i7-2657M vs i7-3615QM

Place in the ranking	1584	2464
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	6.88	5.51
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	29 April 2012 (12 years ago)	3 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$378	$317

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M 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	2.3 GHz	1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.7 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 2.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	16
L1 cache	64K (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	4 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	160 mm²	149 mm²
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	1,400 million	624 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M 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	FCBGA1224	FCBGA1023
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	17 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
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 i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M 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 i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
Maximum memory size	32 GB	8.01 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.2 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M integrated GPUs.

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

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M.

PCIe version	3.0	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.

i7-3615QM 3.27
+230%

i7-2657M 0.99

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i7-3615QM 4436
+27.1%

i7-2657M 3491

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i7-3615QM 16981
+173%

i7-2657M 6229

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i7-3615QM 5574
+119%

i7-2657M 2546

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i7-3615QM 6
+190%

i7-2657M 2

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.27	0.99
Integrated graphics card	1.18	0.66
Recency	29 April 2012	3 January 2011
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	17 Watt

i7-3615QM has a 230.3% higher aggregate performance score, 78.8% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 1 year, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 45.5% more advanced lithography process.

i7-2657M, on the other hand, has 164.7% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-3615QM is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2657M in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3615QM and Core i7-2657M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.