Processor N100 vs i7-2960XM

Place in the ranking	1646	1776
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Alder Lake-N
Power efficiency	5.14	38.30
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Alder Lake-N (2023)
Release date	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)	3 January 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,096	$128

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	2.7 GHz	0.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.4 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	96 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	2 MB (shared)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	10 nm
Die size	216 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100 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
Socket	FCPGA988	Intel BGA 1264
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	6 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) ( - 750 MHz)
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	9

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.

i7-2960XM 2.99
+23%

Processor N100 2.43

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.

i7-2960XM 4928
+1.2%

Processor N100 4869

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.

i7-2960XM 18300
+63.3%

Processor N100 11207

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.

i7-2960XM 6820
+41%

Processor N100 4838

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.

i7-2960XM 6
+49.6%

Processor N100 4

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	2.99	2.43
Integrated graphics card	0.66	2.32
Recency	4 September 2011	3 January 2023
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	10 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	6 Watt

i7-2960XM has a 23% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.

Processor N100, on the other hand, has 251.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 11 years, a 220% more advanced lithography process, and 816.7% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-2960XM is our recommended choice as it beats the Processor N100 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2960XM and Processor N100, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.