I always thought bigger number = better in the terms of pc components. Recently ive learned i5s can compete with i9s. I saw a post one day that said “i could replace your processors with i3’s and almost none of you would even notice”
How does this work?
In: Technology
First of all, each series of processors has a wide range of individual models. Additionally, they all span multiple generations as well. So an early i9 might very well be inferior to the latest and greatest i5. But there are a lot of variable at play here, so I’m going to look at the entire range from i3 to i9.
Basically, it’s not an apples to apples comparison.
Speaking very generally, i9s have faster base clock speeds. The slowest i9 is 3.0GHz. The fastest i3 is 4.0 GHz.
But that’s just one part of the equation. i3s only come in 2 or 4 core models. i9s start at 6 cores and go up to 18.
Bus Speed – i3= 5GT/s maximum, i9= 8GT/s minimum.
The L1, L2, and L3 caches also vary in a similar manner.
At the end of the day, you have to quantify what you mean by “compete”.
It’s kind of like saying a pickup truck can compete with a Ferrari… compete how? Hauling stuff or going fast? Or going fast while hauling stuff?
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