i9-10900K vs i7-2640M

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-2640M
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.56
Core i9-10900K
2020
10 cores / 20 threads, 125 Watt
14.39
+822%

Core i9-10900K outperforms Core i7-2640M by a whopping 822% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2111500
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data15.02
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7no data
Power efficiency4.2010.85
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Comet Lake (2020)
Release date4 September 2011 (13 years ago)30 April 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$346$488

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K 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 cores2 (Dual-core)10 (Deca-Core)
Threads420
Base clock speed2.8 GHz3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz5.2 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0no data
Bus rate4 × 5 GT/s8 GT/s
Multiplier28no data
L1 cache128 KB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache512 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache4 MB20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm14 nm
Die size149 mm2206 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistors624 Millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
SocketFCBGA1023,PPGA988FCLGA1200
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
FMA++
AVX++
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access+no data
SIPP-+
Demand Based Switching-no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data+
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection++
SGXno dataYes with Intel® ME
OS Guardno data+
Anti-Theft+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4
Maximum memory size16 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth228.707 GB/s45.8 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 3000Intel UHD Graphics 630
Max video memoryno data64 GB
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Videono data+
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequency1.3 GHz1.2 GHz
InTru 3D++

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported23
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
SDVO+no data
CRT+no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution supportno data+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096 x 2160@30Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data4096 x 2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data4096 x 2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data12
OpenGLno data4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K.

PCIe version2.03.0
PCI Express lanes1616

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.

i7-2640M 1.56
i9-10900K 14.39
+822%

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.

i7-2640M 2467
i9-10900K 22766
+823%

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.

i7-2640M 515
i9-10900K 1775
+245%

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.

i7-2640M 1019
i9-10900K 9065
+790%

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-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.

i7-2640M 4443
i9-10900K 8127
+82.9%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-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.

i7-2640M 9778
i9-10900K 59368
+507%

wPrime 32

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.

i7-2640M 15.14
i9-10900K 3.58
+323%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

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.

i7-2640M 3
i9-10900K 29
+822%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-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.

i7-2640M 1.36
i9-10900K 2.56
+88.2%

TrueCrypt AES

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.

i7-2640M 1.6
i9-10900K 14.6
+813%

x264 encoding pass 2

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.  

i7-2640M 17
i9-10900K 149
+776%

x264 encoding pass 1

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.  

i7-2640M 89
i9-10900K 290
+224%

WinRAR 4.0

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.

i7-2640M 2620
i9-10900K 9739
+272%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.56 14.39
Integrated graphics card 0.66 3.09
Recency 4 September 2011 30 April 2020
Physical cores 2 10
Threads 4 20
Chip lithography 32 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 125 Watt

i7-2640M has 257.1% lower power consumption.

i9-10900K, on the other hand, has a 822.4% higher aggregate performance score, 368.2% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 8 years, 400% more physical cores and 400% more threads, and a 128.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i9-10900K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2640M in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i7-2640M is a notebook processor while Core i9-10900K is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2640M and Core i9-10900K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core i7-2640M
Core i7-2640M
Intel Core i9-10900K
Core i9-10900K

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Community ratings

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