I clearly don't understand processors

[_Rave_]

If an HP Intel Core i5 Dual Core 580M has  2.66GHz, why is an Intel Core i7 Quad Core 840QM only 1.86GHz?

I know that the i7 is better than the i5, but is that how much each core of the processor can handle or what?

Please help 

[Ad Bot]

[otto-san]

you clearly dont understand processers

[MegaScientifical]

I think it's per-core or whatever.

[Cheemo]

Dual Core < Quad Core

[Space Guy]

Dual Core < Quad Core

Depends what you're using it for. Something designed for two cores would work better on the i5 than the i7 (but if it e.g. locked up everything stops instead of two running in the background), something designed to use however many is available would run faster on the i7.

[_Rave_]

So if I want to listen to music and play TF2 would I go for an i5 or an i7?

I'm looking at this when I make enough money. :D

[Visage]

Dual Core < Quad Core

Not really, an i5 650 will smoke an athlon ii x4. The reason is the clock speed is not the most important thing. There is also cache size, and some have more memory channels, and theres a few other minor changes that can affect performance that I don't even know what they do. Basically if you want to know which CPU is better than the other just google benchmarks on both CPUs.

[D3ATH]

So if I want to listen to music and play TF2 would I go for an i5 or an i7?

I'm looking at this when I make enough money. :D

TF2 would run on a single core from 2003+ too.

[Cheemo]

Depends what you're using it for. Something designed for two cores would work better on the i5 than the i7 (but if it e.g. locked up everything stops instead of two running in the background), something designed to use however many is available would run faster on the i7.

Not really, an i5 650 will smoke an athlon ii x4. The reason is the clock speed is not the most important thing. There is also cache size, and some have more memory channels, and theres a few other minor changes that can affect performance that I don't even know what they do. Basically if you want to know which CPU is better than the other just google benchmarks on both CPUs.

I apparently don't understand processors either.