i9-12950HX vs i7-3520M

Place in the ranking	2017	276
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	no data
Power efficiency	4.86	34.91
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Alder Lake-HX (2022)
Release date	3 June 2012 (12 years ago)	10 May 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$346	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX 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)	16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Performance-cores	no data	8
Efficient-cores	no data	8
Threads	4	24
Base clock speed	2.9 GHz	2.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	5 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	30 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	118 mm²	215 mm²
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	100 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX 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, FCBGA1023	FCBGA1964
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	55 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	+
SIPP	-	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	+
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size	32 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel Processors
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.25 GHz	1.55 GHz
Execution Units	no data	32
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	4
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12.1
OpenGL	no data	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX.

PCIe version	3.0	5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes	16	20

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.

i7-3520M 1.80

i9-12950HX 20.30
+1028%

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.

i7-3520M 2867

i9-12950HX 32246
+1025%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.80	20.30
Integrated graphics card	1.18	5.58
Recency	3 June 2012	10 May 2022
Physical cores	2	16
Threads	4	24
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	55 Watt

i7-3520M has 57.1% lower power consumption.

i9-12950HX, on the other hand, has a 1027.8% higher aggregate performance score, 372.9% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 9 years, and 700% more physical cores and 500% more threads.

The Core i9-12950HX is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3520M in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3520M and Core i9-12950HX, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.