Intel Core i3-N305 vs Intel Core i7-10810U Comparison

The Intel Core i3-N305 and Intel Core i7-10810U are both mobile processors aimed at thin-and-light laptops, but they represent fundamentally different design philosophies from Intel. The i3-N305 is a newer, 8-core Gracemont-based chip built on a 10 nm process, while the i7-10810U is an older 6-core/12-thread Comet Lake-U part on a 14 nm node. Benchmark data shows a fascinating split: the i3-N305 dominates in five of six head-to-head tests, but the i7-10810U scores a decisive victory in the most demanding multi-threaded workload, Cinebench R23 multi-core. This creates a nuanced picture where the "winner" depends entirely on the specific application and its ability to exploit sustained multi-core performance versus bursty single-threaded responsiveness.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results indicate a clear division of labor between these two processors. The Intel Core i3-N305 wins outright in the majority of tested scenarios, claiming victories in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 single-core tests, plus Cinebench R15 and R20 multi-core tests. Its single-core advantage is particularly pronounced in older Cinebench versions, where it beats the i7-10810U by 71.6% in R15 single-core (164.7 vs 96) and by 16.8% in R20 single-core (472 vs 404). This suggests the i3-N305 is the better choice for applications that rely heavily on per-thread performance, such as everyday productivity tasks, web browsing, and lightly-threaded legacy software.

The i7-10810U’s sole victory, however, is a significant one. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, it scores 6816 against the i3-N305’s 5092, a 25.3% margin. This indicates that when a workload can fully utilize all available threads over an extended period, the i7-10810U’s 12 threads (from 6 cores with Hyper-Threading) and larger 12 MB shared L3 cache provide a substantial advantage over the i3-N305’s 8 threads and 6 MB shared L3. This makes the i7-10810U the superior choice for sustained multi-threaded workloads like video rendering, 3D modeling, or compiling large codebases, despite its older architecture and lower base clock.

Interestingly, the i3-N305 also wins the Cinebench R23 single-core test, but by a much narrower 3.4% margin (995 vs 962). This suggests that in the latest Cinebench iteration, the single-core performance gap between the two chips has largely closed, with the newer Gracemont cores only slightly ahead of the older Comet Lake cores. The data shows that the i3-N305 is not universally faster; it excels in short, bursty tasks and older benchmarks, while the i7-10810U is the clear leader in modern, prolonged multi-threaded workloads.

The Verdict

From the data, the choice between these two CPUs hinges on your primary use case. If your workload is dominated by single-threaded performance and lighter multi-threaded tasks—such as office work, media consumption, or running legacy applications—the Intel Core i3-N305 is the better performer. It wins five of the six head-to-head tests, including dominant margins in Cinebench R15 and R20 multi-core (20.8% and 17% respectively), and it does so with a lower 15W TDP compared to the i7-10810U’s 25W, making it more suitable for fanless or ultra-portable designs.

Conversely, if your work involves sustained, heavily multi-threaded applications, the Intel Core i7-10810U is the clear winner. Its 25.3% advantage in Cinebench R23 multi-core is not a marginal difference; it represents a significant performance lead in modern rendering and encoding scenarios. The i7-10810U also benefits from a dual-channel memory bus versus the i3-N305’s single-channel bus, which can further improve performance in memory-bandwidth-sensitive tasks, although no explicit bandwidth figure is provided for the i7-10810U.

Both processors sit at the 44th percentile among all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical (1979 for the i3-N305, 1971 for the i7-10810U). The i3-N305 is within 0.4% of rivals like the Intel Core i5-8279U and AMD Ryzen Embedded V1756B, while the i7-10810U is similarly close to the Intel Xeon E3-1245 v5 and AMD Ryzen 3 2300X. This parity in overall average scores underscores that neither chip is categorically superior; they are simply optimized for different workloads. The i3-N305 is an active, modern part (released January 2023) with a launch MSRP of $309, while the i7-10810U is end-of-life (released April 2020), which may influence availability but not performance conclusions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head data is the Cinebench R23 multi-core test, where the i7-10810U defeats the i3-N305 by a substantial 25.3% margin. The i7-10810U scores 6816 while the i3-N305 manages 5092. This is the only test the i7-10810U wins, and it is a significant one, as R23 is a modern, demanding benchmark that stresses sustained all-core performance. The i7-10810U’s 12 threads and 12 MB of L3 cache clearly give it an edge in this scenario, despite its lower base clock of 1100 MHz compared to the i3-N305’s 100 MHz base clock (though the i7-10810U boosts much higher to 4.90 GHz versus 3.80 GHz).

