Yes — Core i7 is faster than Core i5. But what’s the real difference?

As much as AMD’s Ryzen CPUs made a big comeback for the red team in 2017, Intel’s Core i5 and i7 CPUs are still some of the most popular. But what’s the difference when you pit an i5 vs. i7? Like most computer components, there are dozens of models at each tier to choose from, and it can get a little overwhelming.

This guide is designed to help you decide whether you need four, six or eight cores; eight threads or more — and what those terms actually mean, in practice.

It’s worth noting before we get started that we’re talking specifically about Intel’s 8th-generation “Coffee Lake” and 7th-generation “Kaby Lake” chips here. A lot of the information applies elsewhere, but the newer chips tend to provide noticeable features and performance improvements over previous generations. You won’t save a lot of money buying CPUs older than the 8th or 7th-generations, and all but the most experienced PC-builders will want to stay away from earlier Core i5 and Core i7 offerings.

What’s the difference?

Overall, Core i5 and Core i7 chips differ in the way they handle processing information. Core i5 processors have fewer cores and can, therefore, support fewer simultaneous “threads.” These “threads” are used by software to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, rather than queuing everything up for execution one-by-one. In other words, they’re not as good at multitasking.

Core i7 processors, on the other hand, use a feature called “hyper-threading” to reach above and beyond the number of cores they have. So, a Core i7 processor with four cores can actually handle eight threads of data at once. Processors with hyper-threading can effectively double the number of threads they can handle simultaneously.

In the 7th-generation and older, the numbers typically work out for four cores and four threads for i5 CPUs, while the Core i7 CPUs sport four cores and eight threads thanks to hyper-threading. That changed in the eighth generation, however, with Core i5 models having six cores a piece, while the Core i7 CPUs upped the ante to six-cores and 12 threads.

For concurrent processing tasks — times when your PC needs to handle processor-intensive tasks at the same time — a CPU with hyper-threading can make sure you experience minimal system slowdown. Without hyper-threading, a CPU might need to queue things up and process them one-by-one. This is all handled in the blink of an eye, but the cumulative effect can definitely be felt when you’re multitasking and running processor intensive applications that can take advantage of additional cores and threads.

Windows will actually detect extra threads as physical cores, and software will use them as such, but the performance gain is only a fraction of what an extra physical core will provide. Still, the extra threads are useful in demanding software.

Core i5 vs Core i7 on the desktop

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Aside from the previously mentioned architectural differences between Core i5s and Core i7s, there are a few unique peculiarities you’ll find on the desktop versions of these processors.

Desktop Core i5s, for instance, almost always have four cores, and this means they’re more robust and powerful than their mobile counterparts. But even though Core i5 quads typically come pretty close to Core i7 clock speeds, they don’t feature hyper-threading and usually have smaller cache sizes — meaning they don’t perform as well at repetitive tasks.

Core i7 processors are a little different. Not only do they have larger cache sizes — meaning they’re better with repetitive tasks — but they typically have quicker clock speeds, and always feature hyper-threading. Another major difference is the number of cores available. On the desktop, Core i5s have four or six cores depending on the generation, but Core i7s can have between four and ten cores. That means an eight core i7 can handle 16 threads at once with hyper-threading, and a ten-core i7 processor can handle 20 threads at once.

That added performance does come at a cost though. As our guide to the best Intel CPUs points out, higher-end i7 Chips can be a lot more expensive.

Core i5 vs Core i7 on laptops

Mobile processors are a slightly different story. Where desktop Core i5s never feature hyper-threading, some mobile versions do, allowing mobile dual-core i5 processors to handle four threads at once.

The Core i5 processors found in laptops come in two configurations: Dual-core with hyper-threading, and quad-core without. The difference between these two types of mobile Core i5s usually comes down to clock speed — quads are generally a little quicker. Similarly, mobile Core i7s are found in two flavors, dual-core and quad-core, but both feature hyper-threading.

8th-generation mobile chips, somewhat confusingly termed Kaby Lake R (rather than the Coffee Lake designation of the desktop chips) feature four cores for both Core i5 and i7 chips. They did not see the increase in core counts that their desktop counterparts benefited from. There are also no dual-core options as of yet.

Regardless of the name though, they’re still pretty great, as our Dell XPS 13 review discovered.

What’s the difference between Core i5 and i7 CPUs that have the same core and thread counts? Well, mobile Core i7s feature larger cache sizes, and they’re usually a little quicker when it comes to clock speed.

