Better choice - (Best Buy Black Friday) 4th generation i7 or 6th generation i5?

[birdpix]

Am not a computer techie and am looking at new desktop for use with lightroom and photoshop, and general web use (no gaming). MONEY is a major object, so I was looking at the Black Friday ad from Best Buy which has an Intel 4th Generation Core i7 (4ghz) w/8 ghz DDR3 1600 ram, a 1tb 7200rpm drive, and Windows 10 for just under US $500.

At the same time, I have seen some 6th generation i5 (3-3.4ghz) models with the same other specs (w/8 ghz DDR3 1600 ram, a 1tb 7200rpm drive, and Windows 10) for a little more than that sale price.

Any thoughts on choosing one over the other? I know on paper, I would think the i7 w/4ghz speed would be best, but am not sure if all the improvements in "6th generation" chips and the possibility to add faster RAM later would make the i5 a better choice. Any input most appreciated - my old brain is getting sore trying to figure this out! Thanks!!

 

[Ten Years After]

Am not a computer techie and am looking at new desktop for use with lightroom and photoshop, and general web use (no gaming). MONEY is a major object, so I was looking at the Black Friday ad from Best Buy which has an Intel 4th Generation Core i7 (4ghz) w/8 ghz DDR3 1600 ram, a 1tb 7200rpm drive, and Windows 10 for just under US $500.

At the same time, I have seen some 6th generation i5 (3-3.4ghz) models with the same other specs (w/8 ghz DDR3 1600 ram, a 1tb 7200rpm drive, and Windows 10) for a little more than that sale price.

Any thoughts on choosing one over the other? I know on paper, I would think the i7 w/4ghz speed would be best, but am not sure if all the improvements in "6th generation" chips and the possibility to add faster RAM later would make the i5 a better choice. Any input most appreciated - my old brain is getting sore trying to figure this out! Thanks!!

--
Eric in Florida

WIll still be using my 2 year old HDMI Dell 24" IPS LED monitor, whichever I choose.

Hi birdpix:

If it was me, I would pick a 4.0 ghz i7 over a newer i5 3-3.4 ghz in a New York minute.

IMO, using Extreme Memory Profile in the bios with 1600 MHZ ram and the 4 ghz i7 processor is more beneficial then a slower i5 processor and faster ram.

Alvin Lee

 

[Austinian]

Am not a computer techie and am looking at new desktop for use with lightroom and photoshop, and general web use (no gaming). MONEY is a major object, so I was looking at the Black Friday ad from Best Buy which has an Intel 4th Generation Core i7 (4ghz) w/8 ghz DDR3 1600 ram, a 1tb 7200rpm drive, and Windows 10 for just under US $500.

At the same time, I have seen some 6th generation i5 (3-3.4ghz) models with the same other specs (w/8 ghz DDR3 1600 ram, a 1tb 7200rpm drive, and Windows 10) for a little more than that sale price.

Any thoughts on choosing one over the other? I know on paper, I would think the i7 w/4ghz speed would be best, but am not sure if all the improvements in "6th generation" chips and the possibility to add faster RAM later would make the i5 a better choice. Any input most appreciated - my old brain is getting sore trying to figure this out! Thanks!!

You don't specify the exact PCs involved, but in general I'd get the i7 system; not only is the clock rate higher, but the desktop i7 chips support hyperthreading, which can be useful for some applications.

 

[Jim Cockfield]

Can you post links to the systems you're looking at?

If not, can you post the exact model numbers and full system specifications?

You said desktop, not laptop or all-in-one, right?

The desktop Core i7 CPUs (for example, a Core i7 4790) have 4 physical cores with 4 virtual cores via hyperthreading, to they support 8 total threads.

But, with mobile type CPUs (often used in laptops, all-in-ones and small form factor computers), they may not be Quad Core CPUs (as some of the mobile Core i7 CPUs are dual core instead). Big difference.

