Intel Core i3-530 vs Intel Core i7-970

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i3-530 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-970
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i7-970

CPU comparison

Intel Core i3-530 or Intel Core i7-970 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i3-530 has 2 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.93 GHz. Up to 16 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i3-530 was released in Q1/2010.

The Intel Core i7-970 has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.46 GHz. The CPU supports up to 24 GB of memory in 3 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-970 was released in Q3/2010.
Intel Core i3 (205) Family Intel Core i7 (298)
Intel Core i3 500 (4) CPU group Intel Core i7 900 (4)
1 Generation 1
Clarkdale Architecture Gulftown
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-530 is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.93 GHz. The Intel Core i7-970 has 6 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.20 GHz (3.46 GHz).

Intel Core i3-530 Characteristic Intel Core i7-970
2 Cores 6
4 Threads 12
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
2.93 GHz Frequency 3.20 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.46 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

Intel Core i3-530 Characteristic Intel Core i7-970
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) GPU no iGPU
0.50 GHz GPU frequency --
0.73 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
5 GPU Generation --
32 nm Technology
2 Max. displays
12 Compute units --
24 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
10.1 DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i3-530 supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-970 can connect up to 24 GB of memory in 3 memory channels.

Intel Core i3-530 Characteristic Intel Core i7-970
DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333 Memory DDR3-1066
16 GB Max. Memory 24 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 3
21.3 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
Yes ECC No
0.50 MB L2 Cache 1.50 MB
4.00 MB L3 Cache 12.00 MB
2.0 PCIe version --
16 PCIe lanes --
8.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Core i3-530 has a TDP of 73 W, that of the Intel Core i7-970 is 130 W.

Intel Core i3-530 Characteristic Intel Core i7-970
73 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 130 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-530 has a 4.50 MB cache, while the Intel Core i7-970 cache has a total of 13.50 MB.

Intel Core i3-530 Characteristic Intel Core i7-970
32 nm Technology 32 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
LGA 1156 Socket LGA 1366
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT
No AES-NI No
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q1/2010 Release date Q3/2010
117 $ Release price 594 $
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Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i3-530 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-970 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.5 stars (2 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i3-530 (75%)
Intel Core i7-970 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i3-530 (30%)
Intel Core i7-970 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
469 (81%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
6C 12T @ 3.46 GHz
582 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
1064 (33%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
3263 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
430 (69%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
6C 12T @ 3.46 GHz
620 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
890 (34%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
2654 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
1478 (23%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
6517 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
657 (30%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
2209 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i3-530
Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) @ 0.73 GHz
35 (100%)
Intel Core i7-970 Intel Core i7-970
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i3-530 Intel Core i7-970
Unknown Unknown

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