Intel Core i3-7020U vs Intel Core i7-7500U

Processor comparisons   20-01-2022
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i3-7020U vs Intel Core i7-7500U tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as VeraCrypt, MATLAB, AIDA64, Furmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, Gears 5, SuperPi, Blender, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, Prime95, 3DMark, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, PCMark 10, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Valorant
Valheim
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rainbow Six Siege
Last Man Standing
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Fortnite
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Borderlands 3
Halo Infinite
Cyberpunk 2077
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Overwatch
Death Stranding
Watch Dogs Legion
DOOM: Eternal
Apex Legends
Fallout 76
Grand Theft Auto V

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-7500U or Intel Core i3-7020U.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i3-7020U

50%

Core i7-7500U

51%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-7500U is 1% better than Core i3-7020U. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-7020U

50%

Core i7-7500U

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	89.5	90.3
Valorant	101.7	102.6
Cyberpunk 2077	56.9	57.4
Apex Legends	95.6	96.4
Call of Duty Warzone	76.2	76.9
Overwatch	82.3	83.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.1	70.8
DOOM Eternal	50.8	51.3
Warzone	79.3	80.0
Assassin's Creed	85.4	86.2
Valheim	84.4	85.1

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-7020U

144%

Core i7-7500U

215%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-7500U is more energy efficient than the Core i3-7020U as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-7020U	Intel Core i7-7500U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	94	149
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	227	376
Cinbench 20 Single-core	258	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	609	739
Cinbench 23 Single-core	434	519
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	1682	2492

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-7020U	Intel Core i7-7500U
Single-Core	1328	1956
Multi-Core	2586	3649

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-7020U	Intel Core i7-7500U
Single-Core	648	971
Multi-Core	1432	2214

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-7020U	Intel Core i7-7500U
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	October 01, 2016
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	FC-BGA1356, FCBGA1356	FCBGA1356
Core name	Kaby Lake	Kaby Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	7
Turbo Frequency		3.5 MHz
Frequency	2.3 MHz	2.7 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1700 millions	1700 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	3 MB	4 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-7500U is 14% better than Core i3-7020U in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-7020U is better: 1
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-7500U is better: 25
However, it should be realized that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i3-7020U and Intel Core i7-7500U before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-7020U - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-7020U specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-7500U specs and review.