Do You Need An i7 Processor?

When it comes to laptops we all seem to be obsessed with buying the fastest most powerful processors we can possibly afford. But at a time when laptop hardware has advanced beyond the needs of even the most demanding operating systems do you really need the most powerful processor available, do you really need an i7?

There are two angles to this:

Buying the most powerful processor available right now will ensure you don’t have to buy again in the near future. There is some logic to this argument, I’m typing this using an old core2quad-based desktop that I built almost five years ago.

It’s old technology but it’s still perfectly capable of running Windows 7 64-bit without any noticeable slowdown. But it’s other aspects of the system that are aging, for example, there’s no USB 3.0 or SATA 3.0.

Buy what you need based on the tasks you perform – If all you use your laptop for is web browsing, watching videos, and performing some basic office tasks then you’re never likely to benefit from the power offered by a high-end processor. Instead, you’d be better off with an i5-powered system which will be considerably cheaper (easily under £500 )

Ultimately, the decision is likely to be a financial one, can you easily afford an i7-powered laptop (see i7 deals )? If money is no object then you may as well buy the most powerful system on the market. The rest of us should first consider our likely usage and then buy a laptop that hits the right balance between power and performance.

Power is of course undeniably appealing, but at a time when most of us are unlikely to take advantage of that power and when the world experiencing such tough financial times it hardly surprising that the majority of consumers are looking for the best possible laptop deals.

* Intel i7 processor image from Facebook