Microsoft SQ1 vs i3-7100

Place in the ranking	1695	1486
Place by popularity	79	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.90	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Qualcomm Snapdragon
Power efficiency	5.05	0.12
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)	Cortex-A76 / A55 (Kryo 495) (2019)
Release date	3 January 2017 (7 years ago)	2 October 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$117	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)	8 (Octa-Core)
Threads	4	8
Base clock speed	3.9 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	3 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	8 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	39	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256K (per core)	no data
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	2 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	65 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	no data
Socket	FCLGA1151	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	51 Watt	3000 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-

Security technologies

Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	no data
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	no data
Maximum memory size	64 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 630	Qualcomm Adreno 685
Max video memory	64 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i3-7100 2.72

Microsoft SQ1 3.67
+34.9%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i3-7100 4323

Microsoft SQ1 5822
+34.7%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.72	3.67
Recency	3 January 2017	2 October 2019
Physical cores	2	8
Threads	4	8
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	51 Watt	3000 Watt

i3-7100 has 5782.4% lower power consumption.

Microsoft SQ1, on the other hand, has a 34.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, 300% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

The Microsoft SQ1 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-7100 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-7100 is a desktop processor while Microsoft SQ1 is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-7100 and Microsoft SQ1, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.