Intel Core i5-7500T vs Intel Core i3-10100Y vs Intel Core i5-7300HQ

Intel Core i5-7500T

The Intel Core i5-7500T is a power efficient desktop quad-core based on the Kaby Lake architecture. It was announced early 2017 and offers four cores and no HyperThreading (only 4 threads). The CPU clocks between 2.7 and 3.3 GHz. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 graphics card offers 24 EUs clocked at 350 to 1100 MHz. The TDP is specified at only 35 Watt and therefore even lower than mobile HQ quad cores (45 Watt). Thats why the CPU is also used in some laptops.

Intel Core i3-10100Y

The Intel Core i3-10100Y is a efficient dual-core SoC for tablets and passively cooled laptops based on the old Amber Lake generation from 2018. It was announced in Q1 2021 and is similar to the old Core i5-8200Y. The only difference is a slightly higher GPU clock (+50 MHz).

The CPU consists of two processor cores clocked at 1.3 - 3.9 GHz. Thanks to Hyper Threading, the processor can execute up to four threads simultaneously. The chips also includes the Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU, a dual-channel memory controller (DDR3L/LPDDR3) as well as VP9 and H.265 video de- and encoder.

Architecture

Intel basically used the familiar micro architecture from the Skylake / Kaby Lake generation, so the per-MHz performance is identical.

Performance

The average 10100Y in our database is just a little ahead of the AMD 3050e, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned, the latter being an entry-level, dual-core processor of the same energy efficiency based on the Zen architecture. This makes the Core i3 an OK option for basic day-to-day activities, as of mid 2022.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 615 iGPU has 24 Execution Units (EUs) not unlike the older HD Graphics 515 and runs at up to 1,000 MHz. The performance heavily depends on the TDP limit as well as the memory configuration; with fast LPDDR3-1866 RAM in dual-channel mode, the GPU should sometimes be able to compete with the HD Graphics 520, but can also be much slower in other scenarios. Modern games from 2016 will, if at all, only run smoothly in the lowest settings.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake and Amber Lake now also supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec.

Power consumption

This little Core i3 here has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 5 W that laptop makers are free to change to anything between 3.5 W and 7 W with clock speeds and performance changing accordingly as a result. Either way, the values are low and thus good enough for passively cooled tablets, laptops, mini-PCs and handhelds.

The i3-10100Y is built with one of the old 14 nm Intel manufacturing processes for low, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-7300HQ

The Intel Core i5-7300HQ is a quad-core processor for notebooks based on the Kaby Lake architecture and was announced in January 2017. Compared to the faster Core i7 models, the Core i5 does not support Hyper Threading and has lower clocks. The CPU cores run at 2.5 - 3.5 GHz (4 cores up to 3.1, 2 cores up to 3.3 GHz). The processor is also equipped with the HD Graphics 630 GPU as well as a dual-channel memory controller (DDR3L-1600/DDR4-2400). It is manufactured in a 14nm process with FinFET transistors.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

The performance should be quite similar to the old Core i5-6440HQ (2.6 - 3.5 GHz, Skylake) that offers the same per-MHz performance and only 100 MHz higher core speed. The performance is therefore sufficient even for demanding tasks.

Graphics

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 has 24 Execution Units (similar to previous HD Graphics 530) running at 350 - 1000 MHz (i7 models up to 1100). The performance depends a lot on the memory configuration; it should be comparable to a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 920M in combination with fast DDR4-2133 dual-channel memory.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake now supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors, which were announced in January, should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors, which improves the efficiency even further. Intel still specifies the TDP with 45 Watts, but it can also be reduced to 35 Watts by the notebook manufacturers (cTDP down). This will obviously affect the performance, because the Turbo Boost cannot be maintained for longer periods.