Intel Core i7-2860QM vs Intel Core i7-2960XM

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.

Intel Core i7-2960XM

The Intel Core i7-2960XM is the fastest quad-core processor for laptops in Q3-2011 and successor to the Core i7-2920XM. Due to the Extreme Edition branding, the CPU should be easy to overclock (unlocked multiplicator). 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 i7-2960XM is now manufactured in 32nm, offers an integrated graphics card and AES functions. Compared to the slower clocked 2860QM, the 2960XM is specified with a higher TDP.