Intel Core i7-4550U vs Intel Core i7-4720HQ vs Intel Core i7-4610Y

The Intel Core i7-4550U is an ULV (ultra low voltage) dual-core processor for ultrabooks launched in Q2 2013. It is based on the Haswell architecture and is manufactured in 22nm. Due to Hyper-Threading, the two cores can handle up to four threads in parallel, leading to better utilization of the CPU. Each core offers a base speed of 1.5 GHz, but can dynamically increase clock rates with Turbo Boost up to 3.0 GHz for 1 active core or 2.7 GHz for 2 active cores.

Haswell is the successor to the Ivy Bridge architecture with improvements on both GPU and CPU performance. The CPUs are produced in 22nm and offer an optimized branch prediction as well as additional execution ports, improving the performance per clock by almost 10 percent. Furthermore, new features like AVX2 and FMA should increase the performance in future applications.

The performance of the Core i7-4550U is similar to the old and slightly higher clocked Core i7-3537U. However, when using new instruction sets such as AVX2 the performance can be significantly better. Thus, the CPU has sufficient power for office and multimedia purposes as well as more demanding applications.

The integrated HD Graphics 5000 offers 40 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 200 - 1100 MHz with Turbo Boost, making it significantly faster than the HD Graphics 4000. As a result, the HD 5000 competes with dedicated lower mid-range graphics cards.

The i7-4550U is rated at a TDP of 15 W including the graphics card, memory controller, VRMs and the integrated chipset. Therefore, the CPU is suited for small ultrabooks 11-inches or greater.

The Intel Core i7-4720HQ is a high-end quad-core processor for laptops. It is based on the Haswell architecture and manufactured in 22nm. Due to Hyperthreading, the four cores can handle up to eight threads in parallel leading to better utilization of the CPU. Each core offers a base speed of 2.6 GHz but can dynamically increase clock rates with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz (for 4 active cores), 3.5 GHz (for 2 active cores) and 3.6 GHz (for 1 active core). Compared to the previous i7-4710HQ, the i7-4720HQ is clocked exactly 100 MHz higher.

Architecture

Haswell is the successor to the Ivy Bridge architecture with improvements on both GPU and CPU performance. The CPUs are produced in 22nm and offer an optimized branch prediction as well as additional execution ports. Furthermore, new features like AVX2 and FMA should increase the performance in future applications.

Performance

The performance of the Core i7-4720HQ is similar to the Core i7-4860HQ or the Ivy Bridge-based i7-3840QM. Even extremly demanding software or multitasking will be handled easily.

Graphics

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 4600 offers 20 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 400 MHz up to 1200 MHz with Turbo Boost, making it about 30 % faster than the HD 4000 and comparable to a dedicated GeForce 820M.

Power Consumption

The i7-4720HQ is rated at a TDP of 47 W including graphics card, memory controller and VRMs. Therefore, the CPU is only suited for laptops 15-inches or greater.

The Intel Core i7-4610Y is an ULV (ultra low voltage) dual-core processor for ultrabooks and tablets launched in Q3 2013. It is based on the Haswell architecture and is manufactured in 22nm. Due to Hyper-Threading, the two cores can handle up to four threads in parallel, leading to better utilization of the CPU. Each core offers a base speed of 1.7 GHz, but can dynamically increase clock rates with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz.

Architecture

Haswell is the successor to the Ivy Bridge architecture with improvements on both GPU and CPU performance. The CPUs are produced in 22nm and offer an optimized branch prediction as well as additional execution ports, improving performance per clock by almost 10 percent. Furthermore, new features like AVX2 and FMA should increase the performance in future applications.

Performance

Depending on the benchmark, the Core i7-4610Y offers a performance somewhere between a Core i3-2330M and a Core i7-4500U. Due to TDP limits, the full Turbo Boost will be only active for very short periods of time or in single-thread benchmarks. Overall, the CPU has sufficient power for office and multimedia purposes as well as more demanding applications.

Graphics

The integrated HD Graphics 4200 offers 20 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 200 - 850 MHz with Turbo Boost, making it somewhat faster than the former HD Graphics 4000 at similar clock speeds. However, the HD 4200 is significantly slower than the HD 4400 found on other ULV models with higher clocks and TDP.

Power Consumption

The i7-4610Y is rated at a TDP of 11.5 watts (SDP 6 watts) including the graphics card, memory controller, VRMs and the integrated chipset. Therefore, the CPU is suited for very small ultrabooks or tablets.