i5-6300U vs i7-2960XM

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1632	1896
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i5
Power efficiency	5.16	12.83
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)	1 September 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,096	$281

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	4 (Quad-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	2.7 GHz	2.4 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3 GHz
Bus type	no data	OPI
Bus rate	5 GT/s	4 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	24
L1 cache	64K (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	3 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	216 mm2	98.57 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	1750 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCPGA988	FCBGA1356
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	+
SIPP	-	+
Smart Response	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
MPX	-	+
Identity Protection	+	+
SGX	no data	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	no data	+
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	+
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	34.134 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD Graphics 520
Max video memory	no data	32 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	3
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
DVI	no data	+
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	no data	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12
OpenGL	no data	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	12

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	3.11	2.11
Integrated graphics card	0.66	2.15
Recency	4 September 2011	1 September 2015
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	15 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2960XM and Core i5-6300U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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