Intel Core i3-1210U vs Intel Core i5-1130G7 vs Intel Core i5-1140G7

Intel Core i3-1210U

The Intel Core i3-1210U is a low power mobile CPU for thin and light laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 2 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 8 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 1 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 0.7 to 3.3 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 10 MB L3 cache. 

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 1210U as of August 2023, we fully expect its multi-thread performance to be pretty much identical to that of the i3-1215U. Which is pretty fast for an entry-level chip, as of mid 2023.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200, LPDDR5-5200, and LPDDR4x-4267. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC, and AV1 decode in hardware. The CPU only supports PCIe 4.0 (x8 for a GPU and two x4 for SSDs).

The integrated graphics adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 64 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 0.9 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i3 has a Base power consumption of 9 W, with 29 W being its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption. TDP values that low allow for passively designs as long as performance is not a priority.

The CPU is built with Intel's 3rd generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-1130G7

The Intel Core i5-1130G7 is a power-efficient quad-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Tiger Lake-U generation (UP4) that was introduced in September 2020. It integrates four Willow Cove processor cores (8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading). Each core can clock from 0.8 GHz (base speed at 7 Watt TDP) to 1.8 GHz (base speed at 15 Watt TDP) all the way to 4 GHz (1 core boost for all TDPs). All cores at once can clock at up to 3.4 GHz.

Another novelty is the integrated Xe graphics card based on the completely new Gen 12 architecture. It should offer a significantly higher performance compared to the older Iris Plus G7 (Ice Lake). In the i5-1130G7 it uses 80 of the 96 EUs and clocks between 400 - 1100 MHz. The GPU and CPU can together use the 8 MB of L3 cache.

Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (four lanes), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6 in the chip.

Performance

The average 1130G7 in our database is very close to the N95 and also the Core i5-1140G7, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is a so-so result, as of early 2023.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are, and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Power consumption

This Core i5 has a default TDP of 7 W to 15 W, the expectation being that laptop manufacturers will go for a higher value in exchange for higher performance. These values are fairly low, meaning at least a few passively cooled designs are to be expected.

The CPU is built with Intel's 3rd generation 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for decent, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-1140G7

The Intel Core i5-1140G7 is a power-efficient quad-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Tiger Lake-U generation (UP4) that was introduced in early 2021. It integrates four Willow Cove processor cores (8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading). The guaranteed base clock speed depends on the TDP setting and can range from 0.8 (7 W TDP) to 1.8 GHz (15 W TDP). The Turbo clock speed is specified at 4.2 GHz for one core, all cores can reach up to 3.5 GHz.

Another novelty is the integrated Xe graphics card with 80EUs based on the completely new Gen 12 architecture. It offers a significantly higher performance compared to the older Iris Plus G7 (Ice Lake). In the i5-1140G7 it uses 80 of the 96 EUs and clocks between 400 - 1100 MHz. The GPU and CPU can together use the 8 MB of L3 cache.

Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (four lanes), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6 in the chip. The i5-1140G7 also supports the management feature vPro.

Performance

The average 1140G7 in our database is in the same league as the N95 and also the Pentium 7505, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is a pretty poor result, as of early 2023.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are, and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Power consumption

This Core i5 has a default TDP of 7 W to 15 W, the expectation being that laptop manufacturers will go for a higher value in exchange for higher performance. Those values are rather low, meaning at least a few passively cooled designs are to be expected.

Core i5-1140G7 is manufactured on Intel's 2nd generation 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for decent, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.