Intel Core i5 520M

The Intel Core i5-520M is a dual core CPU for laptops and clocks (due to the Turbo Mode) from 2.4 to 2.93 GHz. Each core is based on the Nehalem (Westmere) micro-architecture. Hyperthreading enables the Dual Core CPU to handle 4 threads at once (for a better usage of the pipeline). Compared to the faster Core i7-620M, the 520M features only 3 MB Level 3 Cache and a lower clock speed (CPU and GPU).
A feature of the new Core i5-520M is the integrated graphics card called GMA HD and memory controller. Both are on a separate die that is still manufactured in 45nm whereas the CPU die is already manufactured in the new 32nm process.
The performance of the i5 520M is on average faster than a Core 2 Duo T9500 and due to the Turbo Boost, single threaded applications run even better. Therefore, the Core i5-520M is as fast as high clocked Core 2 Duo CPUs and should handle most gaming and multimedia tasks well.
The 32nm cpu cores of the Westmere generation can also process some new instructions to accelerate AES encryptions.
The integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD (GMA HD) graphics card is known to be clocked up to 500-766 MHz and should be clearly faster than the old GMA 4500MHD. A GeForce 9400M (ION) should still be a faster (especially as Nvidia and ATI cards have a better driver support than Intel up to now). According to rumors, the GMA core will also use the Turbo Mode regulate the clock speed.
The power consumption of 35 Watt TDP (max.) counts for the whole package and therefore it is clearly better than the 35 Watt TDP of the Core 2 Duo T-series (CPU alone). Due to the Turbo Boost, the Core i5 more likely uses the TDP under load than the older Core 2 Duo CPUs. Without any load, the i5 uses noticable less power.
| Series | Intel Core i5 |
| Codename | Arrandale |
| Clock Rate | 2400 - 2933 MHz |
| Front Side Bus | 2500 MHz |
| Level 1 Cache | 128 KB |
| Level 2 Cache | 512 KB |
| Level 3 Cache | 3072 KB |
| Number of Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 |
| Max. Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power) | 35 Watt |
| Transistor Count | 382+177 Million |
| Manufacturing Technology | 32 nm |
| Die Size | 81+114 mm2 |
| Max. Temperature | 105 °C |
| Socket | BGA1288, PGA988 |
| Features | Turbo Boost, Hyper Threading, Enhanced Speedstep, integrierte GMA HD 733MHz, |
| 64 Bit | 64 Bit support |
| Hardware Virtualization | VT-x |
| Starting Price | $225 U.S. |
| Announcement Date | 01/04/2010 |
| Product Link (external) | Intel Core i5 520M |
CPU Benchmarks
















| Cinebench R10 in comparison | ||
| Intel Atom Z670 (min) | 657 | |
| ... | ||
| Intel Core i3 380M | 6552.3 | |
| AMD Phenom II X4 N950 | 6554 | |
| Intel Core i5 450M | 6649.5 | |
| Intel Core i5 520M | 6660.8 | |
| Intel Core i7 2677M | 6672 | |
| Intel Core i7 2617M | 6690 | |
| AMD Phenom II X4 N970 | 6810.5 | |
| ... | ||
| Intel Core i7 (Desktop) 3960X (max) | 27189.5 | |
Reviews for the Intel Core i5 520M processor
Acer Aspire 4820TG-524G50MN (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 14.1")
» Acer Aspire 4820TG-524G50MN - External Review
Acer Aspire 5740G-6395 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 15.6")
» Acer Aspire 5740G-6395 - External Review
Acer Aspire 5942G-524G64Bn (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850, 15.6")
» Acer Aspire 5942G-524G64Bn - External Review
Acer Aspire 5943G-524G50Mn (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 15.3")
» Acer Aspire 5943G-524G50Mn - External Review
Acer Aspire 8942G-526G64Bi (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850, 18.4")
» Acer Aspire 8942G-526G64Bi - External Review
Acer TravelMate 5740G-524G50MN (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 15.6")
» Review Acer TravelMate 5740G-524G50MN Notebook - Review
» Acer TravelMate 5740G-524G50MN - External Review
Acer TravelMate 8372G (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 13.3")
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Alienware M17X, HD5870 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, 17.0")
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Alienware M17X10 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, 17.0")
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Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch 2010-04 (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 15.4")
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Asus B53F (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
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Asus G60JX-JX154V (NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M, 16.0")
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Asus G73JH-TY042V (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, 17.3")
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Asus N43JF (NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M, 14.0")
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Asus N53JN (NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M, 15.6")
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Asus N61JA-JX008V (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730, 16.0")
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Asus N71J (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730, 17.3")
» Asus N71J - External Review
Asus N71JA (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730, 17.3")
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Asus N73JN-TY035V (NVIDIA GeForce GT 325M, 17.3")
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Asus N82JV-VX020V (NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M, 14.0")
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Asus U45J (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.0")
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AVADirect Clevo W765CUH (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570, 15.6")
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Dell Precision M4500 (NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M, 15.6")
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Dell Studio 1558 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
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» Dell Studio 1558 - External Review
Dell Studio 1558 HD4570 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570, 15.6")
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Dell Studio 1749 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 17.3")
» Review Dell Studio 1749 Notebook - Review
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Dell Studio XPS 1647 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670, 15.6")
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Fujitsu LifeBook E780 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
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Fujitsu LifeBook LH700 (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 14.0")
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Fujitsu Lifebook S710 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.0")
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Fujitsu Lifebook T900 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 13.3")
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Hi-Grade Notino D8000i (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
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HP EliteBook 8440p-WJ681AW (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.0")
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HP Elitebook 8540w (ATI FirePro M5800, 15.6")
» Review: HP Elitebook 8540w Notebook (ATI M5800) - Review
HP EliteBook 8740w (ATI FirePro M7820, 17.0")
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HP Envy 14-1010eg (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 14.5")
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HP G42-356TU (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.0")
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HP Pavilion dv7-3170eg (NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M, 17.3")
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HP Pavilion dv7-4052sg (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 17.3")
