i7-10700K vs i3-7120
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | 650 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 14.13 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | no data |
| Power efficiency | no data | 8.94 |
| Architecture codename | Kaby Lake (2016−2019) | Comet Lake (2020) |
| Release date | 17 July 2017 (7 years ago) | 30 April 2020 (4 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $117 | $400 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K 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 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 4 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 5.1 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 8 GT/s | 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 40 | no data |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 3 MB (shared) | 16 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 65 °C | 72 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K 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) | 1 |
| Socket | 1151 | FCLGA1200 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 51 Watt | 125 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | - | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| SIPP | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | - | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® ME |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K 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 i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Dual-channel | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | 45.8 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 630 | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Max video memory | no data | 64 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.2 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | no data | + |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2160@30Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 4096 x 2304@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 4096 x 2304@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 16 |
Pros & cons summary
| Integrated graphics card | 3.10 | 3.09 |
| Recency | 17 July 2017 | 30 April 2020 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 8 |
| Threads | 4 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 51 Watt | 125 Watt |
i3-7120 has 0.3% faster integrated GPU, and 145.1% lower power consumption.
i7-10700K, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, and 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads.
We couldn't decide between Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K. We've got no test results to judge.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-7120 and Core i7-10700K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
