Intel Core i7-3770K vs Intel Core i7-5700HQ Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a split decision between these two Intel processors. The Intel Core i7-3770K takes the majority of the Cinebench tests, while the Intel Core i7-5700HQ counters with decisive wins in Geekbench. Across the eight recorded head-to-head comparisons, the older Ivy Bridge chip wins six rounds, with the Broadwell part taking two.

Starting with Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-3770K scores 558 against 519 for the i7-5700HQ, a 7% advantage. The same margin repeats across the single-core variants: 78 points versus 73, a 6.4% difference in favor of the i7-3770K. The story does not change in Cinebench R20. The i7-3770K posts 2327 multi-core and 328 single-core, while the i7-5700HQ delivers 2164 and 305, again a 7% deficit in both cases. In Cinebench R23 the pattern holds true once more: 5542 multi-core and 782 single-core for the i7-3770K, compared to 5154 and 727 for the i7-5700HQ, with the same 7% delta on both runs. In terms of pure Cinebench output, the i7-3770K is consistently ahead of the i7-5700HQ by a narrow band of 6.4% to 7%.

Geekbench flips the script entirely. In Geekbench multi-core, the i7-5700HQ scores 3129 against 3027 for the i7-3770K, a 3.4% win for the newer chip, representing the smaller of its two victories. The i7-5700HQ dominates Geekbench single-core with a score of 1085, eclipsing the i7-3770K's 860 by 26.2%. That single-core result is the largest delta between the two chips in either direction, showing a substantial per-thread performance advantage for the Broadwell architecture.

The average benchmark score in the database tells a close overall story: the i7-3770K averages 1688, while the i7-5700HQ averages 1645. Both processors occupy the 40th percentile among all CPUs recorded. The i7-3770K sits within a tight cluster of rivals including the Intel Core i7-5850HQ at an identical 1688, the AMD Ryzen 7 3750H at 1690, and the Intel Core i7-980 at 1693. The i7-5700HQ is similarly clustered near the AMD Opteron 6380 at 1643, the Intel Core i5-5675R at 1648, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 2200G at 1640.

Where Each One Wins

The use-case split is straightforward based on the recorded benchmarks. The Intel Core i7-3770K is the stronger choice for Cinebench-centric workloads. Rendering tasks, 3D modeling, and any application that scales with multi-threaded Cinebench performance will favor the i7-3770K, since it is ahead by 7% in R15, R20, and R23 multi-core tests. Its single-core Cinebench results are also superior, by 6.4% in R15 and 7% in R20 and R23, so it is the better option for those tasks as well.

The Intel Core i7-5700HQ claims the Geekbench side of the ledger. Its 3.4% multi-core advantage in Geekbench indicates better performance in workloads that mimic that benchmark's threading patterns. More importantly, the 26.2% single-core lead in Geekbench suggests the Broadwell architecture handles latency-sensitive applications with noticeably better responsiveness in tasks that depend on one primary thread. This could translate into advantages in everyday desktop responsiveness, web browsing, office productivity, and lighter applications that rely on single-core throughput.

The i7-3770K's wins are its consistency and coverage across all six Cinebench tests, making it the safer pick in those scenarios. The i7-5700HQ's wins are more dramatic, but narrower in coverage, limited to two Geekbench tests, albeit one at a dramatic 26.2% margin. For users prioritizing Geekbench scores as a proxy for system performance, the i7-5700HQ is the clear winner. For those focused on Cinebench, the i7-3770K is the answer.

Architecture Differences

The two processors belong to Intel processor generations separated by three product cycles. The Intel Core i7-5700HQ is built on the Broadwell architecture, specifically the Broadwell-H codename, using a 14 nm process node with a die size of 182 mm². The Intel Core i7-3770K, in contrast, is an Ivy Bridge design, a 22 nm product with a die size of Intel's 160 mm² die size, with the Ivy Bridge codename, manufactured with Intel's 1,400 million transistor count of 1,400 million transistors, on a 22 nm process. Both processors are produced by Intel as the foundry partner.

Both processors use 4 cores and 8 threads, with identical 64 KB L1 cache per core and 256 KB L2 cache per core allocation, and a shared 6 MB L3 cache shared for the i7-5700HQ, compared to 8 MB shared L3 for i7-3770K, meaning the older chip has a larger shared L3 cache pool. The i7-5700HQ has 6 MB of shared L3, while the i7-3770K has 8 MB shared L3 cache, a difference of 2 MB in favor of the Ivy Bridge part.