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HP Probook 4321s (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530, 13.3")
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HP ProBook 6540b-WH431PA (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
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Ibuypower Battalion 101 CZ-11 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 15.6")
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Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 0633 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 14.0")
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Lenovo ThinkPad L512 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 545v, 15.6")
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Lenovo ThinkPad T410 (NT92NGE) (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.1")
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Lenovo ThinkPad T410-2537-PV5 (NVIDIA NVS 3100M, 14.1")
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Lenovo Thinkpad T410s (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.1")
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» Lenovo Thinkpad T410s - External Review
Lenovo ThinkPad T410s (NUHFYGE) (NVIDIA NVS 3100M, 14.1")
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Lenovo ThinkPad T510-4349R73 (NVIDIA NVS 3100M, 15.6")
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Maingear eX-L 17 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, 17.3")
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Novatech Novabook Family (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 17.3")
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Panasonic Toughbook C1 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 12.1")
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Panasonic Toughbook CF-C1 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 12.1")
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Panasonic Toughbook CF-F9 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 14.1")
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Panasonic Toughbook CF-S9 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 12.1")
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Polywell PolyNote 714AH (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570, 17.0")
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Sager NP8690 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, 15.6")
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Sager NP8850 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M, 17.3")
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Samsung NP-R580-JS03DE (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 15.6")
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» Samsung NP-R580-JS03DE - External Review
Samsung NP-R780-JS03DE (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 17.3")
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Samsung P480-JS02CN (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 14.0")
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Samsung Q230-JS03 (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 12.1")
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Samsung R590-JS01CN (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 15.6")
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Samsung R780 Aura Core i5-520M (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 17.3")
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Samsung R780-JSIBUK (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 17.3")
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Schenker MB6.a (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570, 15.6")
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Schenker MG7.c (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730, 17.3")
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Sony Vaio VPC-B11V9EB (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.4")
» Review Sony Vaio VPC-B11V9EB Notebook - Review
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Sony Vaio VPC-F11M1E (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 16.4")
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Sony Vaio VPC-Z115GG/BI (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.3")
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Sony Vaio VPC-Z11X9E/B (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.1")
» Review Sony Vaio VPCZ11X9E/B Notebook - Review
» Sony Vaio VPC-Z11X9E/B - External Review
» Sony Vaio VPC-Z11X9E/B - External Review
Sony VAIO VPCEB1LFX/BI (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 15.5")
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Sony Vaio VPCEC1S1R/BJ (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 17.3")
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Sony Vaio VPCEC1Z1E (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 17.3")
» Sony Vaio VPCEC1Z1E - External Review
Sony Vaio VPCEC1Z1E/BJ (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 17.3")
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Sony Vaio VPCF12M1R (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 16.4")
» Sony Vaio VPCF12M1R - External Review
Sony Vaio VPCS11M9R/B (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 13.3")
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Sony Vaio VPCS11V9E (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 13.3")
» Sony Vaio VPCS11V9E - External Review
Sony Vaio VPCS12V9E/B (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 13.3")
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Sony Vaio VPCZ114GX/S (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.1")
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Sony Vaio VPCZ116GX/S (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.3")
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Sony Vaio VPCZ11X9R/B (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 13.1")
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Sony Vaio VPCZ12 (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.1")
» Review Sony Vaio VPC-Z12 Subnotebook - Review
» Sony Vaio VPCZ12 - External Review
Sony Vaio VPCZ125GX (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.1")
» Sony Vaio VPCZ125GX - External Review
Sony VAIO VPCZ128GX (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.1")
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Sony Vaio VPCZ12M9E/B (NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 13.1")
» Sony Vaio VPCZ12M9E/B - External Review
Toshiba Portégé M780-S7230 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 12.1")
» Toshiba Portégé M780-S7230 - External Review
Toshiba Portégé R700 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 13.3")
» Toshiba Portégé R700 - External Review
Toshiba Portégé R700-15X (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 13.3")
» Toshiba Portégé R700-15X - External Review
Toshiba Portégé R700-S1320 (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 13.3")
» Toshiba Portégé R700-S1320 - External Review
Toshiba Satellite E200 (NVIDIA GeForce 310M, 14.0")
» Toshiba Satellite E200 - External Review
Toshiba Tecra A11-11H (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
» Toshiba Tecra A11-11H - External Review
Toshiba Tecra A11-11L (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD Graphics, 15.6")
» Toshiba Tecra A11-11L - External Review
Toshiba Tecra A11-12W (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD, 15.6")
» Toshiba Tecra A11-12W - External Review
Toshiba Tecra A11-S3530 (NVIDIA NVS 2100M, 15.6")
» Toshiba Tecra A11-S3530 - External Review
Toshiba Tecra S11-11H (NVIDIA NVS 2100M, 15.6")
» Review Toshiba Tecra S11-11H Notebook - Review
» Toshiba Tecra S11-11H - External Review
Toshiba Tecra S11-124 (NVIDIA NVS 2100M, 15.6")
» Toshiba Tecra S11-124 - External Review
Velocity Micro NoteMagix M17 (NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M, 17.0")
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28 benchmarks and specifications
28 benchmarks and specifications