Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 vs Intel Core i7-3920XM

Intel Core 2 Duo T8300

Intel Core i7-3920XM

The Intel Core i7-3920XM is the fastest quad-core processor for laptops based on the Ivy Bridge architecture at the time of introduction in April 2012. 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 2.9 GHz but can dynamically increase clock rates with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz (for 4 active cores), 3.7 GHz (for 2 active cores) and 3.8 GHz (for 1 active core). Furthermore, the Extreme CPUs offer an unlocked multiplicator for easy overclocking.

Ivy Bridge is an enhanced die shrink of the Sandy Bridge architecture with improvements on both GPU and CPU performance. The CPUs are produced in 22nm (versus 32nm Sandy Bridge CPUs) and are the first to introduce 3D transistors for increased energy efficiency when compared to similarly clocked Sandy Bridge processors. Other new features are integrated PCI Express 3.0 and  DDR3(L)-1600 support.

The performance of the Core i7-3920XM is slightly (~5 %) above a similarly clocked Sandy Bridge processor due to slight architectural improvements. Therefore, and because of the higher clock speed, the former champion Core i7-2960XM is easily outperformed by 10 to 15%.

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 offers 16 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 650 MHz up to 1300 MHz with Turbo Boost, making it the fastest variant.

The XM CPUs are rated at a TDP of 55 Watts including graphics card and memory controller and therefore 10 Watt higher than the other quad-core models.  Therefore, the CPU is well-suited for laptops 17-inches or greater.