Are i7 CPUs Good? [Buying Guide with Tested Results 2024]

From low to high-end, there’s no end to processors in the computer market. Some of them are cheap, and some are costly.

The combination of price and performance makes it difficult to choose a processor, and you start to get confused in the crowd.

That’s where the Intel Core i7 slides in, and this article will describe the Core i7 and provide the perfect buying guide with results at hand.

So, let’s begin.

Is the Intel i7 Processor Good?

Yes, the Intel i7 CPU is good and is equipped with a decent number of cores and threads to execute an operation effortlessly. It has the strong ability to handle daily heavy-demanding tasks and can perform everyday use, gaming, streaming, and high-level rendering.

Intel processors are divided into different categories based on their usage and performance. With the ability and power, the i7 CPUs sit at the higher end of the Intel hierarchy.

Check the i7 CPUs position in the Intel family to understand its capabilities.

The Intel i7 processor first came in 2008 and has evolved a lot since then. Currently, it’s considered a high-end CPU and can outperform the previous generation’s best processor.

The following table will show the specifications and differences between the i7 processors.

Here is the specifications table of Intel Core i7 processors:

All the i7 processors are better than its predecessors and differ in clock speed, turbo speed, cores & threads, cache size and in integrated graphics.

The current generation i7-13700K CPU has 4 times the core count than a 6-year-old i7-7700K processor. It has 16 cores & 24 threads, which matches the cores & threads count with the i9-12900K.

Depending on the specification, the Intel Core i7 processors are very good for doing heavy tasks and give an advantage in usage.

What are the Advantages of the Intel Core i7 Processor?

The Intel Core i7 processors provide an advantage over the i5 and its lower-level processors in everyday and official work. It provides benefits in normal usage, heavy gaming, running productivity applications, and doing photo and video editing at a comparatively lower cost.

I’ve provided the advantages of Intel Core i7 processors in your everyday life below.

Here are the advantages of the Intel Core i7 processors:

Daily Usage

Until the 7th generation, the i7 processor had 4-cores, and the 6-cores appeared with the 8th generation. A 6-core processor is better than a 4-core, but each of them is ample for daily use, and you can easily browse or perform multitasking.

Gaming

Most of the newer i7 processors are overkill for a game. The i7 CPUs have adequate cores and most of them remain unused during gaming. Even the top and the most extensive game run smoothly on an Intel Core i7 CPU.

The Core i7-13700K is equipped with the Intel UHD Graphics 770 and can run games at specific settings.

The following charts will provide the benchmark of Core i7-13700K with integrated graphics.

The integrated graphics don’t provide sufficient performance in gaming. You will face lags and stuttering with the iGPU. But, it’s still usable to play small games and gives an advantage in some situations.

You can gain some additional performance if you have an overclockable i7 CPU.

Productivity

When it comes to productivity, Intel processors are better to do the job. The newer i7 processors provide great performance in editing, rendering, compressing, and other heavy CPU-bound tasks.

Due to its superiority in cores count, you will get a huge advantage in productivity software like Blender, Adobe, 7zip, and others.

Pricing

The Intel Core i7 is a high-end processor, and so is the price. The 13th gen i7-13700K costs around $417.97, which is cheaper than an i9 and more expensive compared to an i5 CPU.

But, with the performance, the i7-13700K is equivalent to the AMD R9 7900X and comes with a lower price.

The price may seem high, but if you need the capabilities and power, the Intel Core i7 is a good choice for you.

Before buying a processor, you need to check out the synthetic and real-life performance of the CPU. Consider reading the following passage to see the benchmark of the i7 processors.

Should I Buy an Intel i7 CPU?

If you are looking for a high-end or the performance of a top processor on the market, you should buy the Intel Core i7 processor. It’s well-capable for creating or editing media, rendering, playing heavy games, streaming, and satisfying you in performance.

After deciding on an i7 processor, it’s wiser to see the test performance and match your requirements with the result.

The processors are ranked with the scoring of their synthetic or simulation benchmark. It provides an idea about the capabilities of the processor and helps compare it with others. And the productivity and gaming benchmark will give you knowledge about real-life performance.

In addition, the power consumption and value for money ratio will benefit you in finalizing your ideal CPU.

The following passage will describe the single & multicore benchmark, productivity & gaming scoring, power consumption, and the CPU value according to the price and performance ratio.

Single & Multi-Threaded Benchmark

Evaluating the single and multithreaded performance with different applications is known as synthetic benchmark or simulation. The Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 5 are popular among benchmarking applications.

We’ve used the present and previous generation Intel Core i7 processors and compared them with the i9 & i5 processors to give a clear view of the performance.

Follow the chart below to see the single & multithreaded benchmark of the Intel i7 CPU:

The 13th generation i7-13700K scores better than the present generation i5-13600K and previous gen i9-12900K in both single and multithreaded performance.

