Intel Core i5-1030G4 vs Intel Core i3-1000G4

Intel Core i5-1030G4

The Intel Core i5-1030G4 is a power efficient quad-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Ice -Lake-Y generation that was announced in Mai 2019 (Computex). It integrates four Sunnycove processor cores (8 threads thanks to HyperThreading) clocked at 0.7 (base) - 3.5 (single core Turbo) GHz. All four cores can turbo up to 3.2 GHz using Turbo Boost. According to Intel the Sunnycove cores achieve 18% more IPCs (Instructions per Clock).

Combined with the two additional cores, the previous Y-series dual core processors (Amber Lake-Y) should be always slower. Short burst performance should be excellent, long workloads will depend on the TDP settings and cooling solution in the laptop / tablet.´

The biggest improvement for Ice-Lake is the integrated Gen 11 graphics card called Iris Plus Graphics. The Core i7-1030G4 integrates the smaller G4 variant with 48 of the 64 CUs clocked at 300 - 1050 MHz.  However, in the Y-series the gaming performance will be again depending on the cooling solution and may degrade clearly over time (compared to the Core i5-1035G4 with 15 - 25 Watt e.g.).

Other improvements for Ice Lake are the AI hardware acceleration and the partial integration of Thunderbolt and Wifi 6 in the chip. The integrated DDR4 memory controller supports modules with up to 3200 MHz (and LPDDDR4 3733).

The Core i5-1030G4 is produced in the new 10nm process at Intel (2nd generation) that should offer a comparable performance to the 7nm process at TSMC. The TDP is specified at 9 Watts and therefore the CPU can be used in thin and light laptops. Intel offers a configurable TDP of up to 12 Watts for the partners resulting in significant performance differences (due to longer periods of Turbo Boost).

Intel Core i3-1000G4

The Intel Core i3-1000G4 is a power efficient dual-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Ice -Lake-U generation that was announced in Mai 2019 (Computex). It integrates two Sunnycove processor cores (4 threads thanks to HyperThreading) clocked at 1.1 (base) - 3.2 GHz (single and dual core Turbo). According to Intel the Sunnycove cores achieve 18% more IPCs (Instructions per Clock) and therefore the CPU performance should be similar to the higher clocked Amber-Lake-Y CPUs like the Core i5-8200Y (1.3 - 3.9 GHz).

The biggest improvement for Ice-Lake is the integrated Gen 11 graphics card called Iris Plus Graphics. The Core i7-1030G4 integrates the smaller G4 variant with 48 of the 64 CUs clocked at 300 - 900 MHz.  However, in the Y-series the gaming performance will be again depending on the cooling solution and may degrade clearly over time (compared to the Core i5-1035G4 with 15 - 25 Watt e.g.). The faster graphics card is also the main difference to the similar named Core i3-1000G1.

Other improvements for Ice Lake are the AI hardware acceleration and the partial integration of Thunderbolt and Wifi 6 in the chip. The integrated DDR4 memory controller supports modules with up to 3200 MHz (and LPDDDR4 3733).

The Core i3-1000G4 is produced in the new 10nm process at Intel that should offer a comparable performance to the 7nm process at TSMC. The TDP is specified at 15 Watts and therefore the CPU can be used in thin and light laptops (but usually with a fan). Intel offers a configurable TDP of 13 - 25 Watts for the partners resulting in a performance differences. With 13 Watt configured, the CPU e.g. is only running at 900 MHz according to ark.intel.com.