Desktop tower - i5 v i7

Jimbo18

I think my tower is about 5 years old and has a lower tier AMD chip. It's time to upgrade but, having said that, I only use it for browsing the net and some light spreadsheets.

I pretty much determined I want to get a new one from Costco and was wondering if anyone has experience with the differences between the i5 and the i7.

The i7 represents about a $200 or more jump in price and I was wondering if, considering my light use, if it's worth it. Looking mainly at Dell because my current one has performed well up to now.

VR3

I have an old i7 laptop from 2011... To this day it can still do everything I need it to do. I only replaced it because it would occasionally shut down when using it, like over heating and it can't run windows 11.

My daughter uses it occasionally for games and ms paint.

For browsing the net and office work I don't think you would experience a difference.

Fwiw mine is a Sony vaio

Emlyn

The i5 is intended and good for general use. The i7 (seems like they are in their 14th generation now since 2008 or so) is intended for higher performance business processing and video editing. There are many different iterations of i5 and i7 processors over many years.

I'd look at the other features included like size of SSD, RAM provided, and graphics card, but the processor itself isn't a significant concern for a general use desktop when purchased new these days.

sucks2beme

Computing power seems to have stalled. Quantum leps in speed just aren't happening
If anything, pc stuff has just gotten more streamlined. Laptops have fewer ports,
no optical drives, and the mouse pads are useless. Windows 11 seems to be designed
to make any hardware more than a few years old obsolete. You really have to drop a
bundle on a desktop gaming machine to get that next level of performance. My
existing stuff is more than fast enough for my needs. I have a tablet that I normally use
for day to day surfing and streaming. The wife uses a laptop normally, but a tablet would
most likely meet 99% of her needs. I've got a tank like ThinkPad for when I need to get
serious. In retirement, who needs spreadsheets?

Emlyn

I have a mid-range Alienware gaming desktop from five years ago with an i7-8700 processor. Just about everything on it is obsolete for running the latest games now at high resolution. Intense graphics is the main problem but it would need a new motherboard, a faster processor, a faster and larger SSD, etc to run new games at the highest resolution or even mid-level resolution without stuttering. For all other uses it's excellent.

Cheaper to just buy a new computer for gaming or other heavy use!

ChrisD06

I've been into computers properly (building, servicing, upgrading) since I was about 11 years old and have almost 7 years under my belt of experience with this stuff.

Generally speaking, a core i5 will last you as long as you need, so long as you're not doing anything intensive such as gaming, 3D modeling, video editing, or simulations.

What you're going to want to look for is a computer with good specifications all around. Nowadays you can't really go wrong with most mid-end computers. Just don't buy a chromebook or a $200 HP.

My recommendation is to look for a computer that advertises 16GB of RAM, and an SSD. So long as the processor is at least an Intel i5 (12th generation or better- model reads as i5-12400F, 12600K, etc.)

If you want to 'future proof' you could get into the nitty gritty and ensure the type of RAM is DDR5, and the type of SSD is an NVMe. Other than that, processors generally don't need much future proofing. A 2nd generation i5 from 2011 still holds up today, even in a lot of games. By the time your CPU is going to be too slow, your computer will either be on its way out, unsupported by newer software/operating systems, or in need of a repair.

Jimbo18

If I stick to i5, it looks like there are several choices at Costco in the $500 - $800 range. Thanks for the advice.

sucks2beme

It's not like it used to be. There were a lot of places selling desktop machines.
In most markets that's not the case anymore. Other than big metro areas
like Dallas, even finding good sources for the parts to build your own has
gotten hard. There's still Microcenter, but for the most part you either go
online, or buy the mass produced stuff from one of the big box retailers.
I haven't built a system in years. My sons are in their mid 30's and early 40's,
so they have been building their own gaming rigs for a while now. Neither
is married, so for them having a $$$ desktop machine is a must have.
I haven't played any games since the early 90's. I used to run twin laptops
with two monitors and a kvm for the mouse and keyboard for my home
office. One would be VPN connected to my work, and the other VPN
connected to customer networks. I don't miss those days. Sometimes
I'd have to work 24 hours straight. Isn't salary except great? Pay you
for 40 hours, work you for 80.

WilliamM2

From the use you describe, even an old AMD 3600 will still be just fine. As long as it has an SSD.

