Is the i7 any more future proof than the i5?

[Mjmar]

I recently purchased a 2012 Air with a 1.8 i5, 8 gigs of ram, and a 256 gb ssd. I don't exactly need the 8 gigs of ram, but I got it so that my machine will last 4 years+. Now I'm wondering if I should change my configuration to the i7, but I'm not really sure that it will make the machine more future proof than the i5. I do some Aperture and Final Cut Express editing, along with the usual web browsing and iTunes. So basically my question is within the next 4 years will there be a point where the i5 will feel slow compared to how the i7 would feel, or will the difference never really be noticeable?

 

[31rhcp]

If you haven't read this thread already, you may find it useful:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1383861/

The general consensus I got from it was that RAM is really key, but the usefulness of the i7 is more determined by the user. Regardless, I think I am going: 13"/256 GB/8GB/i7

 

[rygamble]

I recently purchased a 2012 Air with a 1.8 i5, 8 gigs of ram, and a 256 gb ssd. I don't exactly need the 8 gigs of ram, but I got it so that my machine will last 4 years+. Now I'm wondering if I should change my configuration to the i7, but I'm not really sure that it will make the machine more future proof than the i5. I do some Aperture and Final Cut Express editing, along with the usual web browsing and iTunes. So basically my question is within the next 4 years will there be a point where the i5 will feel slow compared to how the i7 would feel, or will the difference never really be noticeable?

According to early benchmarks of the systems, the difference in horse-power is minimal at best. Not worth the upgrade in my opinion.

 

[dona83]

Jumping from the i5 1.8Ghz to i7 2.0Ghz is apparently not that big of a difference as others have said. For whatever reason, the 11"'s i5 1.7Ghz is quite a bit of a step down from the 13"'s 1.8Ghz and stepping up to the i7 2.0Ghz is worth it for that model.

Future proof, who knows? I still use a 2006 iMac as a digital hub, it's a great computer. It does everything except play Diablo III.

 

[KPOM]

Not really. 3-5 years from now, it won't really matter whether you have a 2.0GHz Core i7 or 1.7GHz Core i5. It will still be an old processor. The main differences are slightly more cache and a faster turbo boost.