to get into the PC master race?  We at AVADirect have you covered!  You can use our awesome configurator to assemble your dreams’ build.  Don’t want to go through all of that?  Use our easy PC builder, Instabuilder which does all the work behind the scenes for you – answer a few questions and you will be on your way!  Want someone to assist you?  Well, our sales team is standing by and ready to help you configure the PC you need and deserve!


Brooke Hooks

Hi! My name is Brooke, and when I'm not running social for AVADirect, I'm raising dinos on Ark.

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