Intel Core i5-10300H vs Intel Core i7-7700HQ Comparison

The Intel Core i5-10300H is the outright winner in this comparison, taking 19 of 19 head-to-head benchmarks against the Intel Core i7-7700HQ. The data shows a consistent, generational performance leap for the newer chip across every workload category, with margins ranging from a modest 4.9% to a decisive 19.9%. While both CPUs share the same core and thread counts, the i5-10300H’s higher boost clock and architectural refinements translate into a universal performance advantage, making the i7-7700HQ a difficult recommendation outside of legacy system upgrades.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the benchmark results is the uniformity of the i5-10300H’s victory. There is no single workload where the i7-7700HQ pulls ahead; instead, the newer chip dominates across rendering, synthetic compute, and real-world application tests. The largest single margin comes in PassMark floating point math, where the i5-10300H scores 17076 against the i7-7700HQ’s 13678, a 19.9% advantage. This gap highlights the i5’s superior execution efficiency in mathematical operations, a key indicator for scientific and engineering workloads.

Single-threaded performance tells a similar story. In Geekbench single-core, the i5-10300H scores 1321 versus 1082, an 18.1% lead. Cinebench R23 single-core reinforces this with 981 points against 826, a 15.8% delta. These numbers matter because single-thread speed governs responsiveness in everyday tasks and many legacy applications that cannot leverage multiple cores. The i5-10300H’s boost clock of 4.50 GHz compared to the i7-7700HQ’s 3.80 GHz is the primary driver of this advantage, and the benchmark data confirms the real-world impact.

Multi-threaded workloads show a narrower but still decisive gap. Cinebench R23 multi-core gives the i5-10300H 6950 points versus 5852, a 15.8% margin. Geekbench multi-core shows 4080 against 3601, an 11.7% lead. PassMark multithread follows suit at 8262 versus 6881, a 16.7% difference. The i5-10300H’s advantage here is somewhat surprising given identical core and thread counts, but the data clearly shows that architectural improvements in the Comet Lake generation deliver more work per clock cycle under full load.

The smaller deltas are equally informative. PassMark physics shows the i5-10300H ahead by only 4.9% (514 vs 489), suggesting that this particular workload is less sensitive to clock speed and more dependent on other factors. Similarly, PassMark data encryption shows a 14.6% gap (2770 vs 2366), while data compression shows 17.2% (117306 vs 97136). Even in the closest contest, the i5-10300H maintains a lead, meaning there is no scenario in the provided data where the older i7-7700HQ offers a performance advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Core i5-10300H has a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, while the Intel Core i7-7700HQ tops out at 3.80 GHz. This 0.70 GHz difference is the most significant specification gap between the two processors.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the i7-7700HQ wins?

A: No. According to the head-to-head data, the i5-10300H wins all 19 benchmark comparisons. The i7-7700HQ achieves zero wins across Cinebench, Geekbench, and PassMark tests.

Q: How much faster is the i5-10300H in single-core performance?

A: In Geekbench single-core, the i5-10300H scores 1321 versus 1082, an 18.1% advantage. PassMark single-thread shows a similar 19.4% lead (2537 vs 2045).

Q: Do both CPUs have the same number of cores and threads?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i7-7700HQ and Intel Core i5-10300H feature 4 cores and 8 threads. This makes the performance difference entirely attributable to clock speeds and architectural improvements rather than core count.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each CPU?

A: The i7-7700HQ has an average benchmark score of 9493, while the i5-10300H scores 9243. Despite the i5 winning every head-to-head test, the i7 has a higher average score due to the different benchmark suites included in each processor’s aggregate data.

Q: Which CPU has a larger L3 cache?

A: Both CPUs have the same L3 cache size at 6 MB shared. The L1 and L2 caches are also identical at 64 KB and 256 KB per core, respectively.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Core i5-10300H is the superior processor in every measured benchmark. Anyone choosing between these two for a new purchase should select the i5-10300H without hesitation. It delivers between 4.9% and 19.9% better performance depending on the workload, with the largest gains in single-threaded and floating-point operations. The i7-7700HQ’s only remaining rationale is compatibility with an existing system or a specific motherboard requirement, but even then, the performance penalty is substantial. The i5-10300H’s 4.50 GHz boost clock versus 3.80 GHz is the decisive factor, and the benchmark results confirm that this clock advantage translates into real-world wins across the board. For any task from rendering to everyday productivity, the i5-10300H is the clear choice.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs share a striking number of core specifications, which makes their performance gap all the more notable. Both have 4 cores and 8 threads, both use the Intel BGA 1440 socket, and both have a 45 W TDP. The process node is identical at 14 nm, and the cache hierarchy matches exactly: 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 6 MB shared L3. Memory support is also the same, with DDR3 and DDR4 in dual-channel configuration, and ECC memory is not supported on either.

The critical differences are clock speeds and generation. The i7-7700HQ has a base clock of 2.80 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz, while the i5-10300H starts lower at 2.50 GHz but boosts substantially higher to 4.50 GHz. The i5-10300H also lists a memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, a figure not provided for the i7-7700HQ. The integrated graphics differ as well: the i7-7700HQ uses Intel HD Graphics 630, while the i5-10300H uses UHD Graphics. The i7-7700HQ was released in early 2017 and is end-of-life, whereas the i5-10300H launched in late 2020 and remains active. The i7-7700HQ has a launch MSRP of $378; no launch MSRP is listed for the i5-10300H.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two chips spans three generations of Intel mobile processors. The i7-7700HQ is built on the Kaby Lake architecture, specifically the Kaby Lake-H codename, while the i5-10300H uses the Comet Lake architecture with the Comet Lake-H codename. Both are manufactured on Intel’s 14 nm process, but the Comet Lake design includes refinements that allow for the significantly higher boost clock of 4.50 GHz versus 3.80 GHz.

The die size is another distinguishing factor: the i7-7700HQ measures 126 mm², while the i5-10300H does not have a listed die size in the data. The PCIe configuration differs slightly as well, with the i7-7700HQ specifying Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while the i5-10300H simply lists Gen 3 without a lane count. Both CPUs have the same cache architecture, but the i5-10300H’s higher clock speeds indicate a more mature process implementation or improved binning. The i7-7700HQ’s part number is SR32Q, and the i5-10300H’s is SRH84. Neither CPU has an unlocked multiplier, so overclocking is not an option for either.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark data, the i5-10300H wins in every measured category, so the "where each one wins" split is heavily one-sided. The i5-10300H is the pick for any workload that benefits from higher clock speeds, which includes nearly everything. Its 19.9% lead in floating point math makes it the better choice for scientific simulations, financial modeling, and any number-crunching task. The 18.1% advantage in integer math and 17.2% in data compression point to superior performance in file archiving, database operations, and general computing.

The i5-10300H also dominates in single-threaded scenarios, with an 18.1% lead in Geekbench single-core and a 19.4% lead in PassMark single-thread. This makes it the better option for legacy applications, web browsing responsiveness, and any software that relies on a single fast core. The 15.8% advantage in Cinebench R23 multi-core shows it is equally strong in modern multi-threaded rendering workloads.

The i7-7700HQ has no benchmark wins to claim. Its only potential advantage lies in its higher average benchmark score of 9493 versus 9243, but this is misleading because the average includes different benchmark suites that are not directly comparable. In every direct head-to-head test, the i7-7700HQ loses. The data suggests that the i7-7700HQ should only be considered for users who already own a system with that socket and require a drop-in replacement, but even then, the performance gap is significant. For any new build or upgrade decision, the i5-10300H is the only rational choice based on the available benchmark evidence.