Pentium G4600 vs Core i7-870

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1831	1712
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.95	1.56
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Lynnfield (2009−2010)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
Release date	September 2009 (14 years ago)	3 January 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$305	$87
Current price	$100 (0.3x MSRP)	$127 (1.5x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Pentium G4600 has 64% better value for money than i7-870.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 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	2.93 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	45 nm	14 nm
Die size	296 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	65 °C
Number of transistors	774 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 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	FCLGA1156,LGA1156	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	51 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	no data	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
SIPP	no data	-
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600
Maximum memory size	16 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel HD Graphics 630
Max video memory	no data	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	no data	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

3

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

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

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12
OpenGL	no data	4.4

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600.

PCIe version	2.0	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.

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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.

Pentium G4600 outperforms Core i7-870 by 16% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.02	2.35
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Cost	$305	$87
Chip lithography	45 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	51 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-870 and Pentium G4600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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