i7-3687U vs i7-2960XM

Place in the ranking	1637	2061
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	5.14	9.30
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)	8 January 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,096	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U 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	2.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.3 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	216 mm²	118 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U 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	FCBGA1023
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	17 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	+
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	+
Demand Based Switching	-	-
FDI	+	+
Fast Memory Access	+	+

Security technologies

Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U 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 i7-3687U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

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

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	1.2 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	3
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
SDVO	+	+
CRT	+	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

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
+79%

i7-3687U 1.67

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
+79.7%

i7-3687U 2645

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
+9.7%

i7-3687U 536

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
+78.6%

i7-3687U 1066

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.99	1.67
Integrated graphics card	0.66	1.18
Recency	4 September 2011	8 January 2013
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	17 Watt

i7-2960XM has a 79% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

i7-3687U, on the other hand, has 78.8% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 1 year, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 223.5% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-2960XM is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3687U in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2960XM and Core i7-3687U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.