Intel Core i7-3520M vs Intel Core i3-3120ME. Specifications, performance, tests

Background information about the processors being compared, series, generation and market segment.

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Intel Core i7 Intel Core i3
• Generation
  3 3
• CPU group
  Intel Core i 3000M Intel Core i 3000M

Basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base and turbo frequency, and cache size. These parameters indirectly tell about the speed of the processor, the higher they are the better.

• Frequency
  2.90 GHz 2.40 GHz
• CPU Cores
  2 2
• Turbo (1 Core)
  3.60 GHz No turbo
• CPU Threads
  4 4
• Turbo (2 Cores)
  3.40 GHz No turbo
• Hyperthreading
  Yes Yes
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  normal normal

Internal Graphics does not affect the performance of the CPU, performs the work of the graphics card in its absence or on mobile devices.

• GPU name
  Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD Graphics 4000
• GPU frequency
  0.65 GHz 0.65 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  1.25 GHz 0.90 GHz
• Execution units
  16 16
• Shader
  128 128
• Max. displays
  3 3
• Generation
  7 7
• DirectX Version
  11.0 11.0
• Technology
  22 nm 22 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2011 Q1/2011

Built-in codecs used to encode and decode content. Significantly speeds up the required operations.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  No No
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  No No
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  No No
• VP8
  No No
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode Decode

Types, channel quantity of RAM supported by Intel Core i3-3120ME and Intel Core i7-3520M. Depending on the motherboards, higher or lower memory frequencies may be supported.

• Memory type
  DDR3-1333DDR3-1600DDR3L-1333 SO-DIMMDDR3L-1600 SO-DIMM DDR3-1333DDR3-1600DDR3L-1333 SO-DIMMDDR3L-1600 SO-DIMM
• Max. Memory
  16 GB
• ECC
  No Yes
• Memory channels
  2 2
• PCIe version
  3.0 2
• PCIe lanes
  16 16

• AES-NI
  Yes Yes

Compare the TDP requirements of TDP Intel Core i7-3520M and Intel Core i3-3120ME to select a cooling system. Note, the TDP value refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  35 W 35 W
• Tjunction max.
  -- 105 °C

Architecture, interfaces, additional instructions supported by Intel Core i7-3520M and Intel Core i7-3520M, virtual machine technologies and process technology.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  x86-64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
• ISA extensions
  SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
• L3-Cache
  4.00 MB 3.00 MB
• Architecture
  Ivy Bridge H Ivy Bridge H
• Technology
  22 nm 22 nm
• Socket
  BGA 1023 BGA 1023
• Release date
  Q2/2012 Q3/2012