Intel Core i3-10305 vs Intel Core i7-1185GRE Comparison

The Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i7-1185GRE occupy the same overall tier in the database, with identical 47th percentile placements against all recorded CPUs, yet the head-to-head data shows one of them winning every single contest. Both are quad-core, eight-thread Intel processors, but one is a 65 W desktop part on Socket 1200 and the other is a 15 W mobile chip soldered to a BGA 1449 package. That power and platform divide explains nearly everything in the benchmark table, and the recorded margins are remarkably consistent across every test. The data shows the i3-10305 sweeping all six head-to-head benchmarks by essentially the same margin, roughly 18 percent, in both single-core and multi-core workloads, while the i7-1185GRE counters with a newer architecture, a superior cache hierarchy, ECC support, faster PCIe generation on its CPU lanes, and a far stronger integrated GPU. This page walks through the measurements step by step.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sweep is total: the i3-10305 wins all six recorded head-to-head tests, and the margins barely move from test to test.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i3-10305 scores 788 against 668 for the i7-1185GRE, an 18 percent advantage. Cinebench R15 single-core goes the same way, 111 to 94, an 18.1 percent win. Cinebench R20 repeats the pattern: 3287 versus 2786 in multi-core, 18 percent, and 464 versus 393 in single-core, 18.1 percent. Cinebench R23 closes the set with 7828 against 6635 in multi-core, again 18 percent, and 1105 versus 936 in single-core, 18.1 percent.

Two details stand out in these numbers. First, the single-core and multi-core margins are nearly identical, which tells a clear story: the i7-1185GRE is not being throttled differently under all-core load relative to its single-thread behavior, it is simply running at lower sustained clocks across the board. The 15 W envelope of the mobile part against the 65 W envelope of the desktop part is the obvious structural cause. Second, the consistency across three Cinebench generations suggests the gap is architectural and thermal, not a quirk of any one benchmark version.

The i7-1185GRE does have Geekbench results recorded, 4060 multi-core and 1848 single-core, but the database holds no matching i3-10305 Geekbench entries, so no head-to-head comparison can be drawn from that test.

For context against the wider field, the i3-10305 carries an average benchmark score of 2264, sitting within a fraction of a percent of rivals such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (a 0.2 percent gap), the Intel Core i5-9400 at 2254 (0.4 percent), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.7 percent), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.8 percent). The i7-1185GRE averages 2178, with the AMD Ryzen 5 3400GE at 2175 (0.2 percent), the Intel Core i5-1145G7E at 2174 (0.2 percent), the Intel Core i5-7640X at 2167 (0.5 percent), and the Intel Core i7-5950HQ at 2158 (1 percent) as its nearest comparables. The two chips are separated by only about 4 percent on average score, but the CPU-bound contest itself is one-sided.

The Verdict

For raw CPU throughput, the data is unambiguous. The i3-10305 delivers roughly 18 percent more performance in every recorded Cinebench test, single-core and multi-core alike, and it does so with the same four cores and eight threads. If the decision is purely about compute in rendering-style workloads, the i3-10305 is the pick.

The i7-1185GRE, however, is not competing on the same axis. It is a mobile processor with a 15 W TDP, more than four times lower than the 65 W desktop rating of the i3-10305, and it brings features the desktop part simply lacks: ECC memory support, LPDDR4X memory support, PCIe Gen 4 on its CPU lanes, and Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 with 96 execution units instead of UHD Graphics 630. Its launch MSRP is recorded at $490.

The verdict, strictly from the data: choose the i3-10305 when CPU benchmark performance in a desktop Socket 1200 build is the priority, and choose the i7-1185GRE when the platform features, the modern architecture, and the lower power envelope matter more than the 18 percent CPU deficit.

Where Each One Wins

The i3-10305 wins on: sustained CPU throughput. It takes all six head-to-head Cinebench contests by 18 to 18.1 percent, covering both single-threaded responsiveness and multi-threaded rendering. It also offers a higher boost clock, 4.50 GHz versus 4.40 GHz, higher base clock behavior consistent with its 3.80 GHz rating against the 1800 MHz base of the mobile part, 16 CPU PCIe lanes versus 4, DDR4 bandwidth recorded at 42.7 GB/s, and a desktop socket that permits replacement and upgrades.

