i7-6970HQ vs i3-7100H

Place in the ranking	1845	1650
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	5.84	6.14
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake-H (2017)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	3 January 2017 (7 years ago)	2 January 2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$393	$623

Detailed specifications

Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ basic parameters such as 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	2 (Dual-core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	8
Base clock speed	3 GHz	2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	3 GHz	3.7 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier	30	28
L1 cache	128 KB	256 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	1 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	8 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	126 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ 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 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1440	FCBGA1440
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
eDRAM	no data	128 MB
Speed Shift	+	no data
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	+

Security technologies

Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	+
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	64 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	34.134 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 630	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580
Max video memory	64 GB	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	950 MHz	1.05 GHz
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	3
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
DVI	+	+

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@30Hz	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	12
OpenGL	4.5	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

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. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i3-7100H 2.24

i7-6970HQ 3.03
+35.3%

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.

i3-7100H 3430

i7-6970HQ 4632
+35%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.24	3.03
Integrated graphics card	3.10	4.77
Recency	3 January 2017	2 January 2016
Physical cores	2	4
Threads	4	8
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	45 Watt

i3-7100H has an age advantage of 1 year, and 28.6% lower power consumption.

i7-6970HQ, on the other hand, has a 35.3% higher aggregate performance score, 53.9% faster integrated GPU, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

The Core i7-6970HQ is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-7100H in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-7100H and Core i7-6970HQ, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.