Intel Core i7-2860QM

The Intel Core i7-2860QM is a fast high-end quad core processor for laptops and successor to the Core i7-2820QM. At the time of announcement (Sept. 2011) it was the fastest 45 Watt processor and even beats the older Core 7-2920XM. It is based on the Sandy Bridge architecture and offers Hyperthreading to handle 8 threads at once (for a better usage of the pipeline). Compared to the previous Clarksdale quad-cores, the i7-2860QM is now manufactured in 32nm and offers an integrated graphics card and AES functions. Compared to the slower clocked 2760QM, the 2860QM also offers more level 3 cache (8 vs. 6MB).

Sandy Bridge is the evolutionary successor of the Arrandale architecture. The most noteable improvements are the new 256Bit AVX instructions, the improved Turbo Boost and the integration of the graphics card into the 32nm CPU core. Furthermore, the integrated memory controller was improved and supports up to 8 GB DDR3-1333.

The i7-2860QM offers an integrated graphics card (Intel HD Graphics 3000) which proved to be clearly faster than the old Intel HD Graphics in the Arrandale CPUs and on a level with entry level dedicated graphics cards like the GeForce 310M. The HD Graphics 3000 also supports Turbo Boost and clocks between 650 MHz and 1300 MHz in the i7-2820QM (which should be similar to the 2860QM). As the graphics card shares the fast last level cache, the processor is a bit slower with activated GPU.

The performance of the Core i7-2860QM should be above the former fastest mobile CPU, the Core i7-2920XM. Therefore, the performance should be sufficient for modern 3D games and demanding applications. Thanks to the fast Turbo Boost 2.0 even single threaded applications run very fast.

The relative high TDP rating of the 2860QM of 45 Watt enables the usage of the quad core only in 15" laptops and up. However, compared to the previous generation of quad-cores, the TDP improved, as the integrated GPU is now included.

Series	Intel Core i7
Codename	Sandy Bridge
Clock Rate	2500 - 3600 MHz
Level 1 Cache	256 KB
Level 2 Cache	1024 KB
Level 3 Cache	8192 KB
Number of Cores / Threads	4 / 8
Max. Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power)	45 Watt
Transistor Count	995 Million
Manufacturing Technology	32 nm
Die Size	216 mm2
Max. Temperature	100 °C
Features	HD Graphics 3000, DDR-1333 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, Quick Sync, Virtualization
64 Bit	64 Bit support
Hardware Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d
Starting Price	$568 U.S.
Announcement Date	01/03/2011

CPU Benchmarks

3DMark 06 - CPU:

100%

min: 6273 avg: 6323 (74.09%) max: 6373 Points

Model	Memory	GPU			Result
Schenker XMG P701 PRO	16384 MB	Radeon HD 6990M	715 / 900MHz	2048MB GDDR5-VRAM Clevo 8.850.0.0	6273
	4096 MB	HD Graphics 3000	650-1300 / MHz	8.15.10.2361	6373

Cinebench R10 in comparison
Intel Atom Z670 (min)	691
...
Intel Core i5 (Desktop) 2500K	15956
Intel Core i7 3632QM	16368
Intel Core i7 (Desktop) 975	16628
Intel Core i7 2860QM	16809.5
AMD FX-Series (Desktop) FX-8350	16904
Intel Core i7 2920XM	16949.3
Intel Core i7 3615QM	16980.5
...
Intel Core i7 (Desktop) 3960X (max)	27189.5

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Intel Core i7-2860QM

CPU Benchmarks

Reviews for the Intel Core i7 2860QM processor

Other CPUs of the series Intel Core i7

Surrounding CPUs