The i7-1185GRE wins on: platform and efficiency features. Its Tiger Lake architecture on a 10 nm node is two process generations ahead of the 14 nm Comet Lake design. It carries 80 KB of L1 cache per core versus 64 KB, 1.25 MB of L2 per core versus 256 KB, and 12 MB of shared L3 versus 8 MB. It supports ECC memory and LPDDR4X in addition to DDR4, provides PCIe Gen 4 CPU lanes, and pairs with the far more capable Iris Xe-LP G7 96EU integrated graphics rather than UHD Graphics 630. Its 15 W TDP makes it viable in thermally constrained mobile designs where a 65 W part is not an option at all.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in benchmarks? A: The Intel Core i3-10305. It won all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, by 18 percent in multi-core and 18.1 percent in single-core, with scores including 7828 versus 6635 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1105 versus 936 in R23 single-core.

Q: Do they have the same core counts? A: Yes. Both are quad-core, eight-thread processors. The performance gap comes from clocks, power envelope, and platform differences, not core count.

Q: Which has the newer architecture? A: The i7-1185GRE. It uses the Tiger Lake architecture on Intel's 10 nm process, while the i3-10305 uses Comet Lake on 14 nm.

Q: Which has more cache? A: The i7-1185GRE, in every level. It has 80 KB of L1 per core versus 64 KB, 1.25 MB of L2 per core versus 256 KB, and 12 MB of shared L3 versus 8 MB.

Q: Which has better integrated graphics? A: The i7-1185GRE. It features Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 with 96 execution units, while the i3-10305 ships with UHD Graphics 630. No shared graphics benchmark results are recorded in the database, but the hardware difference is substantial.

Q: Can either chip be overclocked? A: No. Both have locked multipliers according to the recorded data.

Architecture Differences

These are two Intel designs separated by a full architectural generation and a process node jump. The i3-10305 is Comet Lake, codenamed Comet Lake-R, built on Intel's 14 nm process, part of the 10th Gen Core family, and fabbed at Intel. The i7-1185GRE is Tiger Lake, codenamed Tiger Lake-U, built on 10 nm, also from Intel's own foundry, and its die size is recorded at 144 mm².

Despite the newer node, the i7-1185GRE's mobile power envelope holds it back in the recorded CPU tests, but the architecture shows up elsewhere: substantially larger caches at every level, a Gen 4 CPU PCIe interface, LPDDR4X support, and ECC capability. The i3-10305's older design compensates with a much higher power budget, delivering higher sustained performance per core. The i3 launched later in the calendar, 2021 versus the 2020 release of the i7-1185GRE, despite being the older architecture. Both remain listed as Active in production status.

Specification Differences

The differing fields, side by side:

• Market segment: i3-10305 is Desktop; i7-1185GRE is Mobile.
• Socket: Socket 1200 (replaceable) versus BGA 1449 (soldered).
• TDP: 65 W versus 15 W.
• Architecture / codename: Comet Lake (Comet Lake-R) versus Tiger Lake (Tiger Lake-U).
• Process node: 14 nm versus 10 nm.
• Die size: not recorded for the i3; 144 mm² for the i7.
• Base clock: 3.80 GHz versus 1800 MHz; boost: 4.50 GHz versus 4.40 GHz.
• Cache: 64 KB L1, 256 KB L2 per core, 8 MB L3 versus 80 KB L1, 1.25 MB L2 per core, 12 MB L3.
• Memory: DDR4 only versus DDR4 and LPDDR4X; bandwidth recorded at 42.7 GB/s for the i3, not recorded for the i7; both dual-channel.
• ECC: false versus true.
• PCIe: Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes versus Gen 4 with 4 CPU lanes.
• Integrated graphics: UHD Graphics 630 versus Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 96EU.
• Release date: 2021-03-15 versus 2020-09-01.
• Part number: SRH3K versus SRK0Y.
• Launch MSRP: not recorded for the i3; $490 for the i7.
• Average benchmark score: 2264 versus 2178, with the i3 ranked at the 47th percentile and the i7 also at the 47th percentile.

Identical between the two: manufacturer, four cores, eight threads, dual-channel memory bus, locked multipliers, production status, and both foundries being Intel.