Pentium 8500 vs i7-3940XM

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1484	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Alder Lake-M
Power efficiency	6.33	no data
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Alder Lake-U (2022)
Release date	3 September 2012 (12 years ago)	23 February 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,096	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 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)	5 (Penta-Core)
Threads	8	6
Base clock speed	3 GHz	1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	4.4 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	8 MB (shared)	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	160 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	1,400 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 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 1781
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	9 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500. 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	+	+
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	+	-
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel® UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel® Processors
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.35 GHz	800 MHz
Execution Units	no data	48
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 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 i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500 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 i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500.

PCIe version	3.0	4.0
PCI Express lanes	16	14

Pros & cons summary

---

Recency	3 September 2012	23 February 2022
Physical cores	4	5
Threads	8	6
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	9 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3940XM and Pentium 8500, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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

---