Intel Core i5-7300HQ vs Intel Core i5-7500T Comparison

The Intel Core i5-7500T and Intel Core i5-7300HQ are two sides of the same Kaby Lake coin, and the recorded data renders a clean, one-sided verdict: the desktop i5-7500T wins every single benchmark in the database, sweeping all eight head-to-head tests against the mobile i5-7300HQ. The margins are modest, hovering around 3% in Cinebench and 2.5% in Geekbench single-core, which means the practical question between these two chips is not raw speed but platform: a socketed desktop part or a soldered mobile part. Both sit at the 38th percentile of all CPUs in the database, so neither is a performance outlier; they are mainstream quad-cores separated by packaging, power targets, and a handful of small but consistent wins.

The Verdict

Choose the Intel Core i5-7500T if the priority is maximum measured performance in this pairing. The data shows it ahead in every test: Cinebench R23 multi-core at 4454 versus 4316, Geekbench single-core at 1078 versus 1052, and Cinebench R15 multi-core at 448 versus 434. The average benchmark score lands at 1483 for the 7500T against 1448 for the 7300HQ, a gap of roughly 2% overall. That is a real but small edge, consistent across every workload in the record.

Choose the Intel Core i5-7300HQ only if the target system is a laptop, since it is a Mobile-segment chip on the Intel BGA 1440 package, soldered and not user-replaceable, whereas the 7500T is a Desktop part on Intel Socket 1151. Note that the 7300HQ is End-of-life, while the 7500T is still listed as Active in production status. Buyers deciding between a desktop and a notebook built on these chips should expect near-identical performance, with the desktop part slightly ahead in all eight recorded tests.

Where Each One Wins

Strictly on benchmark results, the i5-7500T wins everywhere. It takes all eight head-to-head comparisons: Cinebench R15 multi-core (448 to 434, 3.2% ahead), Cinebench R15 single-core (63 to 61, 3.3%), Cinebench R20 multi-core (1870 to 1812, 3.2%), Cinebench R20 single-core (263 to 255, 3.1%), Cinebench R23 multi-core (4454 to 4316, 3.2%), Cinebench R23 single-core (628 to 609, 3.1%), Geekbench multi-core (3062 to 3044, 0.6%), and Geekbench single-core (1078 to 1052, 2.5%).

The i5-7300HQ's only advantages in the database are not performance wins at all. It supports DDR3 as well as DDR4 memory, whereas the 7500T is DDR4 only, and it carries a higher listed boost clock of 3.50 versus 3.30, though that ceiling does not translate into any recorded benchmark victory. Its die size is documented at 126 mm²; the 7500T has no die size recorded. In short, the 7300HQ wins on paper flexibility, the 7500T wins on every measured score.

Architecture Differences

There is very little architectural daylight between these two. Both are Intel Kaby Lake designs on a 14 nm process from Intel's own foundry, both carry 4 cores and 4 threads with no hyper-threading-style extras in the record, and both use identical cache hierarchies: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3. Both support dual-channel memory, lack ECC support, provide PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes, ship with Intel HD Graphics 630 integrated graphics, and have locked multipliers. Both were released on the same date, 2017-01-02.

The differences are in positioning. The 7500T is codenamed Kaby Lake for the desktop market with a 35 W TDP, a 2.70 base clock and 3.30 boost, and Intel Socket 1151. The 7300HQ is codenamed Kaby Lake-H for the mobile market with a 45 W TDP, a 2.50 base clock and 3.50 boost, on the BGA 1440 package. Interestingly, the mobile part's higher power budget buys it a higher peak boost figure, yet the desktop part still outperforms it in every recorded test, suggesting the 7500T holds its clocks more effectively under sustained load. On paper, the 7500T also has a recorded memory bandwidth figure of 38.4 GB/s; no comparable number is recorded for the 7300HQ.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The Intel Core i5-7500T. It wins all eight head-to-head benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 1483 versus 1448 for the i5-7300HQ, and margins of roughly 3% in Cinebench and up to 3.3% in single-core tests.

Q: Do they have the same core and cache configuration?

A: Yes. Both are 4-core, 4-thread Kaby Lake parts with 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 6 MB shared L3 cache, built on Intel's 14 nm process.

Q: Which one is still in production?

A: The i5-7500T is listed as Active. The i5-7300HQ is listed as End-of-life.

Q: Which chip has the higher boost clock?

A: The i5-7300HQ, with a boost clock of 3.50 versus 3.30 for the i5-7500T. Despite that, it loses every recorded benchmark to the 7500T.

Q: Can either chip be overclocked?

A: No. Both have locked multipliers, so neither supports multiplier-based overclocking.

Q: How do they compare against other CPUs in the database?

A: Both sit in the 38th percentile of all CPUs. The 7500T's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-5575R (0.4% delta), the AMD Opteron 6344 (-0.6%), the Intel Core i5-4590S (-0.6%), and the Intel Core i7-4710HQ (0.7%). The 7300HQ's rivals include the AMD Opteron 6378 (0% delta), the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5 (0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 3 2200GE (0.3%), and the Intel Xeon E3-1515M v5 (-0.6%).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sweep is total, but the shape of the wins is worth reading closely.

Cinebench R15: the 7500T posts 448 multi-core to the 7300HQ's 434, a 3.2% win, and 63 single-core to 61, a 3.3% win. That single-core edge matters most for everyday responsiveness, since lightly threaded applications are where both of these 4-thread parts spend most of their time.

Cinebench R20: the pattern repeats with the 7500T at 1870 multi-core versus 1812, again 3.2%, and 263 single-core versus 255, a 3.1% gap. The consistency of the multi-core margin across R15, R20, and R23 indicates a genuine sustained-throughput advantage rather than a single-test anomaly.

Cinebench R23: the 7500T scores 4454 multi-core to 4316 (3.2%) and 628 single-core to 609 (3.1%). R23's longer runtime makes it the best sustained-load indicator in the set, and the desktop part's lead holds firm there.

Geekbench: multi-core is nearly a tie, 3062 to 3044, just 0.6% in favor of the 7500T, while single-core is 1078 to 1052, a 2.5% gap. The narrow multi-core margin here contrasts with the steady 3.2% spread in Cinebench, suggesting the two chips behave most similarly in short, bursty workloads.

For context against the wider database, the 7500T's average of 1483 sits within a fraction of a percent of chips like the Intel Core i5-5575R and Intel Core i7-4710HQ, while the 7300HQ's 1448 puts it essentially level with the AMD Opteron 6378 and the Intel Xeon E3-1505L v5. Neither chip pulls away from its own neighborhood; they simply occupy adjacent positions in the same performance band, with the 7500T consistently on the higher rung.

Specification Differences

• Market segment: 7500T is Desktop; 7300HQ is Mobile
• Socket/package: Intel Socket 1151 versus Intel BGA 1440 (soldered)
• Codename: Kaby Lake versus Kaby Lake-H
• Base clock: 2.70 versus 2.50 (7500T higher)
• Boost clock: 3.30 versus 3.50 (7300HQ higher)
• TDP: 35 W versus 45 W (7500T lower)
• Memory support: DDR4 only versus DDR3 and DDR4
• Memory bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s recorded for the 7500T; none recorded for the 7300HQ
• Die size: 126 mm² recorded for the 7300HQ; none recorded for the 7500T
• Production status: Active versus End-of-life
• Part number: SR337 versus SR32S
• Launch MSRP: recorded only for the 7300HQ, at $250

Every other recorded field, including the shared Intel HD Graphics 630 integrated GPU, PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes, dual-channel memory bus, lack of ECC, and locked multiplier, is identical between the two chips.