hey,

Ive been searching the net for a while now trying to find the best deal on a good spec computer. Basically what im asking is whould there be a HUGE difference in rendering time etc between an Intel Core i5 650 and an Intel Core i7 860??

Ive learned that it isnt so much the GPU that does the rendering but the CPU?

Thanks

I think there is a HUGE difference especially when you are against time, but if time does not matter, well you can have a slower processor specs which would work at stable pace, properly cooled, and has system resources such as memory. But I suggest to have a faster processor, because of course, it would render faster than the slower one.

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If u ask it depends on what render engine you work.Mostly of them are CPU based so i agree with bryan but at the moment there is a quite nice GPU render (octane) [sorry still can`t post links] but check it in the youtube or the official site.In this case i think that the cpu is not that important.
In this case u can get the slower processor and some cheap Nvidia Cuda card.(if u dont have one) But as i said it depends from your work

There is a world of difference between the i5 and the i7. To begin with, the processor speed between the two is just one point of argument. You might say that in numbers, it would just be a matter of decimals but in computing, that could spell make or break for you.

There are a lot of reviews you can find online to help you with this.

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In my opinion it depends on how much money you have to spend on your machine. If you have the money go with the best of the best. If not go for the next best thing.