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A new app gives you a simple overview of your system’s vulnerability status, as well as what kind of performance hit the patches might be having.- Meltdown and Spectre
Want to know if your PCs are vulnerable to the Meltdown and Spectre attacks? Want to get an idea of the sort of performance hit the patches might entail? Want to temporarily disable the update for testing purposes? There’s an app that can do all this.
Enter InSpectre, yet another excellent freeware utility created by Steve Gibson of GRC.com.
Using InSpectre is about as simple as it gets – download the 126KB file (yes, kilobytes, not megabytes!), and on first run (no, there’s no installation process) it will give you a clear overview of your system’s Meltdown and Spectre status, as well as offering an indication as to whether the patches have an impact on system performance (this is based on the processor/operating system information and not a benchmark).
InSpectre can also be used to disable protection on PCs (note that enabling and disabling protection requires a reboot)? Why might you want to do that? Well, you might want to do this for testing purposes or to regain lost performance. Continue reading
We outline each Intel processor line and explain what it all means for your next desktop or laptop purchase, especially with Core i9 on the way.-Intel Core i5 versus i7
For many consumers who are on the hunt for a new desktop or laptop PC, one of the biggest considerations is the type of processor. Two of the CPUs most often in contention are the Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7. Discounting Core i3 and m3 (mainly found in budget systems), Core i9 (powerful CPUs for gaming and performance PCs), and AMD processors (another story entirely), the difference between Intel Core i5 and Core i7 can seem daunting, especially when the prices seem so close together once they’re in completed systems. We break down the differences for you.
Simply put, Core i5-equipped systems are less expensive than Core i7-equipped PCs. Intel has moved away from the star ratings it used with previous-generation Core processors in favor of a capability-driven marketing message. Essentially, the Core i7 processors have more capabilities than Core i5 CPUs. They will be better for multitasking, multimedia tasks, high-end gaming, and scientific work. Core i7 processors are certainly aimed at people who complain that their current system is “too slow.” Spot-checking a system like the Dell XPS 13 Touch ultraportable, you’ll find the Core i5 to be about $200 less expensive than a similarly equipped Core i7 system. Continue reading