Intel Core i5-12500H vs Intel Core i7-10710U vs Intel Core i5-10310U

Intel Core i5-12500H

The Intel Core i5-12500H is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 4 of the 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and all 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 16 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2.5 to 4.5 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.8 to 3.3 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compared to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 18 MB L3 cache. Compared to the 12600H, the 12500H offers base clock for both clusters, a slower clocked iGPU and only "Essentials" vPro support.

Performance

The average 12500H in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 9 6900HS, Ryzen 9 6900HX, Core i7-12650H and also the Core i9-11900H, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. For something that's supposedly a mid-range chip, this kind of performance is just outrageously good, as of Q3 2023.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 80 W, the Gigabyte G7 KE is among the fastest laptops built around the 12500H that we know of. It can be more than 40% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Architecture

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 card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 80 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.3 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i5 has a "minimum assured" power consumption of 35 W. Its Base power consumption sits at 45 W and its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption isn't supposed to exceed 95 W. A high-performance cooling solution is a must for a CPU like this one here.

Last but not he least, Intel Core i5-12500H is manufactured on Intel's fourth-generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i7-10710U

The Intel Core i7-10710U is a power efficient hexa-core SoC for notebooks based on the Comet Lake (CML-U) generation and was announced in August 2019. Compared to the similar Whiskey Lake processors (e.g. Core i5-8665U), the only difference is support for higher memory speeds (DDR4-2666 vs 2400) and two additional cores in the top model. The processor cores are clocked between 1.1 and 4.7 GHz (all 6 cores 3.9 GHz max). Thanks to HyperThreading 12 threads can be used. More information on Comet Lake and all the models and articles on it can be found here.

Thanks to the two additional cores and the high clock rates, the processor performance of the i7-10710U is very good for its class. It should outperform the top Whiskey Lake and also Ice Lake processors if the cooling and TDP settings are not limiting.

The integrated graphics card however is still the same as in the previous generations. It should be still called Intel HD Graphics 620 and clock from 300 - 1150 MHz in the i7. Furthermore, the SoC integrates a VP9 and H.265 de- and encoder and an integrated dual channel DDR4-2666 / LPDDR4x 2933 / LPDDR3-2133 memory controller.

The chip is still produced on the 14nm++ process as Whiskey Lake. The TDP (PL1) is specified at 15 Watts but can be varied from 12.5 to 25 Watt from the manufacturer (cTDP up/down) resulting in different performance (especially Turbo durations). To provide the full performance, Intel proposes a short power peak of 90 W (PL4) for the i7 and therefore 8 W more than the quad-core CML-U CPUs and a whopping 19 W more than Whiskey Lake. Therefore, some slim laptops with 15W CML-U CPUs wont offer the i7 as they cant provide enough power and cooling to get full performance out of the 6 cores.

Intel Core i5-10310U

The Intel Core i5-10310U is a power efficient quad-core SoC for notebooks based on the Comet Lake (CML-U) generation and was announced in August 2019. Compared to the similar Whiskey Lake processors (e.g. Core i5-8665U), the only difference is support for higher memory speeds (DDR4-2666 vs 2400) and two additional cores in the top model (not in this i5). The processor cores are clocked between 1.7 and 4.4 GHz (unverified). Thanks to HyperThreading 8 threads can be used. Compared to the faster i5-10510U, the level 3 cache was reduced from 8 to 6 MB. More information on Comet Lake and all the models and articles on it can be found here. The CPU supports the professional management features under the vPro umbrella.

The integrated graphics adapter however is still the same as in the previous generations. It should be still called Intel HD Graphics 620 and clock from 300 - 1100 MHz in the i5. Furthermore, the SoC integrates a VP9 and H.265 de- and encoder and an integrated dual channel DDR4-2666 / LPDDR4x 2933 / LPDDR3-2133 memory controller.

Performance

The average 10310U in our database is not really any different than other quad-core laptop CPUs running at similar clock speeds, such as the Ryzen 5 3450U or the Core i5-1035G4.

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 (also known as the long-term power limit) of 15 W, a value that laptop manufacturers are free to change to anything between 10 W and 25 W with clock speeds and performance changing correspondingly. Perhaps more importantly, short-term power consumption can be as high as 80 W or even 90 W as far as 10th gen Comet Lake U chips are concerned, making passively cooled designs unlikely.

This Intel processor is manufactured on a fairly old, as of late 2022, 14 nm Intel process for subpar energy efficiency.