Quad-cores sometimes have lower clock speeds than dual-core chips. This is most common in mobile chips that must squeeze into a tight power envelope. What does this mean? A dual-core with a high clock speed will beat a quad-core with a low clock speed in applications that don’t use many cores; the quad-core will be quicker in applications that do and will be better at multitasking. If the quad has more cores and a higher clock, it will always be quicker.

Should you buy a Core i5 or a Core i7?

So, which processor should you invest in? That depends on your needs, but for most people a Core i5 is going to be the most sensible choice — especially since the latest-generation i5s are comparable to the previous one’s i7s.

While there are a lot of factors in determining overall system performance, most of the time, a Core i5 processor won’t end up bottlenecking your day-to-day performance. Most people, including gamers, will find a Core i5 quad-core (or hexacore) perfectly adequate.

A Core i7 makes sense only for users who don’t mind paying a premium for more power, or users who often run extremely demanding software. For example, shaving a few seconds off every minute of encoding 1080p video adds up, if you regularly encode projects that are a couple of hours long.

While nice to have, the performance impact of hyper-threading is very dependent on software. Only applications specifically designed to take advantage of multiple threads will see a performance increase. The feature is most useful to people who run productivity applications.

Intel Core i5 on Amazon Intel Core i7 on Amazon

Updated 11/22/17 by Jon Martindale – added information about the latest i5 and i7 processors.

Here’s your chance to win a $500 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Thrifter

Just when you thought things were winding down, we spiced them up again!

Black Friday may be winding down, but Team Thrifter is not going to let it end without a bang. We’ve been thinking about how to add some more spice to Black Friday beyond our exclusive doorbuster, and we think we have another great one. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take advantage of all the great Amazon deals we posted without having to come out of pocket for all of them? Well, that could be a reality.

Enter to win a $500 Amazon gift card from Thrifter!

All you have to do is enter the contest below, and you could end up winning a $500 Amazon Gift Card. That’s right, $500 to spend at Amazon on whatever you want. That’s a whole lot of discounted accessories, or even a sweet Nintendo Switch console bundled with a bunch of games.

We are running this for only a few hours, and entering couldn’t be more simple. You just have to share a link with your friends on Twitter, and follow us on Twitter. Be sure to enter this contest now, as well as our $1,500 Home Theater Giveaway.

Best Buy will have Nintendo’s SNES Classic in stores Saturday

If you still don’t own an SNES Classic Edition, you’ll have a chance to get one tomorrow, November 25th. Best Buy has announced that it will sell Nintendo’s mini, retro console in stores across the US starting at 9AM local time. Not surprisingly, you’ll have to be at the door early since stock will be limited. There’s going to be a cap of one per customer, and Best Buy said in a blog post that it’s going to offer a first-come, first-served ticketing system for customers waiting in line.

Those of you who miss out on Saturday can hit up a Toys ‘R’ Us store on November 27th, when the company plans to have an SNES Classic Edition restock of its own. Good luck, otherwise you can always buy it from a scalper on eBay for a lot more than its retail price.

Via: CNET

Source: Best Buy

Image-sharing site Imgur was hacked in 2014

Imgur, a popular picture-sharing site, revealed today that it suffered a data breach in 2014, claiming it was just notified of it on November 23rd. In a blog post, Imgur said hackers stole email addresses and passwords of 1.7 million user accounts — a small fraction of its 150 million total users. No other personal information was allegedly exposed, since Imgur says it has never asked for people’s real names, addresses or phone numbers.

The company added that while it’s still investigating how the information was compromised, it suspects it was due to an older hashing algorithm, SHA-256, which has since been updated. As ZDNet reports, Imgur didn’t find out about the breach until the stolen data was sent to security researcher Troy Hunt, who then contacted the firm about it.

Roy Sehgal, Imgur’s chief operating officer, said those who have been affected have already been informed. “We take protection of your information very seriously,” he wrote, “and will be conducting an internal security review of our system and processes.” Hopefully his team can figure out how this incident went unnoticed for roughly three years.

On November 23, we were notified about a data breach on Imgur that occurred in 2014. While we are still actively investigating the intrusion, we wanted to inform you as quickly as possible as to what we know and what we are doing in response. More: https://t.co/qElAetGVIc

— Imgur (@imgur) November 25, 2017

Via: ZDNet

Source: Imgur

These kickass telepresence robots are the next best thing to teleportation

Ever needed to be in two places at once? Well, thanks to miracles of modern engineering, you finally can be … sort of. Using an internet-connected telepresence robot, it’s now possible to see, hear, and navigate spaces that you do not physically inhabit. For obvious, reasons, this ability is extremely useful in a variety of different settings — whether it be a corporate office, a hospital, or even just a distant relative’s house.

