Alleged Benchmarks for Intel's Unannounced Core i3-N300 / N305 CPUs Appear

The first benchmark results of Intel's yet unannounced eight-core Core i3-N300-series processors have been posted online. The eight-core processors appear to be slower than Intel's quad-core Core i3-12100 and six-core Core i3-1210U in Bapco's CrossMark as well as Primate Labs's Geekbench 5, which may suggest that we could be dealing with Intel's anticipated Alder Lake-N CPUs that only feature Atom-class energy-efficient cores. As ever with leaks, treat the news with a pinch of salt until it can be verified.

Intel's Core i3-N300-Series

Intel yet has to formally introduce its Core i3-N300-series processors for notebooks. It seems as though their results in Bapco's CrossMark and Primate Labs's Geekbench 5 benchmark suites have already been published by someone either accidentally or by design. Based on entries in Bapco's database (via @Benchleaks), Intel's Core i3-N300 and Core i3-N305 processors feature eight physical cores and eight logical cores (i.e., they do not support simultaneous multithreading) as well as Intel's built-in graphics. The Core i3-N305 has a base frequency of 1.80 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.78 GHz, according to the Geekbench 5 database. 

The Core i3-N300-powered system was equipped with 8GB of memory as well as an SCY 512GB NVMe SSD, whereas the Core i3-N305-based machine came with 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory as well as an SCY 512GB NVMe drive. In both cases systems reported about one memory channel, which is consistent with rumors about Alder Lake-N having only one memory channel.

CrossMark Performance

Benchmark results of Intel's eight Core i3-N300 and Core i3-N305 processors do not look overly impressive when compared to Intel's quad-core Core i3-12100 (4P cores, eight threads) and six-core Core i3-1210U (2P + 4E cores, eight threads). Intel's currently available parts are better for Productivity and Creativity workloads emulated by CrossMark as well as offer better responsiveness. It is noteworthy that the Core i3-N300 is significantly behind the Core i3-N305 despite similar number of cores. Perhaps, the former runs at tangibly lower clocks than the latter, or maybe a misconfiguration on the pre-production system used to run the tests.

Geekbench 5 Performance

Performance of Intel's eight-core Core i3-N305 processor in Geekbench 5 is not too impressive either as it again falls behind Intel's six-core Core i3-1210U as well as quad-core Core i3-12100. The Core i3-N305 run at around 3.78 GHz most of the time (its maximum supported clock speed), so it was clearly not constrained by frequency or thermals. Nonetheless, keep in mind that we are dealing with pre-production hardware, so take these results with a grain of salt anyway.

Since Intel has not formally announced either Core i3-N300-series or its codenamed Alder Lake-N processors, we cannot say that the former CPUs are based on the ADL-N silicon with 100% probability. While Intel could have rolled-out two eight-core Core i3 parts based on some outdated silicon and microarchitecture and decided to use all-new model numbers for them, another explanation could be that Core i3-N300-series parts are indeed Alder Lake-N CPUs that feature only energy-efficient cores that are significantly slower when compared to Intel's Golden Cove cores. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. 

Furthermore, considering that Intel's mobile processors currently sold under Celeron and Pentium brands will be marketed under Intel Processor N100 and N200 monikers in 2023, it might be logical for Intel to offer N300-series processors under its Core i3 brand to address users who understand the value of its Core trademark. In the end, N100, N200, and N300 model numbers will be somewhat more consistent than today's hoard of Pentium Gold, Pentium Silver, Celeron Gold, and Celeron N.

Intel's New Mobile CPU Lineup

Intel formally introduced its 13th Generation Core family of CPUs earlier this week. High-end models in the family will use all-new silicon with up to eight high-performance Raptor Cove and 16 Gracemont energy-efficient cores. By contrast, most midrange Core i5 and all entry-level Core i3 processors will continue to rely on Alder Lake 6P silicon with up to six high-performance cores. 

Meanwhile since Intel's 7 (aka 10nm Enhanced SuperFin) production node has now been used for well over a year, expect regular continuous process improvements (CPI) to kick in and improve yields and overclockability of Alder Lake 6P-based products. As a result, it might be more preferable to buy 13th Generation Core i5 and Core i3 CPUs than stick to last year's 12th Generation Core i5/i3 parts. 

Formally, Intel's Core i3-N300-series processors are not parts of the company's 13th Generation Core processors family, even though they seem to use Gracemont cores and Intel 7 process technology. In fact, the introduction of Core i3 N300-series looks like a wise move by Intel as it clearly distinguishes between its hybrid processors featuring high-performance and energy-efficient cores as well as energy-efficient system-on-chips based solely on low-power Gracemont cores.

The main advantage of Intel's Alder Lake-N processors (and therefore Core i3-N300 parts) is of course their energy efficiency, which promises to enable a very long battery life for laptops featuring these parts. The only question is whether PC makers will actually use relatively expensive displays, solid-state storage, and memory with lowered power consumption to build long-lasting notebooks based on Core i3-N300-series CPUs. The prototype machines used to run Bapco's CrossMark tests were equipped with a cheap 1920 x 1080 display, DDR4 memory, and an SCY SSD, so we are probably not talking about prototypes of high-end or even midrange laptops here. 

What remains to be seen is how Intel will divide its N300, N200, and N100-series processors for entry-level low-power laptops. Intel's Core i3-N300-series CPUs featuring eight cores and running at 1.80 GHz ~ 3.80 GHz, so we wonder whether N200 and N100-series SoCs will just feature lower clocks, or some will also have fewer cores.