COMPARISONS
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PROCESSORS i7 2670QM vs i5 3230M
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odds in favour of i5
Newer manufacturing process
22 nms vs 32 nms A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor
Higher clock speed
2.6 GHz vs 2.4 GHz Around 10% higher clock speed
More number of displays supported
3 vs 2 1 more number of displays supported
Lower typical power consumption
28.44W vs 36.56W More than 20% lower typical power consumption
More l2 cache per core
0.5 MB/core vs 0.25 MB/core 2x more l2 cache per core
Higher Maximum Operating Temperature
105 °C vs 100 °C 5% higher Maximum Operating Temperature
Marginally newer
2013 vs 2011 Release date over 1 years later I don't know the exact month
odds in favour of the i7
Significantly more l3 cache
6 MB vs 3 MB 2x more l3 cache; more data can be stored in the l3 cache for quick access later
Higher turbo clock speed
3.5 GHz vs 3.2 GHz Around 10% higher turbo clock speed
More cores
4 vs 2 Twice as many cores; run more applications at once
More threads
8 vs 4 Twice as many threads
Significantly better turbo clock speed
1,300 MHz vs 1,100 MHz Around 20% better turbo clock speed
Supports trusted computing
Yes vs No Somewhat common; Allows for safer, more reliable computing
Better PassMark score
6,847 vs 3,989 More than 70% better PassMark score
Better performance per watt
19.43 pt/W vs 16.19 pt/W More than 20% better performance per watt
My Personal Recommendation:::i7 2670QM
I am not comparing the two i5s because the i5 3210 is not very good performing and its price (laptop) is 3000 more than your budget.