i7-3610QE vs i7-2960XM

Place in the ranking	1637	1608
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	no data
Power efficiency	5.14	6.65
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)	29 April 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,096	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	8
Base clock speed	2.7 GHz	2.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.3 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	6144 KB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	216 mm²	160 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,160 million	1,400 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE 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
Socket	FCPGA988	G2 (988B)
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	-
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	unknown Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD 4000
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE integrated GPUs.

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

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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.

i7-2960XM 2.99

i7-3610QE 3.16
+5.7%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i7-2960XM 4754

i7-3610QE 5026
+5.7%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-2960XM 588
+12.2%

i7-3610QE 524

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-2960XM 1904
+4.3%

i7-3610QE 1825

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.99	3.16
Recency	4 September 2011	29 April 2012
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	45 Watt

i7-3610QE has a 5.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 months, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 22.2% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3610QE, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.