Most of the latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs have four or more cores, which is what we consider the sweet spot for most mainstream users.
When you're using software that can leverage as many cores as it can get (modern content-creation programs, like the ones in the Adobe Creative Suite, are excellent examples), the more cores you have in your CPU, the faster it will perform. Often, though, the price difference will be small, so it's worth playing around with the online configurator of whatever PC you're buying to see if you can afford a Core i7-powered machine. A Core i7 will typically be better for multitasking, media-editing and media-creation tasks, high-end gaming, and similar demanding workloads. But in most cases, if you're comparing apples to apples (that is, a desktop chip to a desktop chip, or a laptop chip to a laptop chip, and the same generation to the same generation), the Core i5 will have fewer, or dialed-down, capabilities. Simply put, a Core i5-equipped system will be less expensive than a Core i7-equipped PC, if all else is equal. Core i9 explainer.) How Many Cores Is Enough? Let's get into the key differences between the Core i5 and the Core i7.
But knowing the essentials about each can help you make a smarter choice. There isn't always a clear-cut, definitive answer to which is better in a given situation, and often, it just comes down to your budget.