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Intel Core i5 Inside or Intel Core i5 x Generation What do I buy and what are the differences?

JHern26
Beginner
5,141 Views

Good morning, afternoon and evening.

I am new to the Intel site and I came for a little help on a few questions that I have.

In if all this is because, I have planned to buy a laptop that serves me for work, both for games (low range, medium, medium high).

In case I plan to buy a Notebook that has the following specifications or properties.

Brand of the Laptop: Dell

Operating system: Any Windows from 7 to 10. 64 bits. (preferably 10).

Memory Ram: 8GB.

Storage: 1TB of space.

Processor: Intel Core i5 (Inside or X Generation).

Graphics Card: Unknown.

If I have seen a laptop that has all this at a cost of $ 10,000 to $ 15,000.

And the truth is I am very interested in buying that laptop, since I have a hope that I will run faster in programs such as work and games.

But lately I am at a loss with the processors and graphics card that have integrated by Intel.

If I understand that, a Core i5 processor is great to work and to run one or another game.

But in itself, my first doubt is.

Why does the processor label put [Intel Core i5 Inside] and have seen others that have the name [Intel Core i5 X Generation] (if only it is seen the processor or label [Intel Core i5 7th Generation])?

If so, I'm looking at some pages and all this from the generation of processors and if I understand that all processors, whether [Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, i5 and i7] have somewhat old labels? and others that are more detailed than is currently seen, but in itself.

What's the difference with Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i5 7th Generation?

If perhaps the only thing I understand is that they have one or another tiny change, in the speed of the processor, both in a certain graphics card.

And in itself, if it were to buy between i5 inside or i5 7th Generation, my second doubt is.

What type of graphics card can the i5 Inside processor and the i5 7th Generation take?

If it is possible, I've seen on some pages, that the Intel HD 3000-4000 graphics cards are good for games, but since there are other cards with the Intel HD 500-650 figure, it's as far as it's read , are great to run some games.

Another of my doubts that I have when buying said laptop with said processor and graphics card is.

What version of OpenGL do the processors or graphics cards have (i5 Inside, i5 7th Generation, Intel HD 3000-4000, Intel HD 500-650)?

If so, where is OpenGL a kind of Software? Coming in the Processor? graphics card ?, which itself is used for the use of 3D programs among other things.

And the truth is interesting to know that OpenGL version can come in the card or processor mentioned above.

Since in itself, apart from doing my work from school, I use more the laptop, for games, if I would say that they are from Low Range and at the same time I would like to try games of Middle Range and High Range to their graphics in the more low frequency.

And if several of the games I have, use OpenGL 2.0 up and if one has a requirement of 3.4? up, and the Laptop that I have currently uses OpenGL 4.0

If perhaps I would be interested to know which version of OpenGL can come on the card or processor.

my last question is

What version of Directx can come in the processor or card mentioned above?

If perhaps my current laptop, has Directx 12.

If I know that Directx is used to run certain programs and games in a suitable way ?.

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At the moment this is all I have to ask since I would like to test the power of the Core i5 or i7 Processor.

If my current laptop is a Lenovo Ideapad 100.

Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit.

Processor: Intel Celeron N240 2.16 GHz.

Graphics Card: Intel HD (Nothing But That).

OpenGL: 4.0

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If this is all of my part and would greatly appreciate your attention and help.

So far, I say goodbye.

And with your permission, goodbye.

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1 Reply
n_scott_pearson
Super User
3,756 Views

Well, Jesus, if nothing else, you gave me something to chuckle about. Us insiders always forget how this stuff is perceived externally and how the slight differences in presentation - and yes, including the stickers that Intel uses - make it tough to absorb. So, let's go back to the beginning...

