Intel Processor N100 vs Intel Core i7-8700

The Intel Core i7-8700 (Coffee Lake S architecture) was developed between 2017 and 2018 for powerful desktop PCs.

The Intel Processor N100 (Alder Lake N architecture) entered the market around 2023 and is designed for energy-efficient, compact systems.

The Intel Core i7-8700 is manufactured using a 14nm process, has 6 cores, 12 threads, 12 MB of L3 cache, and a maximum memory bandwidth of 43 GB/s. It features integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630. The Intel Processor N100 (10nm) offers 4 cores, 4 threads, 6 MB of L3 cache, and a maximum memory bandwidth of 38 GB/s.

Its graphics unit is the Intel UHD Graphics 24 EUs (Alder Lake). Both processors support PCIe 3.0. In performance benchmarks, the Intel Core i7-8700 consistently and significantly outperforms the Intel Processor N100 in single-core and multi-core scenarios, often by more than 10 percent and sometimes by a multiple.

This makes it the better choice for computationally intensive tasks. For gaming, the Intel Core i7-8700 is the clearly superior choice, especially when a dedicated graphics card is used. Its integrated graphics unit is more powerful than that of the N100, although both are only suitable for very light games.

The Intel Processor N100 is not designed for gaming. There are significant differences in power consumption and thermal design power (TDP). The Intel Core i7-8700 typically has a TDP of 65 watts. The Intel Processor N100, with only 6 watts, is extremely energy-efficient, ideal for fanless and compact systems.

The older Intel Core i7-8700 is primarily available on the used market, where it offers good value for money in terms of raw computing power. The newer, affordable Intel Processor N100 impresses with excellent efficiency in new, cost-effective mini-PCs. In summary, the Intel Core i7-8700 offers significantly higher computing power for demanding tasks and gaming.

The Intel Processor N100 is ideal for basic tasks and energy-efficient, compact systems.