In contrast, the i3-N305 dominates the older Cinebench R15 and R20 tests. In R15 multi-core, it scores 829 versus 686 for the i7-10810U, a 20.8% lead. In R20 multi-core, it scores 3349 versus 2862, a 17% advantage. These older benchmarks are generally shorter and less demanding on sustained power delivery, which may favor the i3-N305’s newer Gracemont cores and more efficient 10 nm process. The i3-N305 also wins R15 single-core by an enormous 71.6% (164.7 vs 96), and R20 single-core by 16.8% (472 vs 404). This suggests the i3-N305’s per-core performance is substantially better in these legacy tests.

The Cinebench R23 single-core test is the closest contest, with the i3-N305 winning by just 3.4% (995 vs 962). This narrow margin indicates that in modern single-threaded workloads, the two processors are nearly equivalent, with the i3-N305 holding a slight edge. The Geekbench results also favor the i3-N305, with a multi-core score of 3881 and single-core score of 1049, though no direct comparison is available for the i7-10810U in this test. Overall, the data shows that the i3-N305 is the faster chip in five of six comparisons, but its biggest loss is by a wider margin than its biggest win, highlighting the i7-10810U’s specific strength in prolonged multi-threading.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core performance?

A: The Intel Core i3-N305 wins all three single-core Cinebench tests. It leads by 71.6% in R15 (164.7 vs 96), by 16.8% in R20 (472 vs 404), and by 3.4% in R23 (995 vs 962).

Q: Why does the i7-10810U win Cinebench R23 multi-core despite losing other multi-core tests?

A: The i7-10810U has 12 threads (6 cores with Hyper-Threading) and a larger 12 MB shared L3 cache, compared to the i3-N305’s 8 threads and 6 MB shared L3. This allows it to sustain performance better over the longer, more demanding R23 workload, scoring 6816 versus 5092.

Q: Are these two processors comparable in overall performance?

A: Yes, their average benchmark scores are nearly identical: 1979 for the i3-N305 and 1971 for the i7-10810U. Both sit at the 44th percentile among all CPUs, indicating they are in the same overall performance tier.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The i3-N305 has a TDP of 15W, while the i7-10810U has a TDP of 25W. This means the i3-N305 is more power-efficient, which is beneficial for battery life and thermal management in thin laptops.

Q: Which processor supports faster memory?

A: The i3-N305 supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a single-channel bus and a bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. The i7-10810U supports DDR3 and DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, though no specific bandwidth figure is provided.

Q: Is the i7-10810U still in production?

A: No, the i7-10810U is marked as end-of-life, while the i3-N305 is listed as active production. This means the i3-N305 is the more current and available option.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures. The Intel Core i3-N305 uses the Gracemont architecture (codename Gracemont) on a 10 nm process, part of the Alder Lake-N generation. It features 8 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 100 MHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 96 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per module, and 6 MB of shared L3. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory via a single-channel bus with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, and it has 9 PCIe Gen 3 lanes (CPU only). The integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 770.

The Intel Core i7-10810U, in contrast, uses the older Comet Lake architecture (codename Comet Lake-U) on a 14 nm process, part of the Core 10th Gen series. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its cache is structured differently: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and a larger 12 MB shared L3. It supports DDR3 and DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it features PCIe Gen 3 (no lane count specified). The integrated graphics are simply listed as UHD Graphics.

These architectural differences explain the benchmark results. The i3-N305’s newer 10 nm Gracemont cores are more efficient per clock, which is why it wins in single-threaded tests and shorter multi-threaded workloads. The i7-10810U’s older 14 nm Comet Lake cores, however, benefit from a higher boost clock (4.90 GHz vs 3.80 GHz) and double the L3 cache (12 MB vs 6 MB), enabling it to pull ahead in the sustained multi-threaded R23 test. The i7-10810U also has a dual-channel memory bus, which can reduce memory bottlenecks in data-intensive applications, while the i3-N305’s single-channel bus with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth may be a limiting factor in such scenarios. Both processors lack ECC support and have locked multipliers, but they differ in socket (BGA 1264 for the i3-N305, BGA 1440 for the i7-10810U) and production status (active versus end-of-life).