i7-2640M vs i7-4950HQ

Place in the ranking	1380	2108
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	8.34	4.19
Architecture codename	Crystalwell (2013−2014)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	2 June 2013 (11 years ago)	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$657	$346

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M 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	2.4 GHz	2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	3.5 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	DMI 2.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplier	24	28
L1 cache	64K (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	512 KB
L3 cache	6 MB	4 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	264 mm²	149 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	100 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,400 million	624 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M 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	FCBGA1364	FCBGA1023,PPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	47 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M. 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	-	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FDI	+	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M 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 i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M. 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	228.707 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	1.3 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M 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 i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3840x2160@30Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3840x2160@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	2880x1800@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M 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 i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M.

PCIe version	3	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.

i7-4950HQ 4.30
+167%

i7-2640M 1.61

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.

i7-4950HQ 7
+134%

i7-2640M 3

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i7-4950HQ 1.61
+18.4%

i7-2640M 1.36

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	4.30	1.61
Integrated graphics card	3.07	0.66
Recency	2 June 2013	4 September 2011
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	47 Watt	35 Watt

i7-4950HQ has a 167.1% higher aggregate performance score, 365.2% 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.

i7-2640M, on the other hand, has 34.3% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-4950HQ is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2640M in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4950HQ and Core i7-2640M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.