Intel Core i5-1030NG7 vs Intel Core i5-6500T Comparison

The Intel Core i5-1030NG7 and the Intel Core i5-6500T sit in the same statistical neighborhood in the database, with average benchmark scores of 1376 and 1362 respectively, yet the recorded data shows the mobile Ice Lake part winning every single head-to-head test by a strikingly consistent margin of roughly 17 percent. This comparison unpacks why two chips from different eras, segments, and power envelopes land so close on paper while diverging sharply in the results that matter.

Architecture Differences

The Core i5-1030NG7 is built on Intel's 10 nm process and uses the Ice Lake architecture with the Ice Lake-Y codename, pairing Sunny Cove-era core design with a very low 10 W TDP aimed at thin mobile systems. The Core i5-6500T is a 14 nm Skylake desktop chip with a 35 W TDP, soldered into the Socket 1151 platform rather than the BGA 1044 package of its mobile rival.

Both CPUs have four cores and 6 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 256 KB of L2 cache per core. The threading story is the key structural difference: the i5-1030NG7 supports eight threads through SMT, while the i5-6500T is limited to its four physical cores with no hyper-threading. Per-core L1 cache also differs, at 80 KB per core on the Ice Lake part versus 64 KB per core on Skylake.

Clock behavior contrasts sharply. The i5-6500T runs a higher 2.50 GHz base clock with a 3.10 GHz boost, while the i5-1030NG7 starts at 1100 MHz but boosts to 3.50 GHz, the higher peak of the two. Memory support also splits them: the mobile chip accepts DDR4 only but delivers 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth over its dual-channel bus, whereas the desktop part supports both DDR3 and DDR4 at a lower 34.1 GB/s. Both offer PCIe Gen 3, with the 6500T listed at 16 CPU lanes.

Integrated graphics differ substantially. The i5-1030NG7 carries Iris Plus graphics with 64 execution units, while the i5-6500T uses HD Graphics 530, an older and smaller configuration. Neither chip supports ECC memory or an unlocked multiplier, and both are end-of-life products, released in March 2020 and July 2015 respectively.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data shows a clean sweep: the Core i5-1030NG7 wins all six head-to-head benchmarks, six wins to zero. It leads in every Cinebench generation tested, in both single-core and multi-core modes, with deltas clustered tightly between 17.1 and 17.5 percent. The i5-6500T records no category wins anywhere in the dataset.

Single-core results are arguably the most notable. Despite its lower base clock and 10 W envelope, the Ice Lake chip's 3.50 GHz boost and newer Sunny Cove core design deliver 67 versus 57 in Cinebench R15 single-core and 671 versus 572 in R23 single-core. In multi-core, the extra four threads pay off clearly, with the i5-1030NG7 scoring 4759 in R23 against 4054.

The i5-6500T's case rests on platform rather than performance. Its Socket 1151 design makes it a socketed desktop part, and it does hold Geekbench entries in the database, scoring 2843 multi-core and 1016 single-core, though no comparable Geekbench results exist for the 1030NG7 to enable a direct comparison there. For workloads matching its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-8365UE at an identical 1362 average or the Xeon E3-1226 v3 at 1357, it performs in line with expectations for its class.

Both chips sit at the 36th percentile against all CPUs in the database, confirming they occupy the same overall performance tier even though the head-to-head data favors the newer design decisively.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall? A: The Core i5-1030NG7. It wins all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, with margins between 17.1 and 17.5 percent in every case.

Q: How much faster is the i5-1030NG7 in multi-core rendering? A: It scores 4759 in Cinebench R23 multi-core versus 4054 for the i5-6500T, a 17.4 percent advantage, and similar margins hold in R15 and R20.

Q: Does hyper-threading matter here? A: Yes. The i5-1030NG7 runs 8 threads on 4 cores, while the i5-6500T runs only 4 threads on 4 cores, contributing to the mobile chip's multi-core lead.

Q: Which chip has better integrated graphics? A: The i5-1030NG7, which pairs Iris Plus graphics with 64 execution units against the HD Graphics 530 in the i5-6500T.

Q: Do they support the same memory? A: No. The i5-1030NG7 supports DDR4 only with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, while the i5-6500T supports DDR3 and DDR4 at 34.1 GB/s.

Q: Are these CPUs still in production? A: No, both are listed as end-of-life in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Cinebench R15 sets the tone. In multi-core, the i5-1030NG7 posts 479 against 408, a 17.4 percent win, and single-core follows at 67 versus 57, a 17.5 percent gap that is the largest in the entire dataset.

Cinebench R20 repeats the pattern. Multi-core lands at 1998 versus 1702, another 17.4 percent advantage for the Ice Lake chip, and single-core comes in at 281 versus 240, a 17.1 percent lead, the smallest margin recorded between them.

Cinebench R23, the most modern test in the set, confirms the trend at larger scale. The i5-1030NG7 delivers 4759 in multi-core against 4054, 17.4 percent ahead, and 671 versus 572 in single-core, 17.3 percent ahead.

The consistency is the story. Across three Cinebench generations and two load types, every delta sits within a fraction of a point of 17 percent, indicating a structural performance gap from architecture and threading rather than test-specific quirks. The i5-6500T's only recorded additional results, Geekbench scores of 2843 multi-core and 1016 single-core, lack a directly comparable entry for the 1030NG7 in the database.

Specification Differences

| Field | Core i5-1030NG7 | Core i5-6500T |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Ice Lake (Ice Lake-Y) | Skylake |

| Process node | 10 nm | 14 nm |

| Threads | 8 | 4 |

| Base clock | 1100 MHz | 2.50 GHz |

| Boost clock | 3.50 GHz | 3.10 GHz |

| TDP | 10 W | 35 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1044 | Intel Socket 1151 |

| L1 cache | 80 KB per core | 64 KB per core |

| Memory support | DDR4 | DDR3, DDR4 |

| Memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 34.1 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 3 | Gen 3, 16 lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated graphics | Iris Plus (64EU) | HD Graphics 530 |

| Market segment | Mobile | Desktop |

| Release date | 2020 | 2015 |

| Part number | SRGM7 | SR2L8 |

Core counts (4), L2 cache (256 KB per core), L3 cache (6 MB shared), dual-channel memory buses, lack of ECC, locked multipliers, and end-of-life status are identical on both parts. The i5-1030NG7's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 2300U and Intel Core i7-3740QM, all within 0.2 percent of its average score, while the i5-6500T tracks with the Intel Core i5-8365UE and Xeon D-1521 within 0.4 percent, underlining how evenly matched the two chips are on aggregate even as the head-to-head data favors the newer Ice Lake design in every measured test.