If you are looking at a desktop 4th generation Core i7 CPU (Core i7 4770, Core i7 4770K, Core i7 4790, Core i7 4790K) that is not one of the low power draw models, then under $500 is a good deal, as one of those CPUs is worth about $300, not counting the other system components (motherboard, ram, case, power supply, drives, windows operating system, etc.).

Yes, if we're discussing full speed desktop CPUs (versus one of the mobile models, or models with lower power draw like those with S or T suffixes), you'd want to go with a 4th Generation Core i7 CPU over a 5th Generation Core i5 CPU. For that matter, depending on the exact processor and system configs you're looking at, you may also want to go with a 4th generation Core i7 CPU over a system with a 5th generation Core i7 CPU.

There are many variables involved, and we need to know more details.

I'd post links to the systems you're considering for better responses, so that members can see more details and specifications.

--
JimC
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[larry55279]

find out for certain using one of these comparisons:

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4710HQ-vs-Intel-Core-i5-5200U

 

[birdpix]

Thanks everyone for the info -

I just now ended up getting a really good deal on the latest Dell XPS 8900 8th gen i7,1tb 7200, ddr4, 2gb nvidia card (Dell.com Order Code: fdcwgsk104hw10) with dell member discounts, free shipping, and some other special offers (ebates), it ended up being just about $200. more than the black friday Dell i7 from bestbuy that I was thinking about. Just over 700, with tax.

My plans are to keep an eye out for deal on 16gb ddr4 ram and an SSD. I think (hope) it will run circles around my current 3-4 year old early i5 which has been unhappy with PS and LR since latest updates in particular.

I waited too long to bite on the best buy one yesterday and all the early black friday ones sold out while I was still looking! As each store only has 2 units, I decided my chances of scoring one in person were pretty slim, so the dell deal was very good and I jumped. That Black Friday one is here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-in...lack/4606900.p?id=1219776510110&skuId=4606900

 

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

My plans are to keep an eye out for deal on 16gb ddr4 ram and an SSD. I think (hope) it will run circles around my current 3-4 year old early i5 which has been unhappy with PS and LR since latest updates in particular.

It won't. Increases over the past 4 years is marginal compared to the gains made between 8 and 4 years ago.

I waited too long to bite on the best buy one yesterday and all the early black friday ones sold out while I was still looking! As each store only has 2 units, I decided my chances of scoring one in person were pretty slim, so the dell deal was very good and I jumped. That Black Friday one is here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-in...lack/4606900.p?id=1219776510110&skuId=4606900

 

[Michael Firstlight]

It won't. Increases over the past 4 years is marginal compared to the gains made between 8 and 4 years ago

Sadly, you are quite correct. My current six Core i7-3930 overclocked at 4.6Ghz (using an Corsair 100i cooler) with an SSD and loads of 1866 RAM STILL blows away most newer CPUs, many of which, even though unlocked, still can't reach that kind of stable overclock with even fewer cores and threads. Since the SandyBridge generation of Core CPUs, performance growth of each succeeding generation has only been a paltry 5-10% with each and have less room for overclocking. Even my Core i7-920 (Bloomfield) system which I overclocked @ 4.0GHz years ago is still going strong and still beats most current stock CPUs. One could argue larger cache and lanes etc with newer CPUs, but clock speed still matter a great deal combined with SSDs.
I'll wager a Core i7-3930 purchased on eBay, overclocked to 4.6Ghz, combined with 8-16GB of cheap 1333 to 1866 RAM with an SSD, will still beat most current systems hands-down at a far lower cost. Now, if you want to be at the the top of the game you need to go all the way to a forthcoming Core i7 Broadwell-E with an Intel 750 PCIE 1.2TB SSD - but that's it its own class for hardcore performance freaks (short of going to RISC).

Net-net - drop something like this ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-i7-39...059561?hash=item25b1293c29:g:JrMAAOSweuxWRQdj )into a full size case with a 100i cooler, a moderate economical power supply, 8GB of AM, and an SSD, pop the clock easily upto 4.4 - 4.6GHz - and you've got a killer rig for a relative song.

