One of my systems has a Pentium 4 processor in it which I believe to be dying. It will run for 50 - 60 minutes then freeze. It had run with a, very mild, overclock in the past, but recently, at rated speed. Both Ubuntu and Windows 8 do the same thing, I'm sure it is hardware.
I can get a new P4 fairly cheaply. Alternatively, I can gut the machine and do an expensive rebuild with an i7 and supporting cast of components. Apart from the hyper threading, which frankly did not impress me when it first came out, what are the advantages of the i7 option?
I'm not a gamer, apart from a bit of office type work, the system is mainly a BOINC machine.