As such, the number of manufacturers who make and sell these telepresence robots has ballooned in the past few years, and now there are dozens of different makes and models to choose from. But who makes the best telepresence robots? Keep reading to find out!

PadBot P1 $1,297

The first on our list is the PadBot P1 — which also happens to be the cheapest. With a built-in screen, 720p camera, and speakers; the P1 has all the features you need in a telepresence machine. The robot can be controlled over WiFi via a smartphone or tablet, but can also be equipped with a 4G card for hassle free roaming through locations where WiFi might be unavailable or slow.

Thanks to extra features like a downward facing camera for better control, Auto-Answer (remote activation), and automatic docking, using the PadBot P1 is a breeze. And don’t worry about constant trips back to the charging dock, either. With this bot’s 10-hour battery life, you should have all the time you need to check up on the office or your family at home.

VGo $3,995 -4,995

VGo offers two main models: the E-1000 and V-1000. Marketed heavily to medical facilities, the both machines feature a camera with tilt and zoom abilities, as well as bright LEDs for lighting up otherwise hard-to-see areas. The E-1000 and V-1000 also boast the ability to link up with modern medical hardware to pipe back a patient’s metrics to the doctor behind the screen.

Featuring Auto-Answer, and automatic docking on the V-1000, as well as an impressive 12-hour battery life, VGo telepresence bots can be activated on the fly for even those tediously long checkups. They also come with built-in WiFi and 4G compatibility as well, you’re sure to stay connected as you roll around the office or hospital — even in the dark of night.

Ohmni $1,899

Affordable and easy to use, the Ohmni is ready to roll almost immediately after it comes out of the box. With it’s 10.8″ screen and booming speaker, the bot definitely won’t have a problem bringing your presence to the room. Plus, with a stylish design, custom covers, and customize-able LED’s, the Ohmni may be the best looking telepresence robot on the market.

It’s also quite easy to control. the Ohmni can be piloted from any computer or Android device capable of running with Google’s Chrome browser, and is controlled with simple arrow key inputs. With dual cameras (one forward, and one down), the device also provides plenty of spacial awareness, so you’ll have no problem getting around. It also features built-in WiFi, 4G, and surprisingly, Bluetooth connectivity.

Beam+ $1,995-3,995

The Beam+ has been a mainstay in the Telepresence market for a bit now, and for good reason. With multiple models and options to choose from, the Beam+ can satisfy all of your out-of-office communication needs. Featuring a four-microphone array for maximum office banter pickup, and a 2.2 inch speaker to banter back with; you will hear and be heard across the office. The 2x enhanced digital zoom will give you the peeping power you need to know exactly who said your new tie looked dumb last week, and the 10-inch edge lit LCD screen will help convey show everyone how nice this week’s tie is comparatively.

Operable on almost any platform you can think of (sorry Linux, not you), you can control the Beam+ from any PC, Mac, Android, or iOS phone. The Beam+ is also one of the more rugged of the bunch, and is able to clear “bumps” up to 0.75 inches high. However, due to the bot’s monthly service fee, this might not be the best choice for the home user — but the high-performance tech specs make it ideal for businesses with employees that need to collaborate from afar.

It’s never been cheaper to add a layer of security to your house with Ring’s Spotlight Cam

Home security is important, and it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.

Right now you can grab Ring’s new Spotlight Cam (wired) for just $149 at Amazon, which is a $50 savings. These cameras were just released back at the end of September, and since then they have only ever dropped down to around the $183 mark, so this is a new low for them by far. It comes in two different versions, and this is the wired one, which obviously requires you to be able to plug it in to power it up.

If you’re thinking about picking up multiple cameras, there is actually a better offer for you. Home Depot also has a sale which offers them for $134 a piece if you order 2 or more. That’s a minimum of $268, but if you were planning to use these to cover multiple areas, you’d save a lot of money buying in bulk from Home Depot. This deal is good in White or Black.

The camera comes with a power cord that is around 9 feet long, giving you a little flexibility of where you can install it at your house. If you’d prefer something brighter, the Ring Floodlight Camera is down to $224 at Amazon, which is a savings of $25 from its regular price. If you happen to have a Costco membership, you can score it for $199.99 with a Chime Pro and year of cloud recording, which is the best current offer for it.

See at Amazon

Five state attorneys general are investigating Uber breach

Uber’s latest security breach, which exposed 57 million customers’ and drivers’ personal information, has come under more and more scrutiny since it was revealed earlier this week. The Federal Trade Commission has already confirmed that it’s looking into the breach as well as how Uber handled it. A number of agencies abroad are investigating the incident as well. But it doesn’t stop there. Uber is also now under investigation by at least five state Attorney General offices and has been named in multiple lawsuits.

