Intel Core i5-1140G7 vs Intel Core i7-3920XM vs Intel Core i7-3517U

Intel Core i5-1140G7

The Intel Core i5-1140G7 is a power-efficient quad-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Tiger Lake-U generation (UP4) that was introduced in early 2021. It integrates four Willow Cove processor cores (8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading). The guaranteed base clock speed depends on the TDP setting and can range from 0.8 (7 W TDP) to 1.8 GHz (15 W TDP). The Turbo clock speed is specified at 4.2 GHz for one core, all cores can reach up to 3.5 GHz.

Another novelty is the integrated Xe graphics card with 80EUs based on the completely new Gen 12 architecture. It offers a significantly higher performance compared to the older Iris Plus G7 (Ice Lake). In the i5-1140G7 it uses 80 of the 96 EUs and clocks between 400 - 1100 MHz. The GPU and CPU can together use the 8 MB of L3 cache.

Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (four lanes), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6 in the chip. The i5-1140G7 also supports the management feature vPro.

Performance

The average 1140G7 in our database is in the same league as the N95 and also the Pentium 7505, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is a pretty poor result, as of early 2023.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are, and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Power consumption

This Core i5 has a default TDP of 7 W to 15 W, the expectation being that laptop manufacturers will go for a higher value in exchange for higher performance. Those values are rather low, meaning at least a few passively cooled designs are to be expected.

Core i5-1140G7 is manufactured on Intel's 2nd generation 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for decent, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

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.

Intel Core i7-3517U

The Intel Core i7-3517U is a fast ULV-processor for laptops based on the Ivy Bridge architecture released in Q2 2012. Due to Hyperthreading, 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 1.9 GHz but can dynamically increase clock rates with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz (for 2 active cores) and 3.0 GHz (for 1 active core). As its Sandy-Bridge-based predecessors, it offers a 4 MB L3-Cache.

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 i7-3517U is slightly above a similarly clocked Sandy Bridge processor due to the architectural improvements. Therefore, and because of the higher clock speed, the older Core i7-2677M is easily outperformed.

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 offers 16 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 350 MHz up to 1150 MHz with Turbo Boost, delivering a performance comparable with an AMD Radeon HD 6620G.

The ULV-CPUs are rated at a TDP of 17 W including graphics card and memory controller.  Therefore, the CPU is suited for small laptops and ultrabooks.