Intel Core i3-10110Y vs Intel Core i7-870 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a remarkably consistent picture across every Cinebench test in the database. The Intel Core i7-870, a desktop processor from the Nehalem generation, wins all five recorded head-to-head comparisons against the Intel Core i3-10110Y, a mobile Comet Lake-Y chip. None of the deltas are dramatic, but they are uniform, with the i7-870 holding an edge in every workload measured.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-870 scores 271 against 265 for the i3-10110Y, a gap of 2.2 percent. The story repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core, where the i7-870 posts 1132 versus 1108, a 2.1 percent advantage. Single-core results follow the same pattern: the i7-870 leads by 1.9 percent in Cinebench R20 single-core (159 to 156) and by 2.1 percent in Cinebench R23 single-core (380 to 372). Multi-core Cinebench R23 shows the i7-870 at 2697 compared to 2640 for the i3-10110Y, again a 2.1 percent margin.

The narrowness of these margins is the most striking feature. The i7-870 wins every test, but by no more than 2.2 percent in any single benchmark. The i3-10110Y, despite being a much newer design on a smaller process node, cannot overtake the older desktop chip in terms of raw score. The average benchmark score tells a similar tale: the i7-870 averages 928 across all recorded benchmarks, against 908 for the i3-10110Y. The i7-870 also sits at the 25th percentile of all CPUs in the database, edging out the i3-10110Y at the 24th percentile by one position.

The data shows that the i7-870 is competitive not only against its own nearest rivals, which include the Intel Core i5-4288U at 927 and Intel Core i3-4350T at 926, both within 0.2 percent of its score, but also against the i3-10110Y among its own comparisons, where the AMD Ryzen 3 3250U matches it exactly at 908. The i7-870 also sits within 0.4 percent of the Intel Celeron G6900TE and trails the Intel Core i7-4600U by 0.4 percent. These numbers frame the head-to-head result as a narrow but consistent victory for the older chip.

Every recorded test is a win for the i7-870. The i3-10110Y records zero wins. That is a clean sweep, yet the performance class of the two parts is clearly close, separated by margins that would be imperceptible in most real-world workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from very different eras and design philosophies. The Intel Core i3-10110Y is a mobile part built on Comet Lake, with the codename Comet Lake-Y, fabricated on Intel's 14 nm process. It has 2 cores and 4 threads, with a base clock of 1000.00 MHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Its thermal design power is just 9 watts, and it uses the Intel BGA 1440 socket. The i3-10110Y integrates UHD Graphics, a feature entirely absent from the i7-870, which has no integrated graphics at all.

The Intel Core i7-870 is a desktop processor from the Nehalem architecture, codenamed Lynnfield, built on a 45 nm process. It contains 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 2.93 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz. Its thermal design power is 95 watts, more than ten times that of the i3-10110Y. The i7-870 uses the Intel Socket 1156 and has a transistor count of 774 million on a die size of 296 mm². The i3-10110Y's transistor count and die size are not recorded in the database, but the process node difference alone points to a significant density advantage for the newer part.

Cache configurations also differ. Both processors have 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core. The L3 cache, however, diverges: the i3-10110Y has 4 MB shared, while the i7-870 has 8 MB shared. That doubling of L3 cache is notable for a part with twice the core count, and it helps explain why the i7-870 remains competitive in multi-threaded scores despite its architectural age.

Memory support is limited to DDR3 for both chips. The i7-870 uses a dual-channel memory bus and supports PCIe Gen 2 with 16 lanes (CPU only, according to the database. The i3-10110Y has no PCIe data recorded. Neither chip supports ECC memory. The i7-870 is marked as end-of-life in its production status, while the i3-10110Y remains active. The i7-870 was released in September 2009, close to a decade before the i3-10110Y, which launched in August 2019. Neither chip has a recorded launch MSRP, and neither has an unlocked multiplier.

The i3-10110Y is part of the Core 10th Gen series from Intel, and the i7-870 belongs to the Core i7 (Lynnfield) generation as identified in the database records. The market segment split is also split by design goals, mobile for the i3-10110Y and desktop for the i7-870, which is a distinction that matters more than the benchmarks alone suggest when considering sustained workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-870 wins everywhere, but the i3-10110Y has specific strengths that the database records do not measure. The i3-10110Y has a boost clock of 4.00 GHz and a 14 nm process, which are features suited to bursty, power-limited mobile workloads. Its integrated UHD Graphics gives it a feature set that the i7-870 cannot match in tasks where a discrete GPU is not present. The i7-870, with no integrated graphics at all, requires a separate graphics card, which changes the kind of system it can be used in.

