i3-7100 vs i7-5950HQ

Place in the ranking	1244	1705
Place by popularity	not in top-100	85
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.49	0.87
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	9.89	5.05
Architecture codename	Broadwell-H (2015)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
Release date	2 June 2015 (9 years ago)	3 January 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$623	$117

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i3-7100 has 78% better value for money than i7-5950HQ.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 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	4 (Quad-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	2.9 GHz	3.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.9 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Multiplier	29	39
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	182 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	105 °C	65 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 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	FCBGA1364	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	47 Watt	51 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100. 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)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	-	+
Identity Protection	+	+
SGX	no data	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	38.397 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200	Intel HD Graphics 630
Max video memory	32 GB	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.15 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	3
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
VGA	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	2560x1600@60Hz	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	4096x2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	12
OpenGL	4.3	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100.

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.

i7-5950HQ 4.91
+80.5%

i3-7100 2.72

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.

i7-5950HQ 7807
+80.5%

i3-7100 4325

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	4.91	2.72
Integrated graphics card	3.95	3.11
Recency	2 June 2015	3 January 2017
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Power consumption (TDP)	47 Watt	51 Watt

i7-5950HQ has a 80.5% higher aggregate performance score, 27% faster integrated GPU, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and 8.5% lower power consumption.

i3-7100, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year.

The Core i7-5950HQ is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-7100 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-5950HQ and Core i3-7100, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.