First of all, let's talk about performance. As a rule of thumb, from lowest to highest performance, the desktop brands appear as follows: Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 (and soon Core i9). Does this mean that a specific Core i7 will always be a better performer than a specific Core i5? No, unfortunately, it does not. While in general it works within a generation, across generations is another story altogether. A Core i5 from the latest generation, for example, may outperform a Core i7 from a previous generation (this, in fact, occurs quite regularly). From one generation to the next, improvements are being made. This can be in raw processor core performance as a result of things like clock speed improvement (including that for the Turbo Boost feature), smaller and faster transistors, more efficient microcode, etc. and etc. It can also be in the use of cores versus execution threads. For example, current Core i5 processors, in general, have four execution threads, but one Core i5 might have two cores that each provide two execution threads (these are called HyperThreads) while another Core i5 might have four cores but each provide only a single execution thread. in general, the Core i5 with four cores will outperform the Core i5 with two cores, but the lines can still be blurry as you look across generations - and add to this the fact that the next generation will introduce Core i5 processors with more cores and more execution threads.

Next, a note on microarchitectures. For the past few years, at any point in time, there are generally two microarchitectures in use, one that results in the Atom, Celeron and Pentium processors and one that results in the Core i3, i5, i7 processors. These two microarchitectures have many, many features in common. The major difference is in the prioritization of specific attributes (performance, power utilization, etc.). If you look back in time, you will reach a point where the Celeron and Pentium processors actually used the same microarchitecture as the corresponding Core processors. This has not been the case for a few generations, however (mostly as a result of the other microarchitectures catching up with the Core microarchitectures).

Next, a note on usage models. So far, I have been talking exclusively in terms of Desktop processors. It needs to be understood that different versions of these processors are being produced for different usage models and the performance of these versions can vary significantly. These usage models include Performance Desktop, standard Desktop, Mobile and Embedded. As you can imagine, the lines between these usage models can be blurry. You might see a processor designed for the Embedded market that is used in a Mobile system (a tablet or laptop or 2in1) to get a solution with even longer battery life. You will also see both Mobile and Embedded processors used in small form factor Desktop systems. Intel's NUC products are a great example. These are small form factor Desktop Systems that almost exclusively utilize Mobile and Embedded processor versions.

Now, you will note that I haven't yet mentioned the Server or Workstation usage models or the Xeon processor brand (separate microarchitectures) or the fact that most Performance Desktop processors (including the new Core i9) are mostly derived from Xeon processors. This introduces a whole new level of complication that we will leave out of the discussion.

Next, let's talk about generations. Intel is in the process of releasing the 8th generation of Core processors and the 9th generation of Core processors is already on the horizon. In parallel with this is the microarchitectures that have been used to produce the corresponding generations of Atom, Celeron and Pentium processors.

Finally, let's talk about graphics. The first generation of Core i3/i5/i7 processors was also the generation that saw Intel's graphics solutions move from the chipset (and discrete ICs) into the processor itself. Each subsequent generation has introduced improvements in the architecture and performance of the graphics solution. While the improvements have been significant, Intel's graphics solutions are just not good enough for high-end gaming. As a result, systems designed for high-end gaming use add-on discrete graphics solutions from NVIDIA and AMD (ATI). To get an appreciation for how these solutions compare in performance, see the comparison charts on the Tom's Hardware web site. Note that, because there are many (many!) different attributes to graphics performance and differences in how the various games used these attributes, that Tom's Hardware actually had to generate different comparison charts for different games. Within these charts, you can see where the various versions of Intel's graphics solutions fall amongst those from NVIDIA and AMD.

Ok, I am willing to bet that I have presented you with so much information that I have probably only confused you more. Let me summarize...

  1. You want to choose a processor from the latest possible generation. The current generation on the market is the 7th generation. While some 8th generation processors are starting to appear, almost all laptops you will see right now utilize 7th generation processors (though you might see a few 6th generation processors still in use as well).
  2. You want to choose your processor and your graphics solution based upon the requirements for the highest-end games that you want to play. If you want a laptop that can play the very latest high-end games, you likely want one that has a Core i7 processor and an NVIDIA or AMD graphics solution. If you only want support for mid-range games, on the other hand, you may be able to get away with a Core i5 processor and the included Intel graphics solution. Since I am not a player of these types of games (I am 60 years old), I can't answer this for you. You might want to ask this question on the conversation boards for these particular games and get some opinions there.

Hope this helps,

...S

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