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Intel Core i5-7300HQ

Intel Core i5-7300HQ in 2025: Is This Outdated Processor Worth Considering?

April 2025

Even though the Intel Core i5-7300HQ was introduced back in 2017, some new laptops with this processor can still be found for sale at discounted prices (around $400–$600). However, in the era of 3nm chips and neural network accelerators, the relevance of this CPU raises questions. Let’s examine who might still find it useful in 2025 and assess its strengths and weaknesses.

Architecture and Process Technology: What's Inside?

Kaby Lake: Evolution Without Revolution

The Core i5-7300HQ is built on a 14nm process technology (codenamed Kaby Lake). This is Intel’s fourth generation, based on the Skylake architecture but with optimization for energy consumption and frequency.

- 4 Cores / 4 Threads: The absence of Hyper-Threading limits multitasking capabilities.

- Frequencies: Base clock is 2.5 GHz, maximum turbo clock is 3.5 GHz.

- Graphics: Integrated Intel HD 630 GPU with a frequency of up to 1000 MHz. It supports 4K video via HDMI 2.0, but is not suitable for gaming.

A distinguishing feature of Kaby Lake is enhanced video format decoding (HEVC 10-bit, VP9), which is beneficial for streaming video. However, by 2025, this is insufficient for tasks like AV1 or AI upscaling.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

TDP 45W: The Laptop Won't Be Thin

This processor is designed for devices with active cooling—gaming laptops or workstations. In comparison, modern Intel Core i5 13th generation processors (like the i5-1340P) offer 12 threads and higher performance with a TDP of 28W.

- Heat Generation: Under load, temperatures can reach 90–95°C, requiring a quality cooling system.

- Energy Efficiency: Technologies like Speed Shift and SpeedStep dynamically adjust the frequency, reducing consumption during idle periods.

Performance: What Can It Do in 2025?

Geekbench 6: 1081 (Single-Core) / 2936 (Multi-Core)

The results are close to budget contemporary processors like the Intel Core i3-1215U (around 1100/3300), but multitasking performance suffers due to the lack of Hyper-Threading.

Real-World Scenarios:

- Office Tasks: Document work, browsing (10–15 tabs), Zoom— the processor handles it, but may stutter when running several heavy applications simultaneously.

- Multimedia: Editing 1080p video in DaVinci Resolve is feasible, but rendering will take 2–3 times longer compared to a Ryzen 5 5500U. Watching 4K at 60fps works without issues.

- Gaming: Only when paired with discrete graphics (e.g., GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1650). In Fortnite (1080p, low settings)—40–50 FPS; CS2—60–70 FPS. The integrated GPU can only handle older titles like Dota 2 at low settings.

Turbo Boost: Temporary overclocking to 3.5 GHz helps with “spiky” loads (e.g., opening a heavy website), but during prolonged stress (gaming, rendering), frequencies drop to 2.8–3.0 GHz due to overheating.

Usage Scenarios: Who Would Benefit from the i5-7300HQ?

- Students: For studying, writing papers, basic presentation editing.

- Office Workers: Using Excel, 1C, email clients.

- Casual Gamers: Games released up to 2018–2020 (The Witcher 3, GTA V).

- Budget-Conscious Users: New laptops with this CPU are cheaper than equivalents with Ryzen 5 or Core i5 from the 10th generation and beyond.

Not Suitable For:

- 4K video editing, 3D modeling, neural network tasks.

- Streaming or simultaneous operation in virtual machines.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

With a battery capacity of 50 Wh:

- Idle (Web Surfing): 5–6 hours (CPU frequency drops to 1.2–1.5 GHz).

- Load (Gaming): 1.5–2 hours.

Energy-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedShift: Switches the CPU between low-power states faster.

- C-States: Deactivates unused cores.

However, even these technologies can’t compensate for the high TDP—modern processors (like the Apple M2) perform 2–3 times longer in similar scenarios.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (2018):

- Pros: 8 threads, Vega 8 graphics (30% more powerful than HD 630).

- Cons: Lower IPC (Instructions Per Cycle), worse optimization for Windows.

Intel Core i5-8300H (2018):

- 4 cores / 8 threads, turbo up to 4.0 GHz. Multithreaded performance is higher by 40%.

Apple M1 (2020):

- Single-threaded performance on par with i5-7300HQ, multithreaded performance is twice as high. Battery life—up to 15 hours.

Conclusion: In 2025, the i5-7300HQ lags behind even budget newcomers like the Intel Core i3-1315U or AMD Ryzen 3 7420U.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Adequate performance for everyday tasks.

- Support for hardware decoding of 4K video.

- Low cost of devices based on this CPU.

Weaknesses:

- No Hyper-Threading.

- High heat generation.

- Outdated architecture: lacks support for PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, and DDR5.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

If you still decide to buy a device with the i5-7300HQ in 2025:

1. Type of Laptop: Gaming (with discrete graphics) or business class (with a reliable build).

2. Cooling: Minimum of two fans and copper heat pipes.

3. Upgrade: Check for slots for SSD and RAM (16GB DDR4 and NVMe storage recommended).

4. Battery: At least 50 Wh.

Model Examples:

- Dell Inspiron 15 7567 (GTX 1050 Ti, 16GB RAM)—around $600.

- HP Pavilion 15 (GeForce GTX 1650, 512GB SSD)—$550–$700.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-7300HQ in 2025 is a choice for those needing a very cheap laptop for basic tasks. It can handle office work, movie watching, and undemanding gaming, but don’t expect miracles from it.

Who It’s Suitable For:

- Users with a budget of up to $600.

- Those not planning to run modern applications.

Alternatives:

- For $700–800, laptops with Ryzen 5 7530U or Core i5-1235U can offer better performance and battery life.

If your budget is flexible, it’s better to choose a more modern model. But if price is critical, the i5-7300HQ can still serve as a “workhorse.”

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2017

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.

i5-7300HQ

Code Name

Kaby Lake

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

2.50 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.

L3 Cache

6 MB

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.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

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.

DDR4-2400 | LPDDR3-2133 | 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).

37.5 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

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics 630

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.

1.00 GHz

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@30Hz

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

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

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 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 Clear Video Technology

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 InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

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

1081

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2936

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

894

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2799

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1961

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

5098

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i7-5850HQ

1157 +7%

Xeon E5-2698 v4

1117 +3.3%

Core i5-7300HQ

1081

Xeon E5-2640 v3

1038 -4%

Xeon E5-4667 v4

984 -9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 3 4300U

3363 +14.5%

Core i7-4710HQ

3107 +5.8%

Core i5-7300HQ

2936

Core i7-4765T

2665 -9.2%

Ryzen 7 2700U

2430 -17.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 3 PRO 2200G with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics

929 +3.9%

Ryzen Embedded R2544

915 +2.3%

Core i5-7300HQ

894

Xeon E3-1240 v2

879 -1.7%

Core i7-4770T

865 -3.2%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-4860HQ

3094 +10.5%

Xeon E3-1290

2966 +6%

Core i5-7300HQ

2799

FX-8370E

2690 -3.9%

Xeon E3-1225 v2

2559 -8.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E5-2667 v3

2014 +2.7%

Core i7-6820HK

1985 +1.2%

Core i5-7300HQ

1961

Ryzen 3 1200

1939 -1.1%

Xeon E3-1240L v5

1906 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-4690K

5688 +11.6%

FX-8320

5441 +6.7%

Core i5-7300HQ

5098

Core i7-3635QM

4726 -7.3%

Core i5-3450

4493 -11.9%