Deciding Between Core i5 and Core i7

Question

[If it seems like I've been posting a lot lately, it's because I haven't purchased a desktop PC in 13 years. No need. My circa 2009 Studio XPS 8100 that I bought in 2010 runs Windows 10 and all my software really well and quickly! TBH, I've replaced everything inside the case except for the motherboard and the CPU.

Many times I have been tempted by the allure of new hardware, but had no use case for it. And with computing increasingly moving to the cloud, you need a good reason to buy powerful hardware these days.

In the end, it was Windows 11 that pushed me off the fence. It's currently running in a virtual machine on the 8100, and I want it to run on hardware.]

Sorry for the long introduction. I've spec-ed out the XPS desktop that I'm looking for, and only need to decide between the i5 and the i7 (both non-K.) For my current use cases, the i5 is perfectly good. But going into retirement, and with new hardware, who knows what new interests I'll discover? That's why I'm leaning toward the i7 - because it gives me processing headroom for the future (for only $100 more.)

OTOH, the i7 draws more power than the i5, even at idle. I wonder if the i7 will make the tower ("Advanced") cooler work harder than the i5 at idle or under low loads. I'd like my new PC to be as quiet as possible.

So I think my choice is between more processing power (i7) vs. more quiet (i5.) But maybe I'm wrong about that. Therefore, my question: With the "Advanced" cooler, are the i5 and the i7 likely to be equally quiet/noisy at idle and under low-to-medium load? As always, thanks for your advice.

RoHe · Accepted Answer

Compare the specs for (non-K) 12th Generation i5-12400 and (non-K) 12th Generation i7-12700 here.

They both have same TDP (65W) but i7 has twice as many cores, and 20 threads vs 12 for i5, etc.

You can compare their side-by-side performance here and here, etc.

smokeygraypoupon · Accepted Answer

I can provide advice on the quietness of the i7 12700 cpu with the Dell Premium (advanced) cpu cooler. When I purchased the XPS 8950 with the i7 12700 cpu , the Dell basic heatsink and fan was all that was available. During photo editing, Dell SupportAssist hardware scans, the cpu would thermal throttle due to the cpu cooler inadequacy. I purchased the Dell advanced cpu cooler from the big online retailer. After installation my cpu idle temps dropped to 23-24 C (about a 8-10 degree change) and at 100% utilization cpu temps were around 72 C. At low-to-medium load my machine is silent.

I have not used the i5, so I cannot comment on that cpu in a XPS 8950.

Hope this helps.

MastiffX · Answer

Thanks very much (again.)The numbers I zeroed in on were the processors' base power and turbo power. As you wrote, they have the same base power at 65 watts. That's the average power draw at their base frequencies. The processors' turbo power is different, as you would expect. For the i5-12400 it's 117 watts and for the i7-12700 it's 180 watts. That's the maximum sustained power draw at their turbo frequencies.I am not likely to push the i7-12700 close to its turbo frequency on a regular basis. I wonder if Dell even lets the processor go that far. I understand that OEMs can limit processors' maximum power consumption because they know their cases are too small and their cooling is too limited.For me it will be the i7.

XPS Desktops

Deciding Between Core i5 and Core i7

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