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Intel Core i7-7660U

Intel Core i7-7660U: Outdated but Still Relevant?

Analysis of the 2017 Ultrabook Processor in 2025

Introduction

In 2025, laptops with Intel 7th generation processors (Kaby Lake) seem like relics of the past. However, devices based on the Core i7-7660U can still be found for sale, especially in the budget segment. Should they be considered in the era of 5nm Apple M3 chips and 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 processors? Let's find out who might find this CPU suitable today.

1. Architecture and Process Technology: The Legacy of 14 nm

Cores, Threads, and Frequencies

The Core i7-7660U is a dual-core processor with Hyper-Threading (4 threads) released in 2017. The base frequency is 2.5 GHz, and the turbo mode boosts it to 4.0 GHz for a single core. In comparison, modern budget Intel chips (such as the Core i3-1315U) have 6 cores and frequencies up to 4.5 GHz.

Integrated Graphics

The integrated GPU is Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (64 MB eDRAM). In 2025, this solution is suitable only for basic tasks:

- 4K video (with hardware decoding).

- Light gaming: Minecraft, CS:GO on low settings (30-40 FPS).

- Graphic work: photo editing in Lightroom, but not 3D modeling.

Kaby Lake Features

The architecture is optimized for energy efficiency, but the 14nm process technology is inferior to modern 7nm (AMD) and 5nm (Apple) solutions. Support for DDR4-2400 and PCIe 3.0 limits the speed of SSD and RAM performance.

2. TDP 15W: Energy Consumption and Heating

The processor is designed for ultrabooks with passive or compact active cooling. In idle mode, power consumption drops to 2-3W, thanks to technologies:

- Speed Shift — rapid switching between CPU states.

- C-States — disabling unused core blocks.

However, under load (such as video rendering), the chip can briefly exceed TDP, leading to throttling in thin chassis.

3. Performance: Real-World Tasks in 2025

Office and Multimedia

- Office applications (Word, Excel): Full support, including multitasking with 10+ browser tabs.

- Video conferencing: Zoom/Teams works stably, but background filters may strain the CPU.

- Video editing: In Handbrake, converting a FullHD video will take 2-3 times longer than on an Apple M1.

Gaming

- eSports: Dota 2 — 720p, low settings, 40-50 FPS.

- Indie games: Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight — 60 FPS without issues.

Turbo Boost Mode

The brief "overclocking" up to 4.0 GHz is useful for instant responsiveness (loading heavy websites, launching apps), but under sustained load, the frequency drops to 2.8-3.2 GHz.

4. Use Cases: Who is the i7-7660U Suitable For?

- Students: For studying, writing papers, working with PDFs.

- Office employees: Email, documents, presentations.

- Web surfers: Social media, video streaming (but not 8K).

Who it is not suitable for:

- Gamers (aside from the most casual).

- Designers, programmers, video editors.

5. Battery Life: Up to 8 Hours?

In 2025, laptops with this processor (e.g., Dell XPS 13 9360) with a 60 Wh battery provide:

- 6-8 hours when working with text (brightness at 50%).

- 3-4 hours when watching YouTube (1080p).

Tips for conserving battery:

- Enable "Power Saving" mode in Windows.

- Use low-consumption browsers (Edge instead of Chrome).

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (2017):

- 4 cores / 8 threads, Vega 8.

- Better at multitasking, but runs hotter.

Apple M1 (2020):

- 4-5 times the performance at similar TDP.

- Battery life up to 18 hours.

Intel Core i5-1235U (2023):

- 10 cores, 12 threads, 10nm process.

- Price of comparable laptops: $700-900.

Conclusion: The i7-7660U falls short even against budget CPUs from 2023-2024.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low cost of laptops ($500-700).

- Sufficient for basic tasks.

- Compact and lightweight devices.

Weaknesses:

- Only 2 cores — multitasking is limited.

- No support for Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 4.

- Outdated graphics.

8. Recommendations for Laptop Choice

Device Type: Ultrabook with a screen size of 13-14 inches. Examples of 2025 models:

- Dell Inspiron 13 5370 (price: ~$600): 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Full HD display.

- HP EliteBook 840 G4 (~$650): Rugged body, touchscreen.

What to Pay Attention To:

- Upgradability: Is there a slot for RAM or only soldered memory?

- Display: IPS matrix with a resolution no lower than Full HD.

- Ports: USB-C with charging support.

Advice: Do not purchase such laptops for more than $700 — for that price, you can find models with Ryzen 5 7530U or Core i3-1315U.

9. Final Conclusion: Is it Worth Buying in 2025?

The Core i7-7660U is suitable for those who:

- Are looking for the cheapest new laptop.

- Do not plan to run "heavy" applications.

- Value portability (weight under 1.5 kg).

Key Benefits:

- Low price.

- Proven reliability (2017 platform is well understood).

- Support for Windows 11 (if TPM 2.0 is present).

Alternative: If the budget allows for $800-1000, it is better to choose a laptop with an Apple M1 or AMD Ryzen 5 7530U — they will last longer and will not disappoint in performance.

Conclusion

In 2025, the Intel Core i7-7660U is a niche solution. It is suitable as a backup device or for specific tasks where price matters more than power. However, for most users, modern processors offer a better price-to-performance ratio.

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.

i7-7660U

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.

4.00 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.00 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.

FCBGA1356

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

15 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.

1x4 | 2x2 | 1x2+2x1 and 4x1

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.

32 GB

Memory Channels

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

Bus Speed

4 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

GPU Name

Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 640

Graphics Base Frequency

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

300 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.

1.10 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

32 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

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.

4 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 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 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

1150

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2287

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

908

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1986

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2159

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4100

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon Platinum 8168

1219 +6%

Xeon Gold 6132

1180 +2.6%

Core i7-7660U

1150

Core i7-5750HQ

1109 -3.6%

Xeon D-2899NT

1076 -6.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-1110G4

2771 +21.2%

Core i7-8670

2500 +9.3%

Core i7-7660U

2287

Ryzen 3 2300U

2070 -9.5%

Xeon E5-2420

1884 -17.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Pentium Gold G6400E

941 +3.6%

Core i5-5675R

926 +2%

Core i7-7660U

908

Xeon E3-1270 v2

891 -1.9%

Xeon E5-2622 v3

875 -3.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-3350P

2293 +15.5%

FX-6300

2125 +7%

Core i7-7660U

1986

Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE

1872 -5.7%

FX-6120

1715 -13.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 3 PRO 3200G

2213 +2.5%

Core i7-8665U

2190 +1.4%

Core i7-7660U

2159

Core i5-7440EQ

2131 -1.3%

Xeon E3-1535M v5

2114 -2.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Athlon 240GE

4534 +10.6%

Core i3-6300

4349 +6.1%

Core i7-7660U

4100

Ryzen Embedded R2312

3865 -5.7%

Core i3-6100T

3670 -10.5%