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Intel Core i7-10700T

Intel Core i7-10700T: Energy-Efficient Processor for Compact Systems

Analysis of capabilities, compatibility, and use cases in 2025

Key Specifications: Comet Lake Architecture

The Intel Core i7-10700T processor, released in 2020, remains a relevant solution for tasks where balancing performance and power consumption is crucial.

Architecture and Process Technology:

- Code Name: Comet Lake-S (14 nm). Despite the age of the process technology, Intel has optimized it to reduce the TDP to 35W.

- Cores and Threads: 8 cores, 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.0 GHz, with a maximum Turbo Boost frequency of 4.5 GHz.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 (base frequency 350 MHz, dynamic frequency 1.2 GHz). Suitable for office tasks and 4K video playback.

- Performance: In Geekbench 6 (2025), the single-core score is 1387, while the multi-thread score is 5322. This level is sufficient for handling demanding applications but not for top-tier gaming.

Key Features:

- Support for Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost 2.0.

- Intel vPro and Hardware Shield technologies for corporate security.

- Energy efficiency: ideal for mini-PCs and systems with passive cooling.

Compatible Motherboards: LGA 1200 Socket

The processor uses the LGA 1200 socket, limiting the choice of motherboards to models from 2020–2021. By 2025, new boards will no longer be produced, but existing options remain available:

- Chipsets:

- H410/B460: Budget boards (e.g., ASUS Prime H410M-K, $70–$90). No support for RAM overclocking above 2666 MHz.

- H470/Z490: Boards with enhanced capabilities (e.g., MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk, $150–$180). Z490 supports memory overclocking, but the i7-10700T itself does not have an unlocked multiplier.

Selection Tips:

- For office builds, H410/B460 is sufficient.

- If support for PCIe 3.0 x16 and multiple M.2 SSDs is needed, opt for H470/Z490.

Supported Memory: DDR4 with Limitations

The i7-10700T works only with DDR4:

- Maximum Frequency: 2933 MHz (when using Z490 chipsets). On H410/B460 — up to 2666 MHz.

- Capacity: Up to 128 GB (4 slots).

Recommendations:

- For multitasking (virtualization, rendering) — 32–64 GB.

- For office/media — 16–32 GB.

Example: Kingston Fury DDR4-3200 32 GB (16x2) kit — $85 (2025).

Important: DDR5 and LPDDR4x are not supported.

Power Supply: Minimum 300W

With a TDP of 35W, the processor does not require a powerful PSU, but it's essential to consider other components:

- Integrated Graphics: A 300W PSU is sufficient (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 300W, $50).

- With a discrete graphics card: For RTX 3050 or RX 6600 — 450–550W (Corsair CX550M — $65).

Advice: Avoid cheap noname PSUs — even low-power systems are sensitive to power quality.

Pros and Cons: Who is it for in 2025?

Pros:

- Low power consumption and heat output.

- High multi-threaded performance.

- Integrated graphics for basic tasks.

Cons:

- Outdated 14 nm process technology (competitors are at 7 nm/5 nm).

- No PCIe 4.0/5.0 — a limitation for next-gen SSDs.

- Does not support DDR5.

Use Cases

1. Office and Multimedia: Streaming 4K video, document work, browsing with dozens of tabs open.

2. Home Server/NAS: Low power consumption + support for ECC memory (with compatible chipsets).

3. Light Gaming: In CS:GO or Dota 2 on medium settings with UHD 630 — 40–60 FPS. With a discrete GPU (GTX 1660) — comfortable Full HD gaming.

4. Work Tasks: Video editing in Premiere Pro, 3D modeling in Blender (though rendering will be slower than with Ryzen 7 5700X).

Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 7 5700G (8/16, 65W, 7 nm):

- Pros: Higher multi-threaded performance (Geekbench 6 Multi ~6500), integrated Vega 8.

- Cons: Price — $220 compared to $180 for the i7-10700T (new OEM supplies).

- Intel Core i5-12400T (12th generation, 10 nm):

- Pros: Newer Alder Lake cores, PCIe 5.0, DDR5.

- Cons: Higher price ($250), harder to find in stock.

Conclusion: The i7-10700T is a budget-friendly choice for ready systems with low TDP.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: Even the stock cooler will suffice, but for silence, choose Noctua NH-L9i ($45).

2. Case: Mini-ITX (e.g., Fractal Design Node 304) for compactness.

3. Storage: Use NVMe SSDs (e.g., Samsung 980 1 TB — $80) to speed up boot times.

4. Networking: Add a Wi-Fi 6 adapter (if not included on the motherboard).

Final Verdict: Who is the i7-10700T Suitable For?

This processor should be chosen if:

- A quiet and economical system is needed (e.g., for an office or media center).

- Multi-threading is required without paying a premium for newer generations.

- The budget is limited, but 8 cores are desired.

Target Audience:

- Office workers.

- Enthusiasts of compact builds.

- Home server owners.

In 2025, the i7-10700T remains a workhorse for niche tasks, not a top-tier solution. However, its price ($180–$200 for a new OEM version) makes it an attractive option for the secondary market and low-budget projects.

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.

i7-10700T

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

2.00 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.

4.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.40 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.

4.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Yes

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

35 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.

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® UHD 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.

1.20 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.

4096 x 2160@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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

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 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 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

1387

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

5322

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1117

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

5521

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2772

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

16332

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 7 5825C

1489 +7.4%

Core i5-10500H

1435 +3.5%

Core i7-10700T

1387

Core i7-1185G7E

1353 -2.5%

Xeon E-2186M

1310 -5.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-8700

5893 +10.7%

Xeon E5-1650 v4

5553 +4.3%

Core i7-10700T

5322

Xeon W-2125

4939 -7.2%

Ryzen 7 2700E

4640 -12.8%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

EPYC 9754

1170 +4.7%

Xeon W-2255

1141 +2.1%

Core i7-10700T

1117

Xeon Gold 6448H

1098 -1.7%

Core i9-7900X X-series

1074 -3.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E5-1680 v3

6033 +9.3%

Core i3-1220P

5832 +5.6%

Core i7-10700T

5521

Core i5-11500T

5237 -5.1%

Core i7-10850H

4981 -9.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Max 9480

2926 +5.6%

Core i3-10320

2839 +2.4%

Core i7-10700T

2772

Core i7-8700K

2739 -1.2%

EPYC 7643

2695 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-1270PE

17960 +10%

Xeon E-2278G

17023 +4.2%

Core i7-10700T

16332

Core i9-10980HK

15643 -4.2%

Xeon Silver 4210R

15089 -7.6%