i7-970 vs Ultra 7 270HX Plus
Aggregate performance score
Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus outperforms Core i7-970 by a whopping 754% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 183 | 1747 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.20 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 24.49 | 1.21 |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Arrow Lake-HX Refresh (2026) | Gulftown (2010−2011) |
| Release date | 17 March 2026 (less than a year ago) | 19 July 2010 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $662 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970: number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 20 (Icosa-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 20 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 5.3 GHz | 3.46 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 4.8 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 192 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 3 MB (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 30 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 243 mm2 | 239 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 68 °C |
| Number of transistors | 17,800 million | 1,170 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | Intel BGA 2114 | FCLGA1366 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 55 Watt | 130 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 1.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
| PAE | no data | 36 Bit |
Security technologies
Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | - |
| EDB | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 24 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 3 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and Core i7-970.
| PCIe version | 5.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 24 | no data |
Synthetic benchmarks
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 32.81 | 3.84 |
| Recency | 17 March 2026 | 19 July 2010 |
| Physical cores | 20 | 6 |
| Threads | 20 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 55 Watt | 130 Watt |
Ultra 7 270HX Plus has a 754% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 15 years, 233% more physical cores and 67% more threads, a 967% more advanced lithography process, and 136% lower power consumption.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core i7-970 in performance tests.
Be aware that Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus is a notebook processor while Core i7-970 is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
