Intel Core i5-1035G1 vs Intel Core i7-7700HQ Comparison

The Intel Core i5-1035G1 and Intel Core i7-7700HQ are both 4-core, 8-thread mobile processors, but they represent very different design philosophies from Intel. The i5-1035G1 is a 10 nm Ice Lake-U part built for efficiency, while the i7-7700HQ is a 14 nm Kaby Lake-H chip designed for higher sustained performance in larger laptops. Despite the i7’s higher base and boost clocks (2.80 GHz vs 1.00 GHz base; 3.80 GHz vs 3.60 GHz boost), the newer i5-1035G1 wins the majority of benchmark comparisons, taking 12 of 17 head-to-head tests. The i7-7700HQ, however, retains clear wins in specific workloads that favor its older architecture. The data shows a closer contest than the generational gap might suggest, with the i5-1035G1’s average benchmark score of 9684 sitting just 2% above the i7-7700HQ’s 9493.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-1035G1 establishes its dominance across nearly all CPU-centric compute tasks, particularly those involving modern instruction sets and floating-point arithmetic. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the i5 scores 6062 against the i7’s 5852, a 3.6% advantage that extends consistently across every Cinebench iteration. The single-core results follow the same pattern, with the i5 leading by 3.5% to 3.8% in R15, R20, and R23. PassMark integer math shows a substantial 20.3% lead for the i5 (26645 vs 22143), and floating-point math favors the i5 by 13.2% (15483 vs 13678). The i5 also excels in encryption workloads, delivering a striking 73% advantage in PassMark data encryption (4094 vs 2366), which likely reflects the newer Sunny Cove architecture’s integrated cryptographic acceleration.

The Intel Core i7-7700HQ, despite being the older design, wins in five specific areas. Its most decisive victory is in PassMark random string sorting, where it scores 12512 versus the i5’s 9782, a 21.8% margin. Data compression also favors the i7 significantly, with a score of 97136 compared to the i5’s 80534, a 17.1% gap. The i7 also takes extended instructions (6218 vs 5524, an 11.2% edge), prime number finding (22 vs 19, a 13.6% lead), and physics simulation (489 vs 423, a 13.5% advantage). These wins suggest the i7’s higher clock speeds and older, simpler pipeline handle certain memory-latency-sensitive or branch-heavy workloads more efficiently.

The Verdict

For general productivity, compilation, and modern multi-threaded applications, the Intel Core i5-1035G1 is the clear choice. Its consistent 3.5% to 3.8% lead across all Cinebench versions indicates a superior IPC (instructions per clock) that translates directly to faster rendering and compute tasks. The 73% encryption advantage makes it particularly suitable for security-conscious users or workloads involving frequent data encoding. The i5’s 7.5% lead in PassMark single-thread performance (2198 vs 2045) further solidifies its position for everyday responsiveness.

The Intel Core i7-7700HQ is preferable only for highly specialized workloads that match its strengths. Users who frequently perform data compression, random string sorting, or physics calculations will see meaningful performance gains, with the i7 leading by 17.1% to 21.8% in these areas. The i7’s 11.2% edge in extended instructions may also matter for legacy software that relies on older SIMD extensions. However, these are narrow use cases, and the i7’s end-of-life production status and 45W TDP (versus the i5’s 15W) make it a less compelling option for new designs. The data indicates that the i5-1035G1 is the better all-around processor, with the i7 winning only in specific, less common workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in this comparison is PassMark data encryption, where the i5-1035G1’s 4094 score crushes the i7-7700HQ’s 2366, a 73% difference. This is the single largest delta in either direction and highlights the architectural leap in cryptographic performance between Kaby Lake and Ice Lake. The i5’s integer math score of 26645 versus 22143 (20.3% ahead) and floating-point math of 15483 versus 13678 (13.2% ahead) further demonstrate the newer core’s computational efficiency. In multi-threaded workloads, the i5’s PassMark multithread score of 7211 edges out the i7’s 6881 by 4.8%, while the single-thread test shows a 7.5% advantage (2198 vs 2045).

The i7-7700HQ’s wins are equally clear-cut. Random string sorting shows the i7 at 12512 versus the i5’s 9782, a 21.8% margin that reflects the i7’s advantage in memory-bound sorting algorithms. Data compression follows at 97136 vs 80534, a 17.1% lead. The i7’s physics score of 489 beats the i5’s 423 by 13.5%, and its prime number finding score of 22 surpasses the i5’s 19 by 13.6%. Extended instructions round out the i7’s wins at 6218 vs 5524, an 11.2% edge. Notably, the i7’s Geekbench scores (3601 multi-core, 1082 single-core) have no direct i5 counterpart in the data, so they do not factor into the head-to-head comparison.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has better multi-core performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-1035G1 wins all multi-core Cinebench tests, with R23 scores of 6062 vs 5852 (3.6% ahead), R20 scores of 2546 vs 2457 (3.6% ahead), and R15 scores of 611 vs 589 (3.7% ahead). The PassMark multithread test also favors the i5 at 7211 vs 6881.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-7700HQ better at any task?

A: Yes, the i7-7700HQ wins data compression (97136 vs 80534, 17.1% ahead), random string sorting (12512 vs 9782, 21.8% ahead), extended instructions (6218 vs 5524, 11.2% ahead), prime number finding (22 vs 19, 13.6% ahead), and physics simulation (489 vs 423, 13.5% ahead).

Q: How do their TDPs compare?

A: The Intel Core i5-1035G1 has a TDP of 15W, while the Intel Core i7-7700HQ has a TDP of 45W. This makes the i5 significantly more power-efficient for thin-and-light laptops.

Q: What are the architectural differences between these CPUs?

A: The i5-1035G1 uses Ice Lake (Sunny Cove-U) on a 10 nm process with a 123 mm² die size, while the i7-7700HQ uses Kaby Lake (Kaby Lake-H) on a 14 nm process with a 126 mm² die size. Both have 4 cores, 8 threads, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache, but the i5 has 80 KB L1 per core versus the i7’s 64 KB.

Q: Which processor has higher clock speeds?

A: The i7-7700HQ has higher base and boost clocks at 2.80 GHz and 3.80 GHz, respectively. The i5-1035G1 has a 1.00 GHz base clock and a 3.60 GHz boost clock.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The i5-1035G1 has an average benchmark score of 9684, which is 2% higher than the i7-7700HQ’s 9493. Both processors sit at the 65th percentile among all CPUs.

Architecture Differences

The two processors diverge significantly in their underlying architecture. The Intel Core i5-1035G1 is built on Ice Lake using the Sunny Cove microarchitecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process with a die size of 123 mm². It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, with 6 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is limited to DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, offering a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The i5 includes UHD Graphics and uses the Intel BGA 1526 socket.

The Intel Core i7-7700HQ uses the Kaby Lake microarchitecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process with a slightly larger die at 126 mm². Its L1 cache is smaller at 64 KB per core, but L2 (256 KB per core) and L3 (6 MB shared) match the i5. The i7 supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode, though no memory bandwidth figure is listed in the data. It uses the Intel BGA 1440 socket and integrates Intel HD Graphics 630. The i7’s PCIe implementation is Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i5 also uses Gen 3 but does not specify lane count. Both processors lack ECC memory support and have locked multipliers, but the i7 is marked as end-of-life while the i5 remains active in production.