As the Washington Post reports, the attorneys general of Massachusetts, Illinois, Connecticut, New York and Missouri have all launched investigations into this latest egregious lack of data security as well as some Uber executives’ decision to not report the breach and instead pay off hackers to keep them silent. The details of these investigations haven’t been revealed but it’s likely Uber broke a number of states’ laws when it failed to notify its customers of the data breach in a timely manner.

We’ve launched an investigation into the Uber breach and have been in touch with the company to get more information.

We have serious concerns about the reported conduct.https://t.co/iH8X2nDWvz

— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) November 22, 2017

The Washington Post also reports that at least three lawsuits are in the works. Those suits have been filed in California and Oregon and all three are seeking class-action suits against the company. In response to the breach and its mishandling, Uber’s new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has said, “None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it. While I can’t erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes.”

Via: Washington Post

Tamagotchi is heading to your smartphone in 2018

Tamagotchi is celebrating its 20th birthday this year with the release of a special anniversary edition, which was good enough to land on our holiday gift guide. But, the festivities don’t end there, as the virtual pet is (at long last) making the leap to smartphones in 2018. My Tamagotchi Forever for iOS and Android gives the pixellated blob with a face a much-needed makeover. The game is set in colorful “Tamatown,” home to other cutesy inhabitants that you can make friends with — much like Nintendo’s latest mobile offering, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

As usual, your job will be to ensure that the Tamagotchi gets fed, bathed, cleaned, and put to bed on time. And, you can expect to get pinged on your mobile every time the doe-eyed critter wants attention, making neglecting it that much harder. Stop catering to its every need and you could wind up with a sulky ogre. Meanwhile, mini games will earn you coins that unlock items, such as food, costumes, and decorations. Or, you could skip the hard work and fork out real cash for goodies.

The game is already available in Canada, according to Touch Arcade, while the rest of us will have to wait for a global release.

Source: Bandai Namco (YouTube), My Tamagotchi Forever

These OnePlus 5T tips and tricks will help you master your new phone

The OnePlus 5T is a beautiful and capable phone. Building on the success of the OnePlus 5, the 5T brings an improved camera, facial recognition, and a number of other features that make it a great upgrade. While the OnePlus 5T shares a lot in common with its older siblings, it still has some new tricks up its sleeve. These OnePlus 5T tips and tricks will help you get the most out of your new phone and take advantage of its many unique features.

How to turn on Reading Mode

One unique feature of the OnePlus 5T is its Reading Mode. This mode converts your display to grayscale, mimicking an e-reader screen. While it is not as good as the Kindle Oasis, reading mode helps prevent fatigue when reading ebooks or longer documents on your phone.

You can manually turn on the feature by going to Settings > Display > Reading Mode and toggling on the Turn on Reading Mode slider.

There is also an option to activate Reading Mode for certain apps like Kindle. To turn on Reading Mode for specific apps, go to Settings > Display > Reading Mode. Select the “plus” icon next to Add apps for Reading Mode. Select the boxes for the apps you wish to use.

How to use and customize gestures

Most Androids have baked-in gestures to complete common tasks. The OnePlus 5T is no exception. However, the gestures available on the 5T give you a lot of control over the phone.

Setting up gestures is simple. Go to Settings > Gestures. You will see a list of common gestures that can be enabled by toggling on the respective slider. Some, like Flip to mute and Three-finger screenshot are enabled by default.

One interesting set of gestures on the OnePlus 5T are used to control music playback. Drawing a straight line with two fingers will play or pause music. You can also move forward and backward in your playlist by drawing the > or < characters.

The OnePlus 5T also allows you to create five custom gestures. You can set these gestures up to perform common tasks like open the camera, or you can set them up to open any app. To set up custom gestures, go to Settings > Gestures. Scroll down to the Draw options and click on your selected gesture to set up. Check the box next to the app or function you wish to program.

How to use Parallel Apps

Parallel Apps allows you to clone certain apps on your phone.  While the Huawei Mate 10 Pro allows you to clone any app, OnePlus limits you primarily to social media apps. This feature is excellent for people who have multiple social media accounts who want to easily switch between them.

To enable Parallel Apps on your phone, go to Settings > Apps > Parallel Apps. A list of compatible apps will appear. Toggle the slider on for an app you wish to clone. Next time you open the app drawer, you’ll see two icons for the apps you selected.

How to customize the alert slider

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The OnePlus 5T has an alert slider on the left side of the phone.  While it’s similar to the ring/silent switch on the iPhone 8, the alert slider has three different settings that allow you to control notifications. While the default is set to “Ring,” “Do Not Disturb,” and “Silent,” you can customize the alert slider in the settings.

