i5-540M vs i7-2860QM

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Aggregate performance score

Core i7-2860QM
2011
4 cores / 8 threads, 45 Watt
2.85
+152%
Core i5-540M
2010
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.13

Core i7-2860QM outperforms Core i5-540M by a whopping 152% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking16752394
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i7Intel Core i5
Power efficiency5.993.06
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Arrandale (2010−2011)
Release date4 September 2011 (13 years ago)7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$568$257

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads84
Base clock speed2.5 GHz2.53 GHz
Boost clock speed3.6 GHz3.07 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0DMI 1.0
Bus rate4 × 5 GT/s1 × 2.5 GT/s
Multiplier2519
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size216 mm281+114 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C105 °C
Number of transistors1,160 million382+177 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M 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 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCBGA1224,FCPGA988BGA1288,PGA988
Power consumption (TDP)45 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI++
FMA++
AVX+-
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0+
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access++
Demand Based Switching-no data
PAEno data36 Bit
FDI++
Fast Memory Access++

Security technologies

Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB8 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.598 GB/s17.051 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 3000Intel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Videono data+
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequency1.3 GHz766 MHz
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported22
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
SDVO+no data
CRT+no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M.

PCIe version2.02.0
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.

i7-2860QM 2.85
+152%
i5-540M 1.13

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.

i7-2860QM 4528
+151%
i5-540M 1802

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.

i7-2860QM 556
+47.9%
i5-540M 376

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.

i7-2860QM 1643
+128%
i5-540M 720

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.

i7-2860QM 4576
+46.1%
i5-540M 3133

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.

i7-2860QM 16810
+139%
i5-540M 7031

3DMark06 CPU

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.

i7-2860QM 6323
+124%
i5-540M 2826

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.

i7-2860QM 7.8
+137%
i5-540M 18.5

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.

i7-2860QM 6
+166%
i5-540M 2

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.85 1.13
Integrated graphics card 0.66 0.77
Recency 4 September 2011 7 January 2010
Physical cores 4 2
Threads 8 4
Power consumption (TDP) 45 Watt 35 Watt

i7-2860QM has a 152.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

i5-540M, on the other hand, has 16.7% faster integrated GPU, and 28.6% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-2860QM is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-540M in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2860QM and Core i5-540M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-2860QM
Core i7-2860QM
Intel Core i5-540M
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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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