What’s the Difference Between an i5 and i7 Processor?

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The Short Answer

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The Slightly Longer Answer

i5 processors are cheaper than i7 processors.

The Longer Answer

A processor is the most important part of any computer, whether desktop, laptop or smartphone. A Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the heart of any computer and without one you’d be looking at a blank screen and trying to work out why you can’t play Angry Birds.

A computer is made of many components, such as RAM (Random Access Memory), hard drive or Operating System and upgrading any of these will increase the performance of your device. You can also upgrade the CPU as well and if your computer is increasingly ‘going slow’ it might be worthwhile to get a newer one.

As such, the type of CPU is important. Intel are the largest manufacturer of CPUs and they make a wide variety of them. Core i3 and m3 chips are mainly used in budget systems and as their names may suggest they are not high-powered enough for modern use. Core i9 CPUs are mainly used in high-performing computers that need a lot of processing power. Good luck if you can afford one but it’s most likely that your computer will be using either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor.

Put simply Core i7 processors have more capabilities than Core i5 and are better high-endtasking, high end graphics and programmes that require extensive calculations. On average a Core i7 processor is about £55 more expensive than an i5, and that might be an investment you may want to make if you’re constantly complaining that the device you use is too slow.

At its simplest, Core i7 processors have a faster base clock speed. This is the number of pulses generated by an oscillator in a processor that sets how fast that processor will perform. The faster the base clock speed is, the better it will perform. Core i7 processors also have a larger on-board memory (or cache) to better deal with the repetitive tasks all computers have to regularly perform. If a computer is calculating a spreadsheet, say, it is better if you’re CPU isn’t constantly having to ‘remember’ tasks from other places. If it’s already in the cache, calculations can be instantaneous. On average most Core i5 processors have 9 MB of memory whilst Core i7 processors have up to 12 MB.

Back in the day, if you wanted to play a high-performance game on your computer – one that used a lot of quick moving graphics with high detail – it was recommended you have a seperate graphics card installed. These graphic cards were essentially another CPU designed especially for the high processing needed for such games. But technology moves on and today’s CPUs can now handle such tasks and, because they’re not using a seperate CPU for graphics, they can save power. Even Core i5 processors can handle plenty of whizzy graphical content, such as HD videos with ease.

To cut a long story short, the vast majority of computer users, who only use their computers to surf the net or watch videos will be happy with a Core i5 processor but if you want to use programmes or games that would slow down a normal computer, upgrade to a computer with a Core i7 processor.

What is RAM & Why Is It So Important

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This is a question we get here at Carbon I.T time after time. Although computers are not new, people still don’t quite understand what RAM is. The only thing most people seem to understand is that they want more of it. Probably like a fine wine, you don’t know why it’s fine, how it’s made or why you want it, you just know you do.

In this, the first of our education blogs, we will aim to explain more about it. What it does and exactly why better computers have more.

What Does RAM Stand For?

RAM is an acronym and it stands for random access memory. This basically means it’s a form of storage (memory) inside your computer that it accesses at random times during each session.

What Does RAM Do?

As we’ve mentioned above, it is a form of storage. However, this storage differs from most. There is never anything stored there long-term, instead, it’s a place that your computer copies important files to that it needs to access during the session. It copies them from your hard drive as these take longer to read from. This is why your computer has a “startup” procedure. The system is loading all the important files and copying them to this random access memory.

The RAM is so much faster and smaller than your hard drive. This means when the computer or laptop needs to load something, it accesses it from these memory modules. It’s called random because the files needed, depending on your use. It allows for random search based on your need inside the computer.

Once your operating system has loaded, you’ll then proceed to open apps (these used to be called programmes but most people know what an app is). These apps require more items to be loaded into the memory to allow them to run quicker. Some can’t load at all if you don’t have enough.

Why Do I Need More RAM?

More RAM basically means the ability to load more files into the storage. Giving your computer the ability to run a lot faster. Some apps require a minimum available amount of memory, this is because they need access to more to even open. Items such as Photoshop will require big chunks, most items on your screen in photoshop are stored into your RAM. That is at least until you save it correctly to your computer by pressing file and save.

There does come a point in a computer’s life where it wouldn’t benefit from more memory. That’s because the processor and other items inside your machine cannot adequately fill up the RAM. If you have plenty of memory and your experiencing a slow computer then you should look at a different processor. A new processor allows your computer to process more information into your memory for use later on.

On the flip side, there are plenty of cases where someone looks to buy a faster processor. We will look at this on another article. However, people believe faster processors mean faster computers. While that has some truth, if you don’t have the memory to process it then it doesn’t matter how fast it is. We’ve often created a 3x faster machine just by upgrading the RAM.

How Do I know Which RAM to Buy?

This is where things get very tricky and technical. There is no set standard for this piece of hardware. There is a basis, but there are many different versions of RAM and it all depends on your computer, motherboard and processor. The best thing to do is consult your computer manufacturer for this information. Or you can send us details of model numbers and we can recommend the best items for you.

So we hope we’ve covered all you need to know about Random Access Memory. I hope we haven’t bored you. Please come back again for more information on computer hardward.

100+ Apple iMacs Being Prepared for Sale This Week

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It’s back to school time, students and parents around the country are looking for new laptops and computers to start the new year with. To help you prepare for the new school year, Carbon I.T have taken delivery of over 100 Apple iMacs for you to purchase online later this week.

iMac Refurbishment Begins

Our refurbishment team have a busy week ahead and have already started their work. Currently they’re analysing and organising their refurbishment work that’s needed on these computers. As each computer is different the process can vary from computer to computer. However, one of the first things the team do is analyse each computer individually and draw up exactly what is needed to make the computers as good as new.

Before each computer goes on sale you can rest assured that it’s fully tested. It then comes equipped with warranty and delivered to you free of charge (UK Mainland Only).

When Will Our 100+ iMacs be Available to Buy?

Our team took delivery this morning and have already started the refurbishment process. There are a particular set of rules we must follow to refurbish an item to Apple standard. Carefully adhering to these rules takes time. We are anticipating the first few are available by Friday 7th September with the rest available early next week. If you want to speak to someone regarding availability then you can call us direct on 0151 481 0078 or email us on sales@carbon-it.co.uk. One of our technicians will be happy to assist you. They can let you know what’s available before it goes on sale.

If you wish to stay up to date with availability then you can always follow us on social media. You’ll find the links at the bottom of this page. I’ts the best way stay up to date with all the latest news from us here at Carbon I.T.