Intel Core i5-4590S vs Intel Core i5-7300HQ Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clean sweep for the Intel Core i5-4590S across all eight head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The i5-4590S wins every test, though the margins vary considerably from near ties to a substantial gap in Geekbench. The most notable result appears in Geekbench multicore, where the i5-4590S scores 3289 against the i5-7300HQ's 3044, a lead of 8 percent. The single-core Geekbench test shows a similar pattern, with the i5-4590S scoring 1126 versus 1052, a 7 percent advantage. These are the two largest margins in the comparison and indicate a meaningful performance gap in general-purpose computing workloads.

The Cinebench results tell a different story, one of extreme closeness. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i5-4590S scores 437 while the i5-7300HQ scores 434, a difference of just 0.7 percent. The single-core R15 test is a perfect tie at 61 points for both processors, with the database recording a zero percent delta and awarding the win to the i5-4590S based on the tiebreak. Moving to Cinebench R20, the i5-4590S scores 1821 versus 1812, a 0.5 percent margin in multicore, and 257 versus 255 in single-core, a 0.8 percent edge. The Cinebench R23 results continue this pattern: 4338 versus 4316 in multicore (0.5 percent) and 612 versus 609 in single-core (0.5 percent).

What this distribution reveals is that the two processors are essentially equivalent in rendering workloads, which are largely throughput-bound. The i5-4590S holds a consistent but small advantage of roughly half a percent to under one percent across all Cinebench tests. The Geekbench results, however, show a much larger separation. The 8 percent multicore lead and 7 percent single-core lead suggest that the i5-4590S has a more substantial advantage in tasks that stress memory latency, branch prediction, or other architectural characteristics that Geekbench measures more heavily than Cinebench does.

The overall average benchmark score reinforces this picture. The i5-4590S has an average score of 1493 across all recorded benchmarks, while the i5-7300HQ sits at 1448. That is a 45-point gap, or roughly 3 percent in favor of the desktop part. Both processors land in the 38th percentile of all CPUs in the database, meaning they occupy the same tier in the overall performance distribution, but the i5-4590S is consistently the faster of the two.

The nearest rivals for each processor provide additional context. The i5-4590S sits within a tight cluster: the AMD Opteron 6344 is just 0.1 percent behind with an average score of 1492, while the Intel Core i7-3770S is 0.4 percent ahead at 1498, and the Intel Core i3-8100T is also 0.4 percent ahead at 1500. The Intel Core i5-7500T trails by 0.7 percent at 1483. For the i5-7300HQ, the AMD Opteron 6378 matches it exactly at 1447, the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 is 0.2 percent ahead at 1446, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200GE is 0.3 percent ahead at 1444, and the Intel Xeon E3-1515M v5 leads by 0.6 percent at 1456. These clusters show that both chips are firmly in the midrange, surrounded by a mix of older server parts and newer low-power desktop and mobile processors.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher clock speed?

A: The Intel Core i5-4590S has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz. The Intel Core i5-7300HQ has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz. The i5-4590S is higher on both metrics.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The i5-4590S scores 4338 in Cinebench R23 multicore, while the i5-7300HQ scores 4316. The i5-4590S leads by 0.5 percent, which is a very small margin of just 22 points.

Q: Do the two processors have the same cache configuration?

A: Yes. Both chips have 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. There is no difference in any cache level.

Q: What memory types does each processor support?

A: The i5-4590S supports DDR3 memory only. The i5-7300HQ supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory. Both use a dual-channel memory bus.

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The i5-4590S has an average benchmark score of 1493, compared to 1448 for the i5-7300HQ. The i5-4590S is about 3 percent higher on average.

Q: Are both processors in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes. Both the i5-4590S and the i5-7300HQ are recorded at the 38th percentile of all CPUs in the database. Despite different average scores, they occupy the same overall tier.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-4590S wins every recorded benchmark, so the use-case split is straightforward: for any workload represented in the database, the i5-4590S is the faster part. The magnitude of the advantage, however, suggests where the difference matters most. In Geekbench multicore, the 8 percent lead is substantial enough to be noticeable in everyday desktop tasks, productivity software, and general system responsiveness. The 7 percent single-core Geekbench lead similarly points to an advantage in lightly threaded applications, web browsing, and legacy software that relies on one or two threads.

In Cinebench workloads, the i5-4590S advantage shrinks to between 0.5 and 0.8 percent across R15, R20, and R23, in both single-core and multicore tests. For long-running render jobs, video encoding, or any sustained all-core workload, the two chips will finish within a rounding error of each other. The 437 versus 434 R15 multicore score and the 4338 versus 4316 R23 multicore score are effectively ties in real-world terms. A user choosing between these two purely for rendering work would see no meaningful difference.

