advise on i7 speed

[vltowell]

Hi,
New here.
I am looking at getting a new laptop for work. One of the applications that we use requires a minimum processor speed of 3GHz. I am assuming this spec came out before the advent of the "i" series processor.
I see quoted on sites that i7 is something like 2GHz turbo boosted to 3.2GHz.

My question is: how does these new processors compare to the older ones? I have an older PC that has an older processor at 3GHZ. But the intel site says that these newer ones are faster and better. How?

Is it, in a hyperthetical scenario, an i7 quadcore is quoted at 2GHz. Therefore this equates to 8GHz when compared to the older processor - 2GHz x 4 (quadcore)? This to me sounds a little far fetched. But if this is the case, do I look at an i5 or even an i3 if all I need is a minimum 3GHz.

Thanks in advance.
Vince

[bubba]

Whats the software? It more then likely refers to single core speed, most software now states if a multi-core CPU is needed.

[skier]

for most applications for a laptop an i3 or i5 is well suited, but the more demanding ones such as Photoshop, AutoCAD (and the like), and video editing etc. need more processing power to run smoothly.

to compare say, a Pentium4 3GHz to an i7 at 3GHz would be...... about 20x the performance i'd say in multi-threaded apps, more like 12x in single-threaded

but in general if an application suggests a 3GHz Single core and you have a dual core (i3,i5 or even Core2) at even 1.8GHz it will be more than capable because single-core processors are very old at this point and are much less efficient in design (and run hotter in addition to being much slower)

but this all depends on the application, again. so please tell us what app you are using so we can find out how many threads it can utilize, or what power you will actually need

[KnightRid]

You should be fine. I just got a core i7 laptop myself and it is amazingly fast on video editing and rendering, which is super intensive.

If your app can use a multi-core processor, it will be even faster than that single 3ghz chip ;)

[vltowell]

Wow. Thanks for the fast replies.
The application that I am wanting to run is a medical application for Radiotherapy to run linear accelerators, and the database that holds all the patient information.
I think from what I am reading, I will go for the i7, which will well and truely handle what I want it to do. I am also thinking about the future, so that I don't have to upgrade too soon.

Regards
Vincent