On the desktop side, the i7-870 wins multi-core tests by margins from 1.9 percent to 2.2 percent. Its 4 cores and 8 threads double the core count of the i3-10110Y in heavily parallel tasks, and its larger shared L3 cache of 8 MB helps multi-core performance in rendering workloads like Cinebench R23 multi-core at 2697. The i3-10110Y cannot match this, despite its higher boost clock of 4.00 GHz, and trails by 2.1 percent in the same test at 2640.

The data shows the i7-870 as the choice for any workload where the benchmark scores are representative, namely encoding or rendering tasks. The i3-10110Y's advantage is in efficiency, low power draw at 9 watts TDP, far below the 95 watt TDP of the i7-870, and portability.

For a user who prioritizes power consumption, the i3-10110Y is clearly ahead in thermal design power terms. The i7-870, at 95 watts, is over ten times higher. Battery life, however, is a qualitative factor not recorded in the database, so no direct comparison can be made beyond TDP figures. The i3-10110Y's 14 nm process node also points to a more modern fabrication process, which generally correlates with lower power draw per unit of performance, though precise figures are not listed for the older chip.

The i7-870, being end-of-life, is not in active production status, which means availability over time is a consideration for system integrators.

For any single-core response times in the Cinebench R23 single-core tests, the i7-870 wins by 2.1 percent, but the i3-10110Y's 4.00 GHz boost clock suggests it can hit high frequency for short bursts, though the i7-870's lead in the recorded scores remains the deciding factor.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-870 is the faster chip in every measured benchmark where the two are compared. The i3-10110Y wins zero head-to-head tests, and the i7-870 leads by margins from 1.9 percent to 2.2 percent across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, in both single-core and multi-core runs. The i7-870 has a higher average benchmark score of 928 versus 908, and a slightly higher percentile ranking at the 25th percentile versus the 24th.

For a user who needs maximum Cinebench performance from these two, the i7-870 is the clear choice from the data alone. The i3-10110Y, however, is the only one of the two with integrated graphics, and the only one with a mobile form factor, using the Intel BGA 1440 socket, while the i7-870 uses the desktop Intel Socket 1156. The i7-870 also requires a discrete GPU, which is a significant system-level difference.

The i3-10110Y has a much lower TDP at 9 watts, compared to the i7-870's 95 watts, and a more modern 14 nm process node versus the older 45 nm node. The i7-870 has double the cores and threads, at 4 cores and 8 threads, and double the L3 cache at 8 MB versus 4 MB. Those structural advantages likely explain its small but consistent benchmark wins.

The verdict from the database is straightforward: pick the i7-870 for benchmark performance in multi-core and single-core Cinebench tasks, and pick the i3-10110Y for a mobile platform with integrated graphics and dramatically lower power draw. The i3-10110Y loses the performance comparison by a narrow margin, but it wins on efficiency and portability. The i7-870 is end-of-life, while the i3-10110Y is active, which matters for new system builds.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher Cinebench R23 multi-core score?

A: The Intel Core i7-870 scores 2697 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, while the Intel Core i3-10110Y scores 2640, a 2.1 percent difference in favor of the i7-870.

Q: How do the two chips compare in single-core performance?

A: The i7-870 leads in all recorded single-core tests. In Cinebench R20 single-core, it scores 159 versus 156 for the i3-10110Y, a 1.9 percent lead. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it scores 380 versus 372, a 2.1 percent lead.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each CPU?

A: The Intel Core i3-10110Y has 2 cores and 4 threads. The Intel Core i7-870 has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Which processor has integrated graphics?

A: The Intel Core i3-10110Y includes UHD Graphics. The Intel Core i7-870 has no integrated graphics.

Q: What is the thermal design power of each chip?

A: The i3-10110Y has a TDP of 9 watts. The i7-870 has a TDP of 95 watts.

Q: Which chip is still in active production?

A: The i3-10110Y is marked as active in the database. The i7-870 is marked as end-of-life.