Intel is one of the most popular computer component manufacturers, and they make the well known i-series of CPUs.
The Windows 10 operating system has minimum system requirements that a computer needs to have, but typically these need to be exceeded to provide a smooth and enjoyable experience when using Windows 10.
In this article, I cover whether the Intel Core i5 provides a good experience for Windows 10, or if it’s too slow.
In general, any Intel core i5 that is the 4th generation or above is good for Windows 10. Whereas, any Intel core i5 that is an 11th generation or above will allow you to use graphics intensive programs like video editing software well, and play graphics intensive games.
Each generation of the i5 that Intel makes offers a reasonable performance boost for Windows 10, but some older generations of the i5 make Windows only usable for web browsing and working on documents like Word, and Excel.
Below, is a table that shows how well the different generations of the i5 work for Windows 10. After that I will explain if more RAM will increase the performance of an i5, and how the i5 compares to the i7 for Windows 10.
How Well the Different Generation i5’s Work for Windows 10
On top of the different generations of the i5 there are also different Intel i-series processors, these are the i3, i7, and i9. I will explain how well these work further below. But, for now here is how well the different i5 generations work for Windows 10.
| Generation | Web browsing and working on documents | Resource intensive programs like video editing software | Gaming |
| i5 4th generation | Yes. Ok performance. | No. | No. |
| i5 5th generation | Yes. Ok performance. | No. | No. |
| i5 6th generation | Yes. Ok performance. | No. | No. |
| i5 7th generation | Yes. Good performance. | Yes, but very slow and almost unusable. | Yes. But, only games that are not graphics intensive like Minecraft. |
| i5 8th generation | Yes. Good performance | Yes, but very slow and almost unusable. | Yes. But, only games that are not graphics intensive like Minecraft. |
| i5 9th generation | Yes. Very good performance | Minimum | Yes. Minimum for graphics intensive games |
| i5 10th generation | Yes, Excellent performance, the best performance possible. | Yes. Ok performance. | Yes. Good for graphics intensive games |
| i5 11th generation | Yes, Excellent performance, the best performance possible. | Yes. Excellent performance. | Yes. Very good for graphics intensive games |
| i5 12th generation | Yes, Excellent performance, the best performance possible. | Yes. Excellent performance. | Yes. Excellent for graphics intensive games |
| i5 13th generation | Yes, Excellent performance, the best performance possible. | Yes. Excellent performance. | Yes. Excellent for graphics intensive games |
So, overall the answer to: is Intel Core i5 Good for Windows 10, depends on what generation of the i5 you are going get or have, and what you intend to use your computer for.
Key takeaways:
- Anything above an 11th generation i5 will offer very good performance for anything you want to use Windows 10 for.
- Any generation of i5 above 11th generation will provide even better performance such as a better average frames per second (FPS) for games, and faster loading times for resource intensive programs like video editing software.
CPUs which are also called processors have what is called a clock speed. The clock speed is the speed at which is processes information. Higher generations have a faster clock speed and therefore can process the requests sent to it by the programs you are using.
If the CPU is sent too many request at once, these requests will be sitting in it’s queue. As a result, the CPU can’t handle any more requests.
When this happens the programs you are using will perform very slow. This is because they are waiting for the CPU to process what you has already been sent to it.
You can monitor how ‘full’ the CPU is by looking at the CPU usage. It shows it in real time as a percentage, such as 80%, or 90%. On processors (CPUs) that have the a slower clock speed more of the CPU will be used by programs. As well as, by Windows 10.
I explained how much CPU usage is too much in this article about whether high CPU usage is bad. As well as, what you can do to lower the percentage of the CPU your computer uses.
Which is especially helpful if you find your computer is running slow. In some cases, it’s because you are putting too much demand on your computer by using a program on settings that are too high for the specs on your computer.
Will More RAM Increase the Performance of the Intel i5
For Windows 10, Microsoft recommends a minimum amount of RAM, which is 2GB. Most people are aware that more RAM increases the performance of a computer. But, here is how much RAM is ideal for the Intel i5, and beyond which point it offers only minor improvements.
Overall, more RAM will increase performance of the Intel i5. More RAM means the CPU can offload more of it’s workload, which frees up space for more tasks to be stored on the CPU. However, above 8GB to 12GB only offers marginal performance improvements.
An Intel i5 processor was tested by installing different amounts of RAM on it, and running the same computer game, on the same settings. Below is a table that shows the results.
| Amount of RAM | Average FPS for a game on high settings | Percent of the CPU used |
| 4GB | 30 FPS | 50% to 92% |
| 8GB | 35 FPS | 55% to 100% |
| 12 GB | 36 FPS | 54% to 86% |
| 16 GB | 39 FPS | 61% to 100% |
The results show that there is only a minor improvement in FPS when adding more RAM, and going from 8GB to 12GB only offered a very minor FPS improvement.
How Much Better Is the Intel Core i7 vs. the i5 for Windows 10
The i7 provides better performance than the i5 for Windows, provided they are the same generation. An i5 or i7 that is over a particular generation only offers improvements for gaming and resource intensive programs like video editing software. But, how much better is the Intel Core i7 compared to the i5 for Windows 10.
Overall, the Intel Core i7 is about 2 qualitative steps better than the i5. For example, a 12th gen i7 provides excellent performance for graphics intensive games and resource intensive programs. While, a 12th gen i5 only offers good performance for the same programs and games.
But, it depends on the generation of each. For example, a 10th generation Intel Core i7 is equivalent to a 12th generation Intel Core i5.
An Intel i7 CPU over a 7th generation will only provide marginal improvements in how Windows 10 performs for doing simple tasks like web browsing and working on documents. And an Intel i5 CPU over a 9th generation is the same.
To see which Intel i5 will be best for you refer to the table near the top of this article. If you want to get the i7 instead then minus two generations.
For example, if a 9th generation i5 is best for you, but you want to get an i7, then a 7th generation i5 will be best for you.