The i5-7300HQ, despite losing all eight comparisons, has its own strengths that are visible in the specification data rather than the benchmark scores. It is a mobile processor with a 45 W TDP, compared to the 65 W TDP of the i5-4590S. For a laptop or compact system where thermal headroom and power draw are constraints, the i5-7300HQ is the more appropriate choice even though it is slower in every recorded test. Its support for both DDR3 and DDR4 memory gives system designers more flexibility. Its integrated graphics is the Intel HD Graphics 630, a newer generation than the HD 4600 found in the i5-4590S, which matters for systems that rely on the iGPU for video decode or light display output.

The i5-7300HQ also carries a launch MSRP of $250, while the i5-4590S has no recorded launch price in the database. The i5-7300HQ is marked as end-of-life in production status, whereas no production status is recorded for the i5-4590S. For a new build today, the i5-4590S would be the performance pick, but the i5-7300HQ is the only one of the two that fits a mobile form factor.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several specification fields. The i5-4590S has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz. The i5-7300HQ has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz. The i5-4590S is higher by 0.40 GHz at base and 0.10 GHz at boost.

The thermal design power differs by 20 W. The i5-4590S is rated at 65 W, while the i5-7300HQ is rated at 45 W. This reflects the desktop versus mobile market split between the two parts.

The sockets are not interchangeable. The i5-4590S uses Intel Socket 1150, while the i5-7300HQ uses Intel BGA 1440. The BGA socket means the i5-7300HQ is soldered to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded or replaced by the user.

Memory support differs. The i5-4590S supports DDR3 only. The i5-7300HQ supports both DDR3 and DDR4. Both use dual-channel memory buses.

The integrated graphics are different generations. The i5-4590S has the Intel HD 4600, while the i5-7300HQ has the Intel HD Graphics 630.

The market segments differ. The i5-4590S is a desktop processor, while the i5-7300HQ is a mobile processor.

The release dates are separated by roughly two and a half years. The i5-4590S was released on 2014-04-30, and the i5-7300HQ was released on 2017-01-02.

The i5-7300HQ has a part number of SR32S, and its production status is recorded as end-of-life. The i5-4590S has no recorded part number or production status.

The i5-7300HQ has a launch MSRP of $250. The i5-4590S has no recorded launch MSRP.

Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so both are locked for overclocking purposes.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split between these two chips spans several generations and process nodes. The i5-4590S is built on the Haswell architecture, using a 22 nm process node. The i5-7300HQ is built on Kaby Lake, using a 14 nm process node. Both are manufactured by Intel, but the newer Kaby Lake design uses a more advanced lithography.

The transistor counts reflect the process difference. The i5-4590S has 1,400 million transistors on a die size of 177 mm². The i5-7300HQ has no transistor count recorded in the database, but its die size is 126 mm². The smaller die on the newer process is consistent with the move from 22 nm to 14 nm.

The core and thread counts are identical: both have 4 cores and 4 threads. Neither processor supports simultaneous multithreading. Both have the same cache hierarchy: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3.

The generations are labeled differently in the database. The i5-4590S is listed as Core i5 (Haswell), while the i5-7300HQ is listed as Core i5 (Kaby Lake-H). The codename for the i5-4590S is Haswell, and the codename for the i5-7300HQ is Kaby Lake-H.

The PCIe support is broadly similar but not identical. Both are Gen 3, but the i5-7300HQ is recorded as having 16 lanes from the CPU only, while the i5-4590S is simply listed as Gen 3 with no lane count specified. This reflects the mobile part's more constrained PCIe topology.

Neither processor supports ECC memory. Both are locked parts with no unlocked multiplier.

The process node difference is the most consequential architectural distinction. The 14 nm Kaby Lake part achieves its 45 W TDP with lower clock speeds than the 22 nm Haswell part, which runs at a 65 W TDP. Despite the newer architecture and more advanced process, the i5-7300HQ cannot match the i5-4590S in any recorded benchmark. The older but higher-clocked desktop part wins across the board, with the margins ranging from a 0.5 percent edge in Cinebench R23 multicore to an 8 percent edge in Geekbench multicore.

The integrated graphics difference is also architectural. The Intel HD Graphics 630 in the i5-7300HQ is a newer GPU generation than the Intel HD 4600 in the i5-4590S. For workloads that offload to the iGPU, the newer part likely has better feature support, though the database does not include iGPU benchmark scores for either chip.

The memory controller differs in supported types. The i5-7300HQ's ability to use DDR4 alongside DDR3 gives it a path to newer memory technology, though both chips are limited to dual-channel operation. The i5-4590S is confined to DDR3, which was the standard for its Haswell generation.

In summary, the i5-4590S is an older, higher-power desktop processor that wins every benchmark in the comparison, with its largest margins appearing in Geekbench. The i5-7300HQ is a newer, lower-power mobile processor that trades performance for efficiency and form factor flexibility, but its architectural advantages on process node and memory support do not translate into a single benchmark win over its older rival.