i7-6660U vs i7-2840QM

Place in the ranking	1780	1826
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	5.09	14.32
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)	20 March 2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$415

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U 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	4 (Quad-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	no data	2.4 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.4 GHz	3.4 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	OPI
Bus rate	4 × 5 GT/s	4 GT/s
Multiplier	24	24
L1 cache	256 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	512 KB
L3 cache	8 MB	4 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	216 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	no data	100 °C
Number of transistors	1160 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U 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 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	Socket G2	FCBGA1356
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
eDRAM	no data	64 MB
My WiFi	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	no data	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	no data	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
SIPP	-	+
Smart Response	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	no data	+
Secure Key	no data	+
MPX	-	+
Identity Protection	-	+
SGX	no data	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	no data	DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866, DDR3L-1600
Maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	no data	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.598 GB/s	34.134 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel Iris Graphics 540
Max video memory	no data	32 GB
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.05 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	no data	3
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+
DVI	no data	+

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	4096x2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12
OpenGL	no data	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U.

PCIe version	no data	3.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	12

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.

i7-2840QM 2.42
+6.6%

i7-6660U 2.27

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.

i7-2840QM 3842
+6.6%

i7-6660U 3603

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.42	2.27
Integrated graphics card	0.66	3.27
Recency	4 September 2011	20 March 2016
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	45 Watt	15 Watt

i7-2840QM has a 6.6% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

i7-6660U, on the other hand, has 395.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 4 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 200% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2840QM and Core i7-6660U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.