i7-3520M outperforms i7-2640M by a moderate 17% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Comparing Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Information on Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M are enumerated here.

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M integrated GPUs.

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i7-2640M.

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 17% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Benchmark coverage: 68%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 16% in Passmark.

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 11% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 16% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Benchmark coverage: 20%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 9% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Benchmark coverage: 19%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 7% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

Benchmark coverage: 19%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 5% in 3DMark06 CPU.

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

Benchmark coverage: 18%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 2% in wPrime 32.

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 7% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 7% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core.

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

Benchmark coverage: 13%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 6% in TrueCrypt AES.

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

Benchmark coverage: 13%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 4% in WinRAR 4.0.

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

Benchmark coverage: 13%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 11% in x264 encoding pass 2.

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

Benchmark coverage: 13%

Core i7-3520M outperforms Core i7-2640M by 10% in x264 encoding pass 1.

The Core i7-3520M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2640M in performance tests.

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