i3-4100U vs i7-4600U

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2039	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	10.79	no data
Architecture codename	Haswell-ULT (2013)	Haswell (2013−2015)
Release date	1 September 2013 (11 years ago)	4 June 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$398	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	2.1 GHz	1.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	1.8 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	22 nm
Die size	118 mm2	118 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	1,300 million	1,400 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U 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	FCBGA1168	FCBGA1168
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
SIPP	+	-
Smart Response	+	no data
GPIO	+	+
Smart Connect	+	+
FDI	+	-
AMT	9.5	9.5
Matrix Storage	no data	-
HD Audio	+	+
RST	+	+

Security technologies

Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
Identity Protection	+	+
Anti-Theft	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	16 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4400	Intel HD Graphics 4400
Max video memory	2 GB	2 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	3
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
VGA	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3200x2000@60Hz	3200x2000@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3200x2000@60Hz	3200x2000@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	11.2/12
OpenGL	4.3	4.3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	12
PCI support	-	-
USB revision	3.0	3.0
Total number of SATA ports	4	4
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	4	4
Integrated IDE	-	-
Number of USB ports	4	4
Integrated LAN	-	-
UART	+	+

Pros & cons summary

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Recency

1 September 2013

4 June 2013

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4600U and Core i3-4100U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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