How low is your chip? Anything after 2017 (AMD 2000 series or Intel 8th gen) will run Windows 11. Just needs to support TPM 2.0

billbillw

To Jimbo,
Honestly, for the type of computer use you are talking about, I don't see any reason to replace your current tower. If it feeling sluggish, it might need another RAM stick, or a better SSD. If you don't already have an SSD, that should be your first upgrade. CPUs have improved pretty significantly in 5 years, but you would only appreciate that if you did CPU intensive computer work like gaming, video rendering, or video encoding.
I have laptops and thin client type machines that are 8-10 years old and they can surf the internet or do any spreadsheet work without breaking a sweat.
I upgrade my main machine every 3 years or so, but that I because I do a lot of video encoding and every 3 years or so, I can cut my time in half for a video encode by upgrading to something newer.

If you do get something new, i5 is all you need, but don't discount the latest AMD Ryzen based towers either. Ryzen is generally as fast and runs cooler compared to Intel. I have alternated between AMD and Intel countless times over the years and I've been happy with both.

VR3

When is the last time you blew out the machine? Dust can slow a machine down for sure

mrbigbluelight

So what type of machine should I look for if I'm wanting to post to the internet pictures of myself nude sunbathing in the backyard ?
🤔❓

msg

An Etch-A-Sketch.

msg

+1 on the SSD disk and memory upgrade if not already present, and that's a really easy upgrade that just about anyone with a screwdriver can do. Sometimes the screwdriver isn't even necessary.

In conjunction with that, OS cleanup tools, like CCleaner and/or an OS reinstall.

You could get Win11 installed with a TPM bypass if it's not available.

But don't let us hose your plans for acquiring a new computer

i5 proc
16-32GB RAM
SSD/NVMe

Do you have any storage requirements? Large photos or music(s) collection?

You all better have a backup in place. If not, check out the free Veeam Agent for Microsoft.

Jimbo18

I guess i misremembered the chip in this. It must have been the tower before this one with the AMD. It says it's an Intel Pentium G3220 @3Ghz with 4Ghz of Ram. It came with a standard hard drive but I had it upgraded to a 256G SSD about 4 years ago.

When I get updates on it, it says I can't upgrade to Win 11. Maybe just try more Ram?

billbillw

Well, that changes the story. That CPU came out in 2013 and it was a very low end chip at the time. We were thinking you had a 3000 series Ryzen or something. Yeah, I'd probably go ahead and get something newer. That old Pentium is lacking a lot compared to even a current i3.
I use the Passmark's CPU Benchmark number for quick comparison. Your chip scores 1891 which is pathetic compared to just about anything released since 2020.
The Costco towers I see around $500 have an i5-13400 which scores almost 25000 on the same benchmark. There is an HP for $450 with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G that scores around 20000, so its still very fast compared to what you have.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/2020vs4994vs4325/Intel-Pentium-G3220-vs-Intel-i5-13400-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-5600G
Something you may notice in that comparison is that the Intel is faster, but it is also quite a bit more power hungry at full throttle. The AMD is a 65W chip and the Intel has a base wattage of 65W as well, but Intel uses Turbo (overclocking the cores) to get those higher scores, and when the Turbo clock ramps up, it can pull almost 150W.
Now, you probably won't see that unless you are video rendering/encoding so take it with a grain of salt. At idle/browsing, they will use about the same power.
I wouldn't feel obliged to stick with Dell over HP or Lenovo. They are basically all built to the same quality in that price range.
One other thing to consider, is that the many of the new towers don't have an optical (CD/DVD) disc drive in them. If that is important for you, then make sure you shop for one that has it. There are external drives that you can connect with USB if needed as well.

Jimbo18

Thanks everyone. Sorry for confusing the issue, I should have checked what I had and not relied on memory (NPI). At least I learned some stuff.

I did check the inside of the tower and it was pretty dusty. The memory isn't too hard to get to but I will save the money on it and just get the new tower when I am ready.

WilliamM2

Good choice, if you run windows, you will need a new tower anyways. Windows 10 suport ends next year. There are hacks to make it work, but Microsoft will probably close those loopholes eventually.

Clipdat

Jimbo18 wrote: »

I guess i misremembered the chip in this. It must have been the tower before this one with the AMD. It says it's an Intel Pentium G3220 @3Ghz with 4Ghz of Ram. It came with a standard hard drive but I had it upgraded to a 256G SSD about 4 years ago.

When I get updates on it, it says I can't upgrade to Win 11. Maybe just try more Ram?

Yikes, yeah trying to run Win10 on 4gb of ram will be maddening. That's the main issue here, imo.

Jimbo18

@Clipdat it was only Win 8 when I bought it. For the light work I use it for, I just have held out spending the money on an upgrade but my patience has pretty much worn out.

Clipdat

You could try a simple ram upgrade first to see if that helps things.

Jimbo18

I might but will probably just keep watching for a deal at Costco. Thanks.

