Intel Core i7-13620H vs Intel Core i7-10870H vs Intel Core i5-13420H

Intel Core i7-13620H

The Intel Core i7-13620H is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops of the Raptor Lake-H series (based on the Alder Lake architecture). It was announced in early 2023 and offers 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 of the 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 2.4 to 4.9 GHz (single-core boost, all-core boost up to 4.7 GHz) on the performance cluster and 1.8 to 3.6 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 24 MB L3 cache. Compared to the older i7-12650H, the 13620H offers higher clock speeds.

Performance

Thanks to the improved clock speeds, the i7-13620H should be able to clearly best the old i7-12650H. Still, the faster i7 models of the 13th gen offer more e-Cores and therefore a clearly better multi-threaded performance.

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-5200 (up from DDR5-4800 of the 12th gen.). 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 now supports PCIe 5.0 x8 for a GPU and two PCIe 4.0 x4 for SSDs.

The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 64 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) clocked at up to 1.5GHz.

Power consumption

The i7-13620H is rated at a TDP of 55W (PL1, 115W PL2) and is manufactured in a further improved 10nm process (Intel 7) that allows the higher clock speeds compared to the 12th gen CPUs.

Intel Core i7-10870H

The Intel Core i7-10870H is a higher-end, octa-core processor of the Comet Lake product family. The Hyper-Threading-enabled processor was unveiled in 2020. It is designed for use in large gaming laptops and DTRs; its CPU cores run at 2.2 GHz (base clock speed) to 5 GHz (max. Boost frequency). The all-core Boost frequency sits at 4.2 GHz.

Core i7-10870H is slightly inferior to Core i7-10875H in that the former has a 100 MHz lower base clock speed, 100 MHz lower Boost clock speed and no support for Intel's proprietary security features: vPro, TXT, SIPP.

Last but not the least, this H-class processor features the 24 EU UHD Graphics 630 iGPU.

Architecture

Comet Lake is a yet another revision of the dated Skylake architecture (much like the previous Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Kaby Lake product families) for similar feature set and performance-per-MHz figures.

Still, 10th Generation Core processors have their advantages. The upgraded memory controller is one such advantage; it can officially host memory clocked at 2,933 MHz, an upgrade over the 2,666 MHz limitation of the outgoing Coffee Lake product family. Intel recommends using no more than 128 GB, for reference.

The 10870H is manufactured on Intel's third-gen 14 nm process. The octa-core CPU is compatible with Thunderbolt 3; it has sixteen PCI-Express 3.0 lanes for connecting discrete graphics cards, SSDs and other devices. Four PCI-Express 3.0 lanes allow for read/write rates of up to 3.9 GB/s provided a suitably fast NVMe SSD is used.

Please note this isn't a user-replaceable CPU. It gets soldered permanently on to the motherboard (BGA1440 socket interface) and is thus pretty much impossible to replace.

Performance

The average 10870H in our database is close to the Ryzen 5 5600H and the Core i9-9980HK, as far as multi-thread banchmark scores are concerned. The i7 thus is absolutely capable of handling any task that requires significant processing muscle, as of late 2021.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 95 W, the MSI GE76 Raider 10UH is among the fastest laptops featuring the 10870H that we know of. It can be about 30% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system built around the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Graphics

The Intel UHD Graphics 630 is an old acquaintance of ours; this 24 EU iGPU was used in many H-class Intel Core processors of previous years, like a Core i7-9750H.

In the case of 10870H, the UHD Graphics runs at 350 MHz to 1,200 MHz. It will let you use up to 3 displays simultaneously. The highest resolution supported here is 4K (4096 by 2304 pixels). This graphics adapter will happily hardware-decode VP9, AVC, HEVC, MPEG-2 and other popular video codecs; the latest AV1 codec did not make the list.

UHD Graphics 630 was not made for gaming; it is not fast enough to handle most triple-A titles of 2019 and 2020, even if you set the resolution to 1024 x 768 and select the lowest quality preset possible.

Power consumption

The i7-10870H has a 45 W TDP (also known as the long-term Power Limit). Laptop makers are allowed to reduce that value somewhat, the lower limit being 35 W, with clock speeds and performance taking a hit as a result. As far as short-term loads are concerned, the CPU will happily consume 70 or even 100 W when Boosting, making quality active cooling solution a must.

This 10th generation Intel chip is manufactured on one of the old 14 nm Intel processes for low, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-13420H

The Intel Core i5-13420H is a mid-range mobile CPU for laptops based on the Raptor Lake-H series (Alder Lake architecture). It was announced in early 2023 and offers 4 of the 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 of the 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 2.1 to 4.6 GHz (single core boost, all core up to 4.5 GHz) on the performance cluster and 1.5 to 3.4 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 12 MB L3 cache. 

Performance

Thanks to the higher clock speeds of the improved Intel 7 process, the Core i5-13420H can surpass the old Core i5-12450H (e.g., + 200 MHz boost).

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-5200 (up from DDR5-4800 of the i5-12500H). 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 now supports PCIe 5.0 x8 for a GPU and two PCIe 4.0 x4 for SSDs.

The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 48 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units).

The CPU is rated at 45 W base power (115 W PL2) but most laptops will use a PL1 of around 60 Watt. The SoC is manufactured in a further improved 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.