Core i5-2520M vs Core i7-4550U

General info

Comparing Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2043	2062
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Haswell-ULT (2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	4 June 2013 (10 years ago)	1 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$225
Current price	$1500	$75 (0.3x MSRP)

Technical specs

Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M 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	1.5 GHz	2.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3 GHz	3.2 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	118 mm2	149 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	1,300 million	624 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M 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	FCBGA1168	PPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	no data	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
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	-
GPIO	+	no data
Smart Connect	+	no data
FDI	+	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
AMT	9.5	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued
HD Audio	+	no data
RST	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M 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 i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	16 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21.3 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 5000	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1.3 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	no data
OpenGL	4.3	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	16
PCI support	-	no data
USB revision	3.0	no data
Total number of SATA ports	4	no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	4	no data
Integrated IDE	-	no data
Number of USB ports	4	no data
Integrated LAN	-	no data
UART	+	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.

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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.

Core i7-4550U outperforms Core i5-2520M by 1% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Advantages and disadvantages

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Performance score	1.47	1.45
Integrated graphics card	1.38	0.66
Recency	4 June 2013	1 February 2011
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	35 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4550U and Core i5-2520M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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