WilliamM2

A ram upgrade will cost more than that machine is currently worth. Don't bother. And you can get better deals than listed above at Newegg, or even Amazon. If you go AMD, that deal at Costco is on an AMD chip that's already 4 years old. The Intel is abour 2. I'd go for something more current, for better future use.

Clipdat

WilliamM2 wrote: »

A ram upgrade will cost more than that machine is currently worth. Don't bother.

Really? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022755-REG/patriot_psd316g1600kh_st_dimm_kit_ddr3.html

billbillw

FYI: If you decide to upgrade RAM, I would just get a pair of 8GB sticks if you can find them on eBay. DDR3 is super cheap on the used market. You probably won't find anything decent in stock at stores.
Something like this would do: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126427666162

TennMan

Jimbo18 wrote: »

I guess i misremembered the chip in this. It must have been the tower before this one with the AMD. It says it's an Intel Pentium G3220 @3Ghz with 4Ghz of Ram. It came with a standard hard drive but I had it upgraded to a 256G SSD about 4 years ago.

When I get updates on it, it says I can't upgrade to Win 11. Maybe just try more Ram?

Your current system should be fast enough for Internet browsing and spreadsheets that don't do a lot of calculations.

Check to see what apps/programs are starting when the computer boots and are running in the background. You may have some things running in the background that you don't need that are using up RAM. Disabling them from starting at boot time could make your computer boot faster and free up some RAM to make your computer run faster.

Also, the antivirus software you use can have a big effect on computer speed. I've found that Avast has the least effect on the speed of my computers and it gives good protection. Norton or McAfee antivirus software slows my computers the most. If you happen to somehow install two antivirus programs on a computer it will slow it to a crawl.

billbillw

TennMan wrote: »

Also, the antivirus software you use can have a big effect on computer speed. I've found that Avast has the least effect on the speed of my computers and it gives good protection. Norton or McAfee antivirus software slows my computers the most. If you happen to somehow install two antivirus programs on a computer it will slow it to a crawl.

Actually, at this point, with Windows 10, the fastest and least obnoxious anti-virus is to just delete everything by 3rd party companies and let Microsoft's Windows Defender do the job. In AV comparisons, it is shown to be as effective as most of the 3rd party solutions and it won't cost a penny or ever ask you to upgrade to the premium version. I've been doing this exclusively on all my machines since BitDefender Free decided to stop being free (but then they changed their mind later, and it was too late for me). I have had absolutely no issues with viruses or malware. As long as you aren't clicking links or attachments in unsolicited emails or trying to download free versions of software that shouldn't be free, you shouldn't run into any issues. I also make sure to use a strong ad-blocker on my browser. I recommend uBlock Origin. That will prevent a lot of malicious pop up ads from ever getting through.

Don't believe me about Windows Defender, then check here:
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/february-2024/microsoft-defender-antivirus-consumer-4.18-241114/

msg

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Defender take action on malicious items without asking you what to do with it when it detects it? Like the option to quarantine or create an exception? Curious at your experience with it. I've heard other people say the same with use of Defender, saying it works well and that they don't use 3rd party any longer.

billbillw

One other thought, on the aging Pentium G3220, is that even though surfing/spreadsheet may not sound like it needs much CPU, if that surfing also includes going to sites with video streaming (YouTube, Facebook, News Sites, etc), then there is a hardware decoding factor that could really bog down an older CPU.
As time has marched on, videos files have changed the compression/encoding algorithms to be more efficient (ie: smaller file and better quality), but that efficiency comes at the cost of more calculations needed per frame to play back.
Most CPUs after ~2017 have pretty strong built-in hardware decoders/encoders that take the load off the CPU when playing back the newer video files. For Intel, this would be around the 7th gen of Core. Ryzen CPUs have it too. This Pentium is before that and it wouldn't have any hardware acceleration for playing those videos.

WilliamM2

Clipdat wrote: »

WilliamM2 wrote: »

A ram upgrade will cost more than that machine is currently worth. Don't bother.

Really? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022755-REG/patriot_psd316g1600kh_st_dimm_kit_ddr3.html

It's close. I doubt he could get $30 for that tower anywhere. My employer tried to sell off a bunch of Core I3's, with 8GB ram from 2013 for $50 each. No takers. Ended up giving them to employees. Even then we had some we reycled. And that was in 2022.

An 11 year old tower has no value. And this is a Pentium, not even an I3.

Clipdat

Yeah, I guess you're right. It just seems like $30 (albeit plus tax and maybe shipping) seems like a modest expenditure to get a few more years out of a system. If the 4gb ram is indeed the main/only issue with it.