Home / Intel Core i7 / Intel Core i7-10700F: Performance and Specs

Intel Core i7-10700F

Intel Core i7-10700F: Review and Practical Guide for Building PCs in 2025

April 2025

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i7-10700F, released in 2020, remains a relevant choice for budget builds thanks to its balance of price and power.

Comet Lake Architecture and 14nm Process

- Codename: Comet Lake-S (desktop version).

- Process Node: 14nm, an outdated but mature technology. Drawback: Higher heat dissipation compared to 7-10nm AMD chips.

- Cores/Threads: 8/16. Hyper-Threading support ensures high multi-threaded performance.

- Frequencies: Base - 2.9 GHz, maximum in turbo mode - 4.8 GHz.

- Cache: L3 - 16 MB (optimal for gaming and multitasking).

- TDP: 65W - low power consumption for an 8-core CPU.

- Graphics: None (the "F" designation indicates the need for a discrete graphics card).

Performance

- Geekbench 6: Single-Core - 1604, Multi-Core - 7220.

- Example: In games (Cyberpunk 2077, 1080p, High), the CPU provides stable 60+ FPS paired with an RTX 3060.

- For rendering in Blender (BMW scene), the execution time is ~8 minutes, similar to the Ryzen 7 3700X.

Key Features

- Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0: Automatic overclocking of two cores to 4.8 GHz.

- Support for Optane Memory: Speeds up HDD operations.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket and Chipsets

- Socket: LGA 1200.

- Chipsets:

- Z490: For enthusiasts (memory overclocking, PCIe 3.0 x16).

- B460/H470: Budget boards with RAM frequency limitation (up to 2933 MHz).

- H410: Minimalist solutions (suitable for office PCs).

Recommended Models (2025)

- ASUS Prime Z490-P ($120-150): Optimal for builds with DDR4-3200.

- MSI B460M Pro-VDH WiFi ($90-110): Budget option with Wi-Fi 5.

- Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Elite ($160-180): For future-proof upgrades.

Important: The i7-10700F has a locked multiplier - overclocking is not possible even on Z490.

3. Supported Memory

- Type: DDR4 (DDR5 not supported).

- Maximum Frequency:

- Up to 2933 MHz on B460/H470 chipsets.

- Up to 4800 MHz (with overclocking) on Z490.

- Recommendations:

- 2x8 GB DDR4-3200 (e.g., Kingston Fury Beast, $50-60 for the kit).

- For work tasks - 32 GB (4x8 GB).

Limitation: In 2025, DDR4 is 30-40% cheaper than DDR5, making builds more economical.

4. Power Supply Recommendations

- Power:

- Minimum: 450W (for systems without a powerful graphics card).

- Optimum: 550-650W (e.g., with RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT).

- Certification: 80 Plus Bronze or higher.

- Examples:

- Corsair CX550M ($65): Reliability and quiet operation.

- EVGA 600 BR ($55): Budget option.

Tip: Don’t skimp on the PSU - unstable power supply reduces the lifespan of components.

5. Pros and Cons of the Processor

Advantages

- High multi-threaded performance for rendering and streaming.

- Low power consumption (65W).

- Compatibility with DDR4 - savings on RAM.

Disadvantages

- No PCIe 4.0 (relevant for SSDs and new GPUs).

- No overclocking capability.

- Outdated 14nm process (heating up to 75°C under load).

6. Use Cases

Gaming

- Full HD/1440p: Ideal for esports titles (CS2, Valorant) and AAA games paired with a GPU like RTX 3060 Ti.

- Example: In Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1440p, Ultra) - 85 FPS.

Work Tasks

- Video editing (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve): 4K video rendering without lag.

- 3D modeling: Support for AutoCAD and SolidWorks.

Multimedia

- Streaming (OBS + gaming) without loss of quality.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

- Price: $220-250 (new, 2025).

- Pros: 7nm process, PCIe 4.0.

- Cons: Lags in single-threaded performance (~1500 in Geekbench 6).

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

- Price: $180-200.

- Pros: Better energy efficiency, higher IPC.

- Cons: 6 cores vs 8 in i7-10700F.

Conclusion: The i7-10700F excels in multi-threaded tasks but falls short in modern technologies (PCIe 4.0).

8. Practical Assembly Tips

- Cooling: The basic cooler is suitable for office use, but for gaming, choose a tower cooler (Deepcool Gammaxx 400, $30).

- Storage: Use NVMe SSD (e.g., Kingston NV1 1TB, $60) to minimize bottlenecks.

- Case: Ensure proper ventilation (at least 2 fans).

Example Build (Gaming PC, $700-800):

- CPU: i7-10700F ($200).

- GPU: RX 6600 XT ($250).

- Motherboard: MSI B460M Pro-VDH ($100).

- RAM: 16 GB DDR4-3200 ($55).

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the i7-10700F For?

This processor is a good choice if:

- Budget is limited, but multi-threaded power is needed.

- Planning to upgrade an old PC on LGA 1200.

- PCIe 4.0 and overclocking are not critical.

Alternatives in 2025:

- For new systems — Intel Core i5-12400F ($180) or AMD Ryzen 5 7600 ($220).

- For maximum performance — Ryzen 7 7700X ($300).

The i7-10700F remains a reliable option for budget-conscious users who value stability and tried-and-true solutions.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2020

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.

i7-10700F

Code Name

Comet 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

2.90 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.

4.80 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.70 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

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom. Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 frequency is the clock frequency of the CPU when running in this mode.

4.80 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Yes

L3 Cache

16 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1200

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

65 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.

DDR4-2933

Max Memory Size

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

128 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).

45.8 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.

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.

16 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 Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

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

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1604

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

7220

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1231

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

6961

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2895

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

16518

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i9-10850K

1737 +8.3%

Core i3-1115G4E

1662 +3.6%

Core i7-10700F

1604

Core i9-10980HK

1550 -3.4%

Xeon W-2295

1492 -7%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

8125 +12.5%

Xeon W-3265M

7681 +6.4%

Core i7-10700F

7220

Ryzen Threadripper 1920X

6854 -5.1%

Ryzen 7 5800HS

6404 -11.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 5 3600X

1314 +6.7%

Ryzen 3 3300X

1272 +3.3%

Core i7-10700F

1231

EPYC 9554

1192 -3.2%

Xeon W-10885M

1162 -5.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G

7732 +11.1%

Xeon E5-2652 v3

7355 +5.7%

Core i7-10700F

6961

Xeon E5-2667

6571 -5.6%

Xeon E5-4620 v3

6196 -11%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 7 5800U

3044 +5.1%

Ryzen 5 5600H

2954 +2%

Core i7-10700F

2895

Core i5-10505

2816 -2.7%

Core i5-9600K

2754 -4.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon Gold 5120T

18127 +9.7%

Core i5-1240P

17287 +4.7%

Core i7-10700F

16518

Ryzen 7 5700U

15856 -4%

Xeon Silver 4116

15187 -8.1%