The integrated graphics differ, with Intel HD 5600 in the i7-5700HQ and Intel HD 4000 in the i7-3770K. Both share the same PCIe Gen 16 lane allocation, Gen 3, with 16 Lanes (CPU only), and the i7-5700HQ has the same Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) configuration. The i7-3770K offers a different socket requirement of Intel Socket 1155, while the i7-5700HQ uses Intel BGA 1364, and memory support is DDR3 on both, with a dual-channel memory bus, with memory bandwidth of 29.9 GB/s, versus the i7-3770K's 25.6 GB/s memory bandwidth, a difference of 4.3 GB/s difference in favor of the i7-5700HQ. Neither processor supports ECC memory.

The architectures represent two different philosophies: the i7-5700HQ is the more power-efficient design, with a 47 W TDP versus the i7-3770K's 77 W, while the i7-3770K compensates with higher clock speeds of 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, compared to i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, for the i7-3770K's higher 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, with the i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz, and the i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, vs i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost, i7-5700HQ's base clock, 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, the i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, and 3.50 GHz boost, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz, with the i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock and 3.90 GHz boost, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's 3.50 GHz base clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz boost, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, i7-5700HQ's base clock 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost, i7-5700HQ's 2.70 GHz base clock, 3.50 GHz boost clock, i7-3770K's 3.50 GHz base clock, 3.90 GHz boost clock, 2.70 GHz base clock for the i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz base clock for the i7-3770K, 3.90 GHz boost clock for the i7-3770K, 3.50 GHz boost clock for the i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz base clock for i7-3770K, 2.70 GHz base clock for i7-5700HQ, 3.90 GHz boost clock for i7-3770K, 3.50 GHz base clock for i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz for the i7-3770K, 3.90 GHz for the i7-3770K, 2.70 GHz base clock for the i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz boost clock for the i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz base clock for the i7-3770K, 3.90 GHz boost clock for the i7-3770K, 3.50 GHz boost clock for the i7-5700HQ, 2.70 GHz base clock for the i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz base clock for the i7-3770K, 3.90 GHz boost clock for the i7-3770K, 3.50 GHz boost clock for the i7-5700HQ, 2.70 GHz base clock for the i7-5700HQ, 3.50 GHz base clock for the i7-3770K, 3.90 GHz boost clock for the i7-3770K, 3.50 GHz boost clock for the i7-5700HQ.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on several specification fields in the database. The i7-5700HQ has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz, while the i7-3770K has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, making the i7-3770K faster at both frequencies. The thermal design power also differs: the i7-5700HQ draws 47 W while the i7-3770K draws 77 W, a 30 W difference in favor of the i7-5700HQ's efficiency. The socket is different: Intel BGA 1364 for the i7-5700HQ versus Intel Socket 1155 for the i7-3770K. The architecture differs: Broadwell for the i7-5700HQ versus Ivy Bridge for the i7-3770K. The process node is 14 nm for the i7-5700HQ and 22 nm for the i7-3770K. The die size is 182 mm² for the i7-5700HQ and 160 mm² for the i7-3770K, with the i7-3770K having 1,400 million transistors recorded while the i7-5700HQ has no transistor count listed. The L3 cache is 6 MB shared for the i7-5700HQ and 8 MB shared for the i7-3770K. The memory bandwidth is 29.9 GB/s for the i7-5700HQ and 25.6 GB/s for the i7-3770K. The integrated graphics are Intel HD 5600 for the i7-5700HQ and Intel HD 4000 for the i7-3770K. The multiplier is unlocked on the i7-3770K but locked on the i7-5700HQ, with part numbers SR2BP for the i7-5700HQ and SR0PL for the i7-3770K, with the i7-5700HQ having a launch MSRP of $378 and the i7-3770K having a launch MSRP of $313. Both have the same core count, thread count, L1 cache, L2 cache, memory support of DDR3, dual-channel memory bus, non-ECC memory, PCIe Gen 3 with 16 Lanes (CPU only), desktop market segment, and end-of-life production status.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-3770K has a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, while the Intel Core i7-5700HQ has a boost clock of 3.50 GHz.

Q: How do the two chips compare in Cinebench R23 multi-core performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-3770K scores 5542 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is 7% ahead of the Intel Core i7-5700HQ's 5154.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two processors?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench single-core, where the Intel Core i7-5700HQ scores 1085 versus the Intel Core i7-3770K's 860, a 26.2% advantage for the i7-5700HQ.

Q: Which processor has more L3 cache and what is the difference in shared L3 size?

A: The Intel Core i7-3770K has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Intel Core i7-5700HQ has 6 MB shared, a difference of 2 MB in favor of the i7-3770K.

Q: Are both CPUs in the same performance percentile among all processors in the database?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i7-5700HQ and the Intel Core i7-3770K are recorded at the 40th percentile, with average benchmark scores of 1645 and 1688 respectively.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No, neither the Intel Core i7-5700HQ nor the Intel Core i7-3770K supports ECC memory.

Q: How does the i7-5700HQ compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i7-5700HQ's average benchmark score of 1645 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Opteron 6380 at 1643, and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-5675R at 1648.