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Windows Forums member, Bert_H, asked the following question in our suggestion box:

[I'd like] an explanation on i3, i5, i7 Operating Systems, and how they compare with Core 2 and Quad Core CPUs.

Update: Manuel commented asking the following:

It seems core2 duo CPUs have not been included and where they belong.  Are core 2 duo CPUs comparable with i3s or even i5s?  thanks.

Scroll down or click here for the answer.

If you’re in the market to buy a PC and you’re looking for the best value for money, you’ve likely asked yourself: “what’s the difference between Dual and Quad Core and what about i3, i5, and i7?”
This guide offers a basic explanation of these five types of processors and will help you determine the best for your needs.
Before we go much further, I should make it clear that comparing Quad Core with i7 is not as simple as it sounds as they are not completely comparable. You’ll see why as you read on.
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Featuring: WIM-images and Diskpart

When I first bought my netbook from Acer it came with the  Windows 7 Starter (scam) Edition. Luckily for me I had an extra Home Premium license I could use. Problem was that the graphics driver needed was not available for download, and was not available through Windows. A fact I only discovered once I had re-installed windows. Another irritating thing I discovered was that the bundled software that was pre-installed with my windows starter edition, did not run anymore.

The solution? The hidden recovery partition.

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The windows Clipboard is where the computer temporarily stores text, files, graphics etc. that your CUT or COPY resides until you PASTE the content into its new location. Up until XP you could easily check the contents of your clipboard  using the ClipBoard Manager. For some blurry security reason Microsoft removed this nifty application in Vista and 7. If you miss this feature, fear not – the fix is a simple one. If you have access to a Windows XP installation (XP mode anyone ??)  you can copy it to your Windows 7 (or Vista) machine.

Here’s where to find it

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First there was VGA, Video (or Component), S-VHS and Scart connectors. All of which use analog signals. Analog signals means that we don’t need any kind of computer to process images (and sound). All we need is old-fashioned electronics or even just a piece of paper and a needle. Today when “everything” has gone digital we have got two new standards called DVI and HDMI.

Though HDMI is the new all-round standard of connecting Computers and TV (and soon every gadget and appliance ) you will still come across DVI. Especially when connecting your computer to your flat screen monitor, TV or Projector.

DVI comes in several flavours, DVI-A, DVI-D, DVI-I and M1-DA. But which is what ?

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I like my desktop neat and tidy, and I keep the number of icons down to a minimum. I also prefer to have them all lined up using the “Align to grid” function. However.

Since I prefer to use small icons, I found the standard grid size to be too big, making my desktop look untidy and hard to look at. Being a graphics designer I care about these things maybe just a tad too much, but I did find a solution, other than using a non-grid layout.

Reducing the grid-size in Windows

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I’m a big reader and an enthusiastic about Tech blogs; it’s no mystery why I write for Windows Guides. I have noticed, and I suppose that many of you too, that there’s a lot of expectation about using graphics hardware acceleration on browsers. Just this week, I have read at least 20 posts about this subject. This has been so important that the new version of Internet Explorer is basing its released with a huge focus on this feature.

But, what are we really talking about?

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