Mike

 

[Ten Years After]

My plans are to keep an eye out for deal on 16gb ddr4 ram and an SSD. I think (hope) it will run circles around my current 3-4 year old early i5 which has been unhappy with PS and LR since latest updates in particular.

It won't. Increases over the past 4 years is marginal compared to the gains made between 8 and 4 years ago.

I waited too long to bite on the best buy one yesterday and all the early black friday ones sold out while I was still looking! As each store only has 2 units, I decided my chances of scoring one in person were pretty slim, so the dell deal was very good and I jumped. That Black Friday one is here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-in...lack/4606900.p?id=1219776510110&skuId=4606900

--
Eric in Florida

That's a ridiculously good deal if it really has a 4790K.

Yep, especially considering the CPU sells for $330.

Alvin Lee

 

[Kris in CT]

Hey Eric, I just purchased an 8900 also. I had an extra coupon that dropped the price another 105 and made it 631 shipped including tax. Minus the $30 CB from Dell. If you want, shoot me a PM, maybe you can dell and ***** at them that I got the same setup for cheaper and I think CSR might knock off some of the price for you..

Anyways, I'm looking for a deal on a 16 gb DDR4 so if you find one before me, shoot me a message and vice versa. The best I am seeing is about $85 but there have been some deals around $60. Do you have a deal alert setup at slick deals?

 

[jhoto]

So the BestBuy deal for $699 is the beat going on now?
I currently have an old 64 X2 3.0ghz with a 8400 GS
card. Can upgrade past 4gb if ram with this main board.

I live close to MicroCenter and Fry's. Would it be cheaper/better to build

 

[jhoto]

Ordered the Best Buy deal for $479 last night.

 

[nearly-an-old-codger]

Hey Eric, I just purchased an 8900 also. I had an extra coupon that dropped the price another 105 and made it 631 shipped including tax. Minus the $30 CB from Dell. If you want, shoot me a PM, maybe you can dell and ***** at them that I got the same setup for cheaper and I think CSR might knock off some of the price for you..

Anyways, I'm looking for a deal on a 16 gb DDR4 so if you find one before me, shoot me a message and vice versa. The best I am seeing is about $85 but there have been some deals around $60. Do you have a deal alert setup at slick deals?

--
My sober voyage into bird photography
http://www.tamron-usa.com/enews/archives/2015/jan_rowe.php
https://500px.com/coastalconn
http://www.facebook.com/KristoferRowePhotography
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastalconn

Good suggestion to talk to Dell. I just ordered a Laptop from Dell at the time when Best Buy had it on offer for a lot less. (I also wanted to buy the Dell Warranty rather than the BB one).

It took a little firm but polite persistence but I got what I wanted in the end.

Brian

 

[jackalopemaui]

Hey Eric, I just purchased an 8900 also. I had an extra coupon that dropped the price another 105 and made it 631 shipped including tax. Minus the $30 CB from Dell. If you want, shoot me a PM, maybe you can dell and ***** at them that I got the same setup for cheaper and I think CSR might knock off some of the price for you..

Anyways, I'm looking for a deal on a 16 gb DDR4 so if you find one before me, shoot me a message and vice versa. The best I am seeing is about $85 but there have been some deals around $60. Do you have a deal alert setup at slick deals?

--
My sober voyage into bird photography
http://www.tamron-usa.com/enews/archives/2015/jan_rowe.php
https://500px.com/coastalconn
http://www.facebook.com/KristoferRowePhotography
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastalconn

Good suggestion to talk to Dell. I just ordered a Laptop from Dell at the time when Best Buy had it on offer for a lot less. (I also wanted to buy the Dell Warranty rather than the BB one).

It took a little firm but polite persistence but I got what I wanted in the end.

Brian

Dell has better deals than Best Buy for desktops. For the same price as one of those junk consumer computers from Best Buy that doesn't even support 2560x1440 much less 4k, you can get a Dell Precision workstation with Displayport and a Xeon processor