What is the difference between core i3, i5, i7 and i9 laptop CPUs, which one should I buy?

The CPU acts as the brain in a computer system. Let’s find out with Tnhelearning.edu.vn what is the difference between core i3, i5, i7 and i9, and which chip to buy to suit your needs.

How to check what core i is running on your computer?

To check how much core i is running on your computer, you just need to go to Start -> open “ Control Panel ” -> select “ System and Security ” -> “ System ”.

At this point, you will have an overview of information about the CPU , RAM and operating system installed in your computer. To know what core i computer is running, you look at the System section, the Processor line, you will know full Intel CPU information (CPU clock speed is measured in Ghz) your current machine.

For example, the Intel CPU information of a laptop is as shown in the picture:

– The first part of the information series is ” Intel Core “, indicating that this CPU is manufactured by Intel and is using their own Core processor . Core is Intel’s largest and most popular product line, so most of today’s desktop computers and laptops can see this information.

– The next piece of information is ” i5 “, which refers to the design of the microarchitecture inside the CPU. In this case, this computer is running core i5.

The specifications of the i3, i5, i7 or i9 classes of CPUs will differ in: core count, clock speed, cache size , support for technology features (like Turbo Boost 2.0) and hyper threading.

Typically, Core i5 and i7 processors fall under the quad-core category , while lower-end Core i3 processors fall under the dual-core category.

– The next piece of information is ” M “, which stands for the phrase Mobile microprocessor , which is the M processor for laptops and phones.

• The letter ” M ” stands for Mobile microprocessor , a microprocessor usually for mobile devices, laptops
• The letter “ E ” stands for Embedded , or embedded chip
• It is often accompanied by a suffix ” U ” (Ultra-low power) or ” L ” (Low power) indicating the level of energy consumption .

– The last piece of information is ” 460 ” which is the gene mark and Sku code . Specifically, the number “ 4 ” indicates the 4th generation CPU , the part number “ 60 ” is the Sku code , like the serial number.

Thus, with the above illustration, the information displayed ” Intel® Core ™ i5 CPU M460 @ 2.53 GHz , is understood as a computer using Intel’s Core processor with 4th generation core i5 chip, using Intel® Core™ i5 chip. using M chip (M processor) with high clock and powerful.

Difference between Core i3, i5, i7 and i9

The larger the core , the better, because a larger core will carry more cores for faster processing . In other words, a processor with one core can only process a single stream of information at a time, while a processor with two cores can process twice as much. Similarly for a processor with 4 cores, 5 cores, etc., the processing speed is 2 times, 5 times, …

Theoretically, multiple cores should provide the ability to process multiple streams of information at the same time. As a result, your PC will process data and execute commands faster and more efficiently.

In addition, it is important to pay attention to another parameter that is also very important when comparing core i with each other, which is the clock speed. Each core on the CPU has a clock speed and is measured in gigahertz. This is a parameter to know the CPU speed of the device you are running, so the faster the clock speed, the more CPU processes and executes more instructions in a cycle.

Difference between core i3, i5, i7 and i9

Intel’s Core i series is considered the most powerful CPU line to date. Core i3, core i5 and core i7 were all released in 2009. While, core i9 was only introduced in 2017, and this is considered a super high-end processor, with extremely high thread count and cores. high up to the present time.

Here are the differences between the core i’s:

Chips	Multiplier	Number of threads	Heartbeat	Turbo Boost	Hyper-Threading	Cache
Core i3	2	4	2.3 – 2.7 GHz	Are not	Have	3 MB
Core i5	2 – 4	4	1.8 – 3.1 GHz	Have	Only on dual core chips	3 – 6 MB
Core i7	2 – 4	8	2.2 – 3.3 GHz	Have	Have	4 – 8 MB
Core i9	10 – 18	20 – 36	4.2 – 4.3 GHz	Have	Have	13.75 – 24/75 MB

If you want to compare core i3 and core i5, or compare core i5 and core i7, or between core i, then you need to understand more about the meaning of the parameters as follows:

What is chip multiplier?

The core is the part on the CPU that does the processing , so the more cores a chip has, the more powerful it is .

What is thread number?

Usually, a core (core) will have only one thread to process information . So the more threads , the faster the CPU can process information .

What is clock speed?

Is a measure of the number of spin cycles a CPU can execute per second . The higher the clock speed, the faster the data processing speed but more battery consumption and heat generation.

What is Turbo Boost?

This technology allows the processor to automatically increase the clock speed when the need arises, specifically changing the clock to match computing requirements.

The increased clock speed impacted by Turbo Boost depends on: the number of active cores, the power consumed, and the temperature of the processor.

What is Hyper-Threading?

Hyper-Threading will split 1 physical core (core) into 2 Logic cores , and this performance difference is usually only 20%.

For example, if the CPU is dual core, then there will be two threads to process information at the same time. However, if using Hyper-Threading technology, it allows adding a single core to double the number of cores to serve multiple threads (processing information) at the same time. Specifically, core i5 can have 4 physical cores, for hyper-threading that is twice as effective, resulting in a huge performance improvement.

What is cache?

Cache is cache memory between CPU and RAM . The higher the Cache index , the less data the CPU can pull from RAM , resulting in increased processing speed .

For example, the seventh generation Core i3 and Core i5 processors of the U and Y series chips (which are low-power chips) have either 3MB or 4MB of cache. Meanwhile, the Core i7 of the same line has 4 MB of cache.

So which chip is the most powerful, which chip should I choose?

After learning about the differences between core i types, it will be easy for you to choose which chip is right for your needs, for example:

Intel Core i3

Usually meets the basic needs of users and this is also the most affordable chip. This chip is suitable for browsing the web, using social networks, using Microsoft Office software, making video calls, etc., and social networking.

Intel Core i5

Satisfied for users with average needs , because of its stable performance and mid-range price . This chip belongs to the G or Q series (high performance) suitable for those who use laptops for gaming, graphic design.

Intel Core i7

This type of chip is suitable for high-demand computer users, multi-tasking with several windows open at the same time, without having to spend time waiting for the application to run for too long.

Intel Core i9

This is a high-end processor to date, because it possesses many cores (a desktop core i9 chip can contain 10 – 18 cores), providing extremely fast processing speed. For those who have high professional use needs, like hardcore gamers for streaming purposes, or video editors who have to multi-task, choosing core i9 is ideal.

With the above sharing, hopefully you will have a better understanding of the differences when comparing core i3, i5, i7 and i9 laptop CPUs, and choose the right chip for your needs. .