The most important thing that you should care about i5 and i7 is the model number behind them , not because they're i5/i7
All mobile i5 are dual core CPU while most desktop i5 are quad core , some desktop i5 are dual core . That's why , I only recommend Quad i7 when it comes to mobile CPU .
Wow , be careful ! There are some mobile dual core i7 as well .
For Example : i7 620UM
620 : old model number , this is 1st generation i7 CPU which will be a whole lot slower than latest i5 (4th gen)
UM : ultra low power mobile CPU , this CPU is heavily underclocked (1.06 -> 2.13 GHz) . For Dolphin , you need to overclock CPU , not to underclock it . Usually , i5 4670k @ 4.2GHz will be the best bang for buck
You also need a new mobo that support that CPU and an aftermarket cooler / thermal compound to overclock CPU , I recommend : (MSI Z87 G41 or G43 or G45) + (CM 212 Evo or Noctua NH-D14) + Arctic MX-4
Since Dolphin doesn't even care about i7 Hyperthreading feature nor a multicore CPU , i7 4770k (4 cores 8 threads) and FX 8350 (8 cores) are not faster than i5 4670k (4cores 4 threads) in our official Dolphin benchmark
Dolphin is a dual core application after all
All mobile i5 are dual core CPU while most desktop i5 are quad core , some desktop i5 are dual core . That's why , I only recommend Quad i7 when it comes to mobile CPU .
Wow , be careful ! There are some mobile dual core i7 as well .
For Example : i7 620UM
620 : old model number , this is 1st generation i7 CPU which will be a whole lot slower than latest i5 (4th gen)
UM : ultra low power mobile CPU , this CPU is heavily underclocked (1.06 -> 2.13 GHz) . For Dolphin , you need to overclock CPU , not to underclock it . Usually , i5 4670k @ 4.2GHz will be the best bang for buck
You also need a new mobo that support that CPU and an aftermarket cooler / thermal compound to overclock CPU , I recommend : (MSI Z87 G41 or G43 or G45) + (CM 212 Evo or Noctua NH-D14) + Arctic MX-4
Since Dolphin doesn't even care about i7 Hyperthreading feature nor a multicore CPU , i7 4770k (4 cores 8 threads) and FX 8350 (8 cores) are not faster than i5 4670k (4cores 4 threads) in our official Dolphin benchmark
Dolphin is a dual core application after all
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Mini PC :: (Show Spoiler)