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Intel Core i7-6770HQ

Intel Core i7-6770HQ: Architecture, Performance, and Relevance in 2025

Updated: April 2025

The Intel Core i7-6770HQ processor, released in 2016, became one of the symbols of mobile performance during its time. Despite being nearly a decade old, it can still be found on the secondary market and in some niche devices. Let's explore what this chip is capable of today, who might find it useful, and whether it's worth considering in the era of ARM architectures and 3nm process technology.

Architecture and Process Technology: SkyLake in Detail

Four Cores, Eight Threads, and a 14nm Breakthrough

The Core i7-6770HQ is built on the SkyLake microarchitecture (6th generation Intel), which in 2015-2016 was considered a significant leap forward. The chip is manufactured using a 14nm process, which was an advanced solution for the mid-2010s. The CPU configuration includes:

- 4 cores/8 threads with a base frequency of 2.6 GHz and Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz;

- 6 MB of L3 cache;

- Support for DDR4-2133 and LPDDR3-1866 memory.

Integrated Graphics Intel Iris Pro 580 is a key feature of this processor. It is equipped with 72 execution units (EUs) and 128 MB of eDRAM, which increased performance 2-3 times compared to the standard HD Graphics 530. For its time, it was one of the best integrated GPUs (iGPU) capable of competing with entry-level discrete graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce 940M.

Power Consumption and TDP: The Cost of Power

The 45W TDP classifies the i7-6770HQ as a high-performance mobile processor (H series). This means:

- Laptops with this CPU require heavy-duty cooling systems;

- Average power consumption under load reaches 50-55W (including iGPU);

- In idle mode, the chip reduces its frequency to 800 MHz, decreasing power consumption.

Power-saving technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep — dynamic frequency scaling;

- Turbo Boost 2.0 — short-term overclocking to 3.5 GHz for demanding tasks;

- C-States — disabling unused cores.

However, in 2025, these figures appear modest. For instance, the Apple M3 at a TDP of 20W demonstrates twice the performance, while modern Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) with a TDP of 28W is more efficient in multi-threaded tasks.

Performance: Benchmarks in 2025

Office and Multimedia

- Office Tasks (Chrome, Excel, Zoom): The processor handles basic scenarios, but begins to "choke" when multitasking with 20+ tabs and background applications.

- Video Editing: In Premiere Pro, rendering a 1080p video will take 12-15 minutes (compared to 3-4 minutes for the Core i5-1340P).

Gaming

Iris Pro 580 in 2025 is suitable only for casual gamers:

- CS2 (720p, low settings): 40-45 FPS;

- Fortnite (720p, Performance Mode): 35-40 FPS;

- Indie Games (Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley): 60 FPS without issues.

Turbo mode: Under load on 1-2 cores, the frequency increases to 3.5 GHz but, due to heating, sustains this only for 2-3 minutes. In multi-threaded tasks (e.g., rendering), Turbo Boost rarely activates.

Usage Scenarios: Who Needs the i7-6770HQ in 2025?

1. Secondary Market: Laptops with this CPU sell for $150-$300 and are suitable as budget workstations for:

- Office tasks;

- Viewing 4K video (with hardware decoding);

- Light programming (Visual Studio Code, Python).

2. Niche Projects: Some manufacturers use the chip in industrial panels or thin clients due to its stability.

Important! For gaming or 4K editing, it's better to choose more modern solutions, even budget-friendly ones (such as laptops with Ryzen 5 7520U for $500).

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

Laptops with the i7-6770HQ typically came with batteries in the 50-60 Wh range. By 2025, their capacity might have decreased to about 70% of the original. Actual performance:

- Web Surfing: 3-4 hours;

- Video Playback: 4.5-5 hours;

- Under Load: 1-1.5 hours.

Tip: Replace the old battery with a new one (if possible) and use the "Power Saving" mode in Windows.

Comparison with Competitors

2016 Analogues:

- AMD FX-8800P (28nm, 4 cores): Lags in single-core performance (~30%) and energy efficiency.

- Intel Core i7-5700HQ (Haswell): 10-15% slower due to lack of DDR4 support.

Modern Competitors (2025):

- Apple M1: 2-3 times faster with half the TDP;

- Ryzen 5 7520U: 50% higher performance in multitasking;

- Intel Core Ultra 5 134U: Better optimization for AI workloads and battery life.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Powerful integrated graphics for its time;

- Support for 64GB of RAM (relevant for virtualization);

- Reliability and time-tested architecture.

Weaknesses:

- High power consumption;

- No support for PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt 4;

- Outdated instructions (lacks AVX-512).

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

If you still decide to buy a device with the i7-6770HQ, pay attention to:

1. Cooling System: Two fans and copper heat pipes are essential.

2. Display: Full IPS panel with anti-glare coating.

3. Upgrade Potential: Availability of slots for DDR4 and M.2 SSD (SATA or NVMe).

4. Thunderbolt 3 Port: Available in some models (e.g., Dell XPS 15 9550), which expands peripheral connectivity options.

Examples of models in the secondary market:

- Dell Precision 5510 (from $200);

- HP ZBook 15 G3 (from $250);

- MSI GE62 Apache Pro (from $300).

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i7-6770HQ in 2025 is a choice for those who need an inexpensive laptop for basic tasks. Its advantages include:

- Low price on the secondary market;

- Upgrade potential (memory, SSD);

- Stable operation in Linux/Windows 10.

Who is it suitable for:

- Students for studying;

- Office workers;

- Enthusiasts building budget home servers.

Who is it not suitable for:

- Gamers;

- Designers/video editors;

- Users for whom battery life is important.

If your budget allows spending $500-$700, it’s better to opt for a laptop with a 2023-2024 processor — you will get more modern technologies, better battery life, and a manufacturer's warranty.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2016

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i7-6770HQ

Code Name

SkyLake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.60 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1440

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

45 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2133 | LPDDR3-1866 | DDR3L-1600

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

64 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

34.1 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics 580

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

950 MHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096x2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

6 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1157

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3923

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

901

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3608

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1953

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7072

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1265L v3

1223 +5.7%

Xeon Gold 6426Y

1185 +2.4%

Core i7-6770HQ

1157

Core i5-4590

1116 -3.5%

Athlon Gold 3150G

1080 -6.7%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-8569U

4403 +12.2%

Core i7-7920HQ

4152 +5.8%

Core i7-6770HQ

3923

Core i7-6820HK

3690 -5.9%

Core i7-6820HQ

3467 -11.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

EPYC 7662

935 +3.8%

Core i3-8100B

920 +2.1%

Core i7-6770HQ

901

Pentium G4520

885 -1.8%

EPYC 7642

871 -3.3%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E-2134

3930 +8.9%

Core i5-4690K

3770 +4.5%

Core i7-6770HQ

3608

Xeon Bronze 3104

3477 -3.6%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5475U

3360 -6.9%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-4160

2005 +2.7%

Xeon E5-1660 v3

1977 +1.2%

Core i7-6770HQ

1953

Core i5-7300U

1926 -1.4%

Xeon E5-2687W v3

1898 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 2400GE with Radeon Vega 11 Graphics

7581 +7.2%

Xeon E5-1620

7377 +4.3%

Core i7-6770HQ

7072

Core i3-9100

6868 -2.9%

Core i7-1060NG7

6605 -6.6%