Intel didn't support hyperthreading, which meant they wouldn't have matched AMD's performance in that area.
Intel didn't support hyperthreading, which meant they wouldn't have matched AMD's performance in that area.
Modern i5 chips don’t require hyper-threading since they already have six cores that handle demanding tasks well while maintaining solid single-core speed, which is key for gaming. This lets them match AMD’s 3600 performance despite being two years behind. Intel skips hyper-threading in lower-end models because it compensates with its strong single-core results. For a budget workstation—budget or high-end—the clear choice is AMD.
Intel should adopt HT standard now because Skylake no longer relies on silicon purity for activation. The company is attempting to charge you excessively for a capability already found in most modern CPUs; AMD has integrated it across their entire range, and Intel should follow suit given the current situation where they are falling behind. Qualcomm, Apple, and other manufacturers already offer multi-threading per core on various devices, making Intel uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend.
SMT doesn't enhance single-thread speed of a CPU, which is crucial for gaming. Games don’t actually rely on hyperthreading in any meaningful way that improves performance beyond what’s already present. Therefore, a CPU lacking hyperthreading usually runs better at single-threaded tasks. Hyperthreading divides one physical core into two virtual ones by altering the ALU, but it still lags behind the same stage of the pipeline. From the P4 generation: If Intel had simply created two cores with half the pipeline length from the start (which did happen), you’d end up with two cores that avoid resource conflicts. On i7 models with hyperthreading, you see a similar 10-15% boost compared to when it’s turned off. If a program could use many less-pipelined cores, hyperthreading usually gives a clear edge over non-hyperthreaded workloads. Still, as noted, better single-thread performance is always better than hyperthreading. When issues like Spectre, meltdowns, and zombie processes emerged, the biggest impact came from security improvements rather than speed gains. In short, Intel introduced cores without changing the core count, creating confusion. The original i7-970 had 6 cores and 12 threads, while later models like the i7-9700K added more. Despite adding cores, Intel never clearly signaled this change. The i9-8700K now has 6 cores and 12 threads, matching the i7-9700K in performance.
Deliberately slowing down the CPU for profit from a widely used feature isn't the same as forcing a downgrade because the chip can't meet the required performance. i5 and i7 models should both support HT since Intel already enables it, offering different core counts rather than just a switch. The difference lies in actual performance, not just silicon limitations. Cache, cores, and out-of-the-box frequency help segment products meaningfully, as not every chip can match the same specs. SMT and HT are now independent of silicon, like toggling hardware states. AMD is handling this better than Intel has been.