Also, the single-core performance in an i7 is very close to the Raptor Lake i9 processor. Though, it falls behind i9 in terms of multicore benchmark.

Similarly to the Cinebench R23, the benchmark rank in Geekbench 5 comes in the same order.

The Intel Core i7-13700K comes second in the benchmark and is close to the i9 in single & multicore performance. But, it performs very well compared to the last gen i9 and all the other Intel processors.

Productivity Benchmark

More cores are always better, especially for the productivity application. For this reason, Intel processors are very popular for photo and video editing.

The new generation i7 processor has 16-cores, and gives very satisfactory performance. Among the productivity applications, Blender, Adobe Premiere, and Adobe Photoshop are very popular.

We’ve used RTX 3090 Ti and tested rendering our logo in Blender. The Intel i9 comes at the top due to its superiority in productivity applications. But the i7 processor isn’t that far behind.

The Raptor Lake i7 overtook all the other Intel CPUs and provided results in less time.

Like Blender, Adobe Premiere is also a CPU-hungry application, which makes it ideal for testing the processor.

In Adobe Premiere, the i7-13700K slightly falls behind the Alder Lake i9 CPU. But, it provides way better service than the Intel Core i5 and previous generation i7 processors.

When coming to Adobe Photoshop, the Intel i7 takes the lead from the 12th gen i9 processor and performs close to the 13th-generation i9 processor.

After testing all the benchmarks in productivity applications like Blender and Adobe, the current generation Intel Core i7 processor performed significantly better than the Core i5 and its predecessor generation.

The i9 is the top processor available in the market. Still, the i7 managed to get close to the number and gave a better performance in terms of pricing ratio.

If you want to purchase the Intel Core i7 processor, it will accomplish its job and satisfy you with performance.

Gaming Benchmark

Most games rely on the power of graphics cards. But, you must ensure a decent processor to match the power and avoid bottlenecks.

The Intel Core i7 is ideal for all games, including the latest AAA games. You can play at a high setting without issues and get a very high frame per second.

We’ve tested games with different CPUs and measured the benchmark. For our testing rig, we’ve used the RTX 3090 Ti and 32 GB RAM.

Check the following charts to see the Intel Core i7 benchmark in different games:

CS: GO is a CPU-bound game and perfect for testing a processor. The 13th gen Core i7 CPU has given an average of 402 FPS at very high settings. It’s better than other Intel processors and close to the Raptor Lake i9.

If you want to improve the stock performance, you can enable the turbo boost to maximize the gaming experience.

After coming to the Far Cry 6, we’ve found very marginal frame differences between the 13th gen Intel Core i9 and i7 processors. They only have an average of 3 FPS difference, which clearly shows the capability of the i7 processor in gaming.

Rainbow Six Siege is very popular, and the higher FPS gives an advantage in this PvP match. In FC6, the battle between i9 and i7 was close. But this time, the performance is almost the same.

They only have 1 FPS difference, and the same goes for our next tested game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

The i7-13700K has performed better than most processors and provided the same performance as the i9-13900K.

After testing different games, we’ve found that the Intel Core i7 processor is very good for gaming and gives closer performance to the best processor on the market.

If you are looking for a better processor for gaming, the 13th gen i7 is a good option for you.

Power Consumption

High-end processors usually consume more power than mid and low-end processors. But from the 12th generation, Intel has introduced p-core and e-core to minimize consumption rate during normal usage.

Also, the current gen processor has less TDP and running cost than the previous generation.

The Raptor Lake processors are power efficient than Alder Lake, and the Core i7 processor will give you good performance while consuming less power.

Value for Money

Processor value is very important and can affect the buying tendency of a processor. The CPU value is determined by the Passmark score and the price of the processor.

The following table will show the CPU value of the current and past gen Intel processors.

The CPU value ratio of the Core i7 processor is above 100, and higher than most CPUs. Based on its price and performance, the Intel 13th gen i7 processor is very good and a value-for-money processor.

As a daily user, gamer, streamer, or professional designer, the Intel Core i7 processor can serve you the best at its price. The synthetic and real-life benchmark shows its ability to handle heavy programs and give good experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an i7 better than an i5?

Yes, a present generation Intel Core i7 processor is better than the current generation Intel Core i5 CPU.

Is Intel i7 good for gaming?

The Intel i7 is fantastic for heavy gaming and can give high FPS when paired with a good graphics card.

Which generation i7 is best?

The current or 13th generation processors are best among the Intel Core i7 CPU, and capable to beat the i9-12900K in performance.

Conclusion

The Intel Core i7 processor can meet your expectations in any situation. It is not the most expensive processor but can offer neck-to-neck performance compared to the top CPUs.

This article has provided tested results and will help to finalize your decision when buying a Core i7.

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Cheers!