Core i5-4278U vs Core i7-3520M

Place in performance ranking	1875	1885
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Haswell (2013−2015)
Release date	3 June 2012 (11 years ago)	21 July 2014 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$346	$315
Current price	$273 (0.8x MSRP)	$776 (2.5x MSRP)

Technical specs

Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U 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	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	2.9 GHz	2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	3.1 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	3 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	22 nm
Die size	118 mm²	181 mm²
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	no data	1300 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U 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	FCBGA1023,FCPGA988	FCBGA1168
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	28 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U. 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	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	no data	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel Iris Graphics 5100
Max video memory	no data	2 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.25 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	3280x2000@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	3200x2000@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	11.2/12
OpenGL	no data	4.3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i5-4278U.

PCIe version	3.0	2
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.

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.

i7-3520M 1.85
+1.1%

i5-4278U 1.83

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i5-4278U by 1% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 68%

i7-3520M 2868
+1.4%

i5-4278U 2828

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i5-4278U by 1% in Passmark.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i7-3520M 571

i5-4278U 908
+59%

Core i5-4278U outperforms Core i7-3520M by 59% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i7-3520M 1158

i5-4278U 1819
+57.1%

Core i5-4278U outperforms Core i7-3520M by 57% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.