With a whole range of new Tablet PCs like the Motion Computing J3500, F5v and the Fujitsu T900 all offering the choice of either Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i5 processors, you might wonder which one do you choose?
Jamie Balfour of Fort William in Scotland has a good explanation for you:
One point to bear in mind is that Jamie is talking about the desktop version of the i7 and i5 processors which have four processing cores. The ultra mobile versions of the Intel Core processors that are found in Tablet PCs currently are designed to conserve power and have 2 cores, but the principle is still the same.
Price is always a factor when choosing a processor for your Tablet PC. The price on the Motion Computing J3500 varies only about $200 between the Core i7 and Core i5 models. Our general recommendation (like Jamie’s) is to go for the i7 models. There are two reasons for that:
- Nobody wants a slow computer! It’s worth going for a higher spec when the price is right.
- Rugged Tablets like the Motion J3500 and F5v are an investment that you expect to be with you for at least 3 years, so it is worth ensuring that they will still be performing well in 3 years time. Going with the i7 now will future proof your investment.
That said, the performance difference between the Intel Core i7 and Core i5 pales into insignificance when you compare it to an Intel Atom processor – like you would find in most netbooks and UMPCs. Our next post will address the difference between the Intel Atom and the Intel Core i7.
