I5 or I7

[chriseng]

Just joined the forums and considering replacing my elderly creaking PC - 2.3Ghz pentium.
My main interest is digital video and pictures editing, as I want to build a PC that will still be usable & upgradeable for the next few years my attention has focussed on the I5 & I7 CPUs. Can anyone advise me as to what I can expect to gain by opting for the I7 as opposed to the new I5?
Also, is there anywhere on the forums any shopping lists for an I5 build?
Any help gratefully received.

[The Wise Monkey]

The i7 1366 socket range will include the new 6 and 8 core CPUs over the next couple of years. This is the one to go for if you are looking to stay at the bleeding edge in terms of technology.

The i5 1156 are more of a low-high-end option e.g. the i5 750. These will probably expand downwards rather than upwards to replace the aging Core 2 lineup. However, the i7 860/870 runs on this socket and is definitely a viable alternative to the 1366 i7s, outperforming most of the current 9xx range.

If you check out the Budget Build link in my signature, RickyTick has organised a few awesome builds, one of which is using the new i5 750. :)