Is there a significant difference between the 2.5 GHz i5 and 2.9 GHz i7 processor?

Question

I'm going to be using my computer for grad school, so I'll be using multiple internet windows plus the Apple versions of Microsoft office all at once.  I'll also be using the computer to watch Netflix.  No gaming or movie-making or anything like that.  So, what kind of difference would the upgraded processor make for me?  I feel like upgrading it would be a waste for me because I'm using pretty basic stuff, but I could be wrong.

Answer 1

2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
vs
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Higher clock speed
2.9 GHz
vs
2.5 GHz
More than 15% higher clock speed
More l3 cache
4 MB
vs
3 MB
Around 35% more l3 cache; more data can be stored in the l3 cache for quick access later
Supports trusted computing
Yes
vs
No
Allows for safer, more reliable computing
Better 3DMark11 physics score
5,140
vs
3,130
Around 65% better 3DMark11 physics score
Better turbo clock speed
1,250 MHz
vs
1,100 MHz
Around 15% better turbo clock speed
More l3 cache per core
2 MB/core
vs
1.5 MB/core
Around 35% more l3 cache per core
Better PassMark (Single core) score
1,790
vs
1,524
More than 15% better PassMark (Single core) score
Better 3DMark06 CPU score
4,134
vs
3,553
More than 15% better 3DMark06 CPU score
Better PassMark score
4,543
vs
3,823
Around 20% better PassMark score
Slightly better geekbench (32-bit) score
5,849
vs
4,947
Around 20% better geekbench (32-bit) score
Better clock speed
3.25 GHz
vs
2.88 GHz
Around 15% better clock speed
Slightly better PassMark score
1,823.4
vs
1,623.4
More than 10% better PassMark score