i know they say buy the CPU you can afford both are in my price range im just the type of person who doesnt need something im not gonna use. Do i need an i7 i wont be using VST’s ill be using mics on my instruments. There’s a lot more experimentation with sound when using mics over VST’s. So will there be any need for 8 cores? Serious responses only please i dont need to know what you’re running because that helps me in no way what so ever. Also people with experience using mic’d Guitar, Bass & Drums are preferred but anything helps
Thanx
For simply recording a number of simultaneous audio tracks to Cubase the i7 or i5 will both perfectly do that job. The difference will only become noticable when you start adding plugins.
It’s hard to predict how far the i5 will get you, but it helps to have an indication of which and how many plugins you use.
No plug-ins. I just have an interface. Everything will just me mic’d
Well… an i5 does meet the minimum spec requirements for CB9. However, I think you are saying that you will only be recording yourself. So for guitar, singing, etc… that means only one or two audio tracks will be recording at the same time. And for drums you might use a mic on each piece. For that you might be recording 5 to 8 audio tracks at once. The i5 should have no issues with that.
But, are you sure you will never want to add a VST effect like reverb, EQ, compressor, etc. to vocals or instruments. Or even a guitar amp effect like Amplitube to your projects? If yes, then I would question the i5.
Regards 
I use an i5-4300u with a surprising number of tracks and effects. The deciding factor is how high you can set the ASIO buffer. I have the UR824 which has direct monitoring, so I have cubase set to Asio Guard high and also use a very high buffer size. If your setup doesn’t offer direct monitoring, and you have to use a low ASIO buffer, you’re going to need a more powerful computer.
-E
The i5 will be fine for tracking and not overly ambitious mixing. Ie no more than one or two reverbs (use sends) and stick to the stock steinberg plugins - other than frequency EQ which can guzzle CPU. No reason why you couldn’t mix a 30-40 track project. Try to get all your recording done before you get into mixing coz CPU performance will become an issue at lower buffer settings with too many plugins running.
Sweet thanks for the replies. I got the i7 6700k probably a bit overkill but I’m future proofed for the time being
That’s an excellent match for Cubase. Four fast cores.