What are I-3 processors like for gaming?

A lot of new computers- especially laptops- which used to have a Dual or Quad-Core processor in them now come with Intel “I-Series” processors in them.

Now, I get that the I-7 is the top of the range Quad-Core equivalent for the purposes of explaining it to People Who Are Vaguely Aware About Computer Stuff, and that the I-5 is sort of the Dual Core equivalent (ie, the realistic gaming processor for people who don’t sleep on piles of money), but… what’s the I-3 like? I mean, is it “Almost As Good As The Old Dual Core But Not Quite In A Way That’s Entirely Too Complicated To Explain Anyone Who Doesn’t Really Know Much About Computers?”, or is it basically “Better than a single core, not as good as a dual core, and still useless for gaming”, or something else entirely?

I’ve tried to do some reading on the subject and I’m still no more enlightened… hopefully someone here can help explain it a bit better!

From Tom’s Hardware.

Is the i3 fast enough?
General CPU articles.

From Tech Reports.

i3 and i5 Dual Cores.
CPU articles.

ETA: There are two levels of Core i7 that fit different sockets and some of the i5s are quad cores. Double check the models numbers very carefully.

wrong forum