This is one of the many exciting new features the Intel chip has built into core i5 and core i7 processors. You may come across Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology while shopping for a new PC.

Remember: Don’t compare computers based on clock speed unless they use the same line of processors – such as Intel core i3, i5 or i7. Hence your new i5 or i7 running at 3.0 GHz plus cannot be compared to any older generation Pentium 4 hardware. The i series 1.6 GHz CPU runs faster and outperforms the old style Pentium 4 CPU.

Once, a higher number meant a faster processor, but advances in technology have made the processor chip more efficient so now they do more with less.įor example: An Intel Core i5 running at 3.46 GHz is not faster than an Intel Core i7 running at 3.06 GHz.Ĭomparing the speed of your old Pentium 4 CPU (an old scale which peaked at 3.4 GHz) with the speed of the current i series CPU’s (the new scale which started at 1.6 GHz) is a bit like comparing the Fahrenheit with Celsius temperature scales. Clock speed is the rate at which a processor executes a task and is measured in Gigahertz (GHz).

Core 2 duo 2.4 ghz vs i5