Can you please explain why you might think the i7 model might be slower than the i5 model?
I currently have the i7 8GB pro 3 model but was going to take it back within my 30 days and get the i7 8GB model but this chit chat about it being possibly slower kind of has me worried.
Why would the i7 model be slower?
I guess I'd first say that no one really knows yet because it's not yet available. However, that being said, it's fairly obvious that the i5 is currently thermally limited in the current design of the SP3. Therefore, it's only logical to conclude that the i7 will be as well. So, when you combine that with the fact that the processor has a lower base speed than the i5, many arrive at the slower than the i5 hypothesis. So, while the i7 might have a higher maximum speed at 3.3 Ghz, the i7 might even begin throttling sooner than the i5 in some cases, and that's where folks bolster their opinion. For why the i7 might throttle sooner, you might want to check out the Anandtech article here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7072/intel-hd-5000-vs-hd-4000-vs-hd-4400.
A key quote from that article: "
All of this just brings us to the conclusion that increasing processor graphics performance in thermally limited conditions is very tough, particularly without a process shrink. The fact that Intel even spent as many transistors as it did just to improve GPU performance tells us a lot about Intel's thinking these days. Given how thermally limited Haswell GT3 is at 15W, it seems like Broadwell can't come soon enough for another set of big gains in GPU performance."
The reality is that this whole situation is still somewhat in-flux. MS could release firmware that changes the throttling behavior somewhat and perhaps improve actual achievable performance at any time should they feel that they can safely do so without raising the risk of hardware failure to an unacceptable level. In my opinion that is somewhat unlikely as I'd imagine that MS has already gone over these scenarios internally many times and they have already come up with a level they feel comfortable with and it's what we have today. The i7 will come with the HD5000 graphics engine however, and in some situations the additional engines might provide a boost in and of itself, but this all has to be balanced against the thermals of the unit itself...so once again...at this point, no one really knows.
Unfortunately, it's a sad situation for the MS/Intel/SP apologists out there, but it's not the end of the world. The SP3 is still a very viable machine for many people...it's just not the machine for everyone that many hoped it would be.