Intel i5-750

If you have purchased a desktop computer since 2006 then the chances are that it contains a processor based on Intel’s Core 2 technology.

Over the next year, however, most powerful desktop computers are likely to be sold with a chip from the company’s new i5 range of processors. We took a look at one of these new models, the i5-750.

The i5-750 is a quad-core chip, so it’s effectively four processors in one. We tested it on an MSI P55M-GD45 motherboard and with 4GB of Crucial DDR3 memory, and the results were impressive.

Only the toughest computing tasks such as editing video will really tax modern processors, so we used the i5-750 to convert 105 minutes of DVD video to a far smaller MPEG4 file of the type that can be played on an iPod.

With all four cores working flat out it chewed through the file in just 37 minutes, processing an average of 68 frames per second. For comparison, a one-year-old PC using Intel’s dual-core E5200 chip managed just 22 frames per second, making the new chip over three times as fast in this test.

The i5 chips use a new design related to the i7 processors used in high-performance computers. As such the i5-750 requires a motherboard with a new socket, known as LGA 1156, and DDR3 memory rather than the DDR2 used with Core 2 chips. This makes upgrading an older computer an involved and fairly expensive process.

Those building or buying a PC for modest uses such as surfing the web or office work will not need this much power, and can afford to spend far less. We still like the dual-core E5200, which can be easily pushed to 3GHz and is now available for around £50.

On the other hand, if you are building or buying a PC for video editing or gaming this new chip should be at the top of your list.