To customize the alert slider, go to Settings > Alert slider. You can then click on each of the settings to make adjustments. In Silent, you can toggle on the media button if you want to simply block notifications while watching videos.

The Do Not Disturb option allows you the most flexibility. You can allow certain contacts to call and send messages by pressing Calls or Messages and selecting your preferred contacts. You can also toggle on Event reminders if you want to continue to receive notifications from your calendar. Toggling on Allow pulse notification light offers a subtle alert that you have notifications waiting.

How to organize your Shelf

Shelf is an excellent productivity tool that sits in the far left window of your home screen. Shelf allows you to add the usual widgets available on Android phones as well as many custom widgets only available on OnePlus phones. If you didn’t enable Shelf when you set up your OnePlus 5T, you just need to find a blank spot on your home screen and long press. Select the Settings icon and toggle on the slider next to Shelf.

Adding widgets to Shelf is incredibly simple. Press the teal plus icon on the bottom of the screen and select the widget you want to add. To move your new widget, simply long press on it and drag to your desired location.

Have a widget taking up too much space? Some widgets can be resized. Long-press and wait for the draggable handle to appear at the bottom of the widget. Change to the size of your choice and tap anywhere on the screen to lock the new size. If you’ve grown tired of a widget, you can simply long press on it and press the X icon to delete it.

How to use the Portrait and Pro modes

The OnePlus 5T doesn’t have a camera that competes with the iPhone X or Google Pixel 2, but it is a big improvement over the OnePlus 5. The telephoto lens has been replaced with a dual-camera setup on the OnePlus 5T.

The new dual cameras, in addition to software improvements, make for much better portraits on the OnePlus 5T. The slight blurriness around the edges of your subject that happened on older OnePlus phones is largely gone.

To take a portrait on the OnePlus 5T, open the camera app. Swipe left until you see the depth effect icon appear on the screen. Select the portrait icon on the bottom right-hand side of the viewfinder screen. To get the best shot, you will want to shoot in bright light and make sure your subject is at least a foot away from the camera.

For more experienced photographers that want complete control over their photos, the OnePlus 5T offers a Pro Mode. With Pro Mode, you can adjust white balance, shutter-speed, ISO, and aperture. To use Pro mode, open the camera. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and select the Pro Mode icon. Select the setting you wish to change from the menu bar and adjust the scroll wheel to the appropriate setting. If you want to save your images in RAW format, just click the RAW icon at the top of the screen and select the appropriate icon.

How to customize your OnePlus 5T with OxygenOS

OxygenOS on the OnePlus 5T is not just beautiful, it allows you numerous options to customize the interface. You can customize the notification bar, change the home screen, and even customize app icons.

Long-press on the home screen to customize its layout. Press Settings followed by Home screen layout. In this screen, you can adjust both the number of columns on the home screen and the size of your icons.

To change the way your icons look, just long-press on the home screen. Select Settings > Icon pack. From here, you can select the default OnePlus icons, round icons or square ones. If you want something completely different, you can select the More icon and browse the different icons packs available in the Google Play Store.

The OnePlus 5T also allows you to customize button functions. You can set functions for long-presses and double-taps on the Home, Recent, and Back buttons. You can customize your buttons to activate Google Assistant, open your Shelf, and even turn on split screen mode.

To customize your buttons, go to Settings > Buttons. Select the button you want to customize by tapping on it and a series of options will appear. Select the radio button next to the function you want to enable.

How to take an expanded screenshot

Sometimes you need to screenshot a little more than what can fit on your screen. The OnePlus 5T has a feature that will allow you to take multi-page screencaps easily.

Taking an expanded screenshot on the OnePlus 5T is simple. First, you need to make sure the image you want to capture is on screen. You can then take a screenshot in one of two ways: You can either press the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously or swipe across the screen with three fingers (if you set up the gesture). When you see the screenshot, press the rectangular icon at the bottom of the screen. You will see the screen begin to scroll. When you reached the bottom of your selection, just tap the screen to stop the expanded screenshot.

How to get full-screen video

The OnePlus 5T has a beautiful AMOLED screen. The 18:9 aspect ratio, however, can cause the dreaded black box effect on some videos. While some providers will automatically crop the video to create a full- screen effect, other apps require you to do the legwork.

Going full screen on the OnePlus 5T depends on the app you’re using. To enable full screen in YouTube, for example, you simply need to pinch out on the screen. Some apps require a double-tap. In short, if you’re boxed in when watching a video, try a few different gestures and one should work.