i7-720QM vs i3-3240T

Place in the ranking	2272	2426
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	3.47	2.20
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Clarksfield (2009−2010)
Release date	3 September 2012 (12 years ago)	24 June 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$546

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM 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.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	8
Base clock speed	2.9 GHz	1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3 GHz	2.8 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 1.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	2.5 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	12
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	256 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	1 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Die size	94 mm²	296 mm²
Maximum core temperature	no data	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	65 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	774 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM 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.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1155	FCPGA988,PGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.2
AVX	+	-
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
PAE	no data	36 Bit
FDI	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	-	no data
Identity Protection	+	-
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM are enumerated here.

VT-d	-	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
Maximum memory size	32 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 2500	None
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM.

PCIe version	2.0	2
PCI Express lanes	no data	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

Combined synthetic benchmark score

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.

i3-3240T 1.29
+22.9%

i7-720QM 1.05

Passmark

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.

i3-3240T 2046
+23.5%

i7-720QM 1657

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

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.

i3-3240T 457
+52.8%

i7-720QM 299

GeekBench 5 Multi-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.

i3-3240T 984
+17%

i7-720QM 841

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.29	1.05
Recency	3 September 2012	24 June 2009
Physical cores	2	4
Threads	4	8
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	45 Watt

i3-3240T has a 22.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 104.5% more advanced lithography process, and 28.6% lower power consumption.

i7-720QM, on the other hand, has 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

The Core i3-3240T is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-720QM in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-3240T is a desktop processor while Core i7-720QM is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3240T and Core i7-720QM, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.