Intel Core i3-8145UE vs Intel Core i7-3635QM Comparison

The Intel Core i7-3635QM and Intel Core i3-8145UE represent two distinct generations of Intel mobile engineering, with the former a 45W quad-core from the Ivy Bridge era and the latter a 15W dual-core from the Whiskey Lake lineup. Despite the age gap, the benchmark data reveals a clear and consistent performance hierarchy, with the older i7 dominating across every shared test. This analysis breaks down the head-to-head results, architectural contrasts, and practical implications based solely on the provided facts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark suite leaves no ambiguity: the Intel Core i7-3635QM wins all five head-to-head comparisons. The margins are remarkably uniform, hovering near 21% regardless of the workload. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-3635QM scores 408 against the i3-8145UE’s 337, a 21.1% advantage. That pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core, where the i7 posts 1703 versus 1408, a 21% lead. The story is identical in Cinebench R23 multi-core: 4057 for the i7 against 3354 for the i3, another 21% gap.

Single-core results tell the same tale, which is notable given the i3’s higher boost clock. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the i7-3635QM scores 240 while the i3-8145UE manages 198, a 21.2% difference. Cinebench R23 single-core shows 572 for the i7 and 473 for the i3, a 20.9% edge. The i3-8145UE’s 3.90 GHz boost clock is not enough to overcome the i7’s architectural and core-count advantages in these tests. The i7-3635QM also holds a lead in Geekbench, though only the i7 has scores listed there: 1790 multi-core and 532 single-core, with no comparable i3 numbers in the pack.

Looking at the broader competitive landscape, the i7-3635QM’s average benchmark score is 1170, placing it in the 33rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-2960XM and Intel Core i5-3570S, both with an average score of 1169, representing a negligible 0.1% delta. The i3-8145UE’s average is 1154, also in the 33rd percentile, with its closest competitor being the AMD Opteron 4334 at 1155 (-0.1%). This means the two chips sit at essentially the same percentile tier, yet the head-to-head data shows the i7 consistently pulling ahead by around a fifth of the i3’s performance.

Where Each One Wins

The data is unambiguous: the i7-3635QM wins everywhere it is measured. There are zero benchmark victories for the i3-8145UE across the five shared tests. The i7’s wins span both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads, from Cinebench R15 through R23, covering both rendering and single-core responsiveness. This is a clean sweep, with a 5-0 win count in the head-to-head table.

The i3-8145UE’s only advantages are qualitative, not numeric. It carries a 15W TDP against the i7’s 45W, a threefold difference that suggests substantially lower power draw and heat output, though no thermal or efficiency benchmarks are provided. The i3 also supports DDR4 memory with a listed bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s, while the i7’s memory support field is null. The i3 has PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), a feature absent from the i7’s spec sheet. For scenarios prioritizing low power consumption, modern memory standards, or newer platform features, the i3 has an edge, but in raw compute performance, the i7 dominates.

The i7’s multi-core strength is particularly pronounced in rendering workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 4057 is 703 points higher than the i3’s 3354, a difference that would be noticeable in CPU-bound rendering tasks. The single-core gap is smaller in absolute terms but still consistent, with a 99-point difference in R23 single-core (572 vs 473). For users whose primary metric is computational throughput, the i7 is the clear choice from this dataset.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures separated by six years of Intel development. The i7-3635QM uses Ivy Bridge, a 22nm process with 1,480 million transistors packed into a 160 mm² die. It features 4 cores and 8 threads, a configuration that provides twice the thread count of the i3. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, with a shared 6 MB L3 cache. The i3-8145UE, in contrast, uses Whiskey Lake-U on a 10nm process, though its transistor count and die size are not listed. It has 2 cores and 4 threads, with the same per-core L1 and L2 sizes but a smaller 4 MB shared L3 cache.

Clock speeds tell an interesting story. The i7 has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost of 3.40 GHz, while the i3 has a lower base of 2.20 GHz but a higher boost of 3.90 GHz. The i3’s boost advantage of 500 MHz does not translate into benchmark wins, indicating that the i7’s additional cores and larger cache more than compensate in the tested workloads. The i7’s TDP is 45W, three times the i3’s 15W, reflecting its more power-hungry design and older process node.

Memory and platform support differ considerably. The i3 lists DDR4 memory support with a dual-channel bus and 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, alongside PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The i7’s memory support field is null, though it does list a dual-channel bus. Integrated graphics also differ: the i7 uses Intel HD 4000, while the i3 has UHD Graphics 620. Socket compatibility is distinct as well, with the i7 on Intel BGA 1224 and the i3 on Intel BGA 1528. The i3 is marked as active in production status, while the i7 has no status listed, and its release date is 2018-09-30 versus the i7’s 2012-08-31.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i7-3635QM has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the Intel Core i3-8145UE has 2 cores and 4 threads.

Q: Is the newer i3-8145UE faster in single-core performance?

A: No. Despite a higher boost clock of 3.90 GHz versus 3.40 GHz, the i3 loses all single-core benchmarks. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the i7 scores 572 against the i3’s 473, a 20.9% difference.

Q: What is the TDP difference between these two chips?

A: The i7-3635QM has a TDP of 45W, while the i3-8145UE has a TDP of 15W, making the i3 three times more power-efficient on paper.

Q: How do their memory and PCIe capabilities compare?

A: The i3-8145UE supports DDR4 memory with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth and PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The i7-3635QM lists only dual-channel memory support, with no memory type or PCIe information provided.

Q: What are their average benchmark scores and percentiles?

A: The i7-3635QM has an average benchmark score of 1170, and the i3-8145UE scores 1154. Both sit in the 33rd percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Does the i3 win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. The i7-3635QM wins all five shared benchmarks, with a win count of 5 against the i3’s 0.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for raw performance: the Intel Core i7-3635QM is the superior processor in every measured category. It leads by roughly 21% across all Cinebench tests, from R15 multi-core (408 vs 337) to R23 single-core (572 vs 473). Its 4-core, 8-thread configuration and 6 MB shared L3 cache provide a decisive advantage over the i3’s 2-core, 4-thread setup with 4 MB of cache. The i7’s average benchmark score of 1170 edges out the i3’s 1154, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-2960XM and i5-3570S, indicating it holds its own among contemporary desktop parts.

However, the i3-8145UE is not without merit. Its 15W TDP versus the i7’s 45W makes it a far more plausible option for fanless or ultra-portable designs, and its support for DDR4 memory with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth plus PCIe Gen 3 offers modern platform connectivity that the i7 lacks. The i3 is also listed as active in production, while the i7’s status is unlisted, suggesting the i3 remains a viable current option for low-power systems.

For users who prioritize multi-threaded rendering, heavy compilation, or any CPU-bound task that scales with cores, the i7-3635QM is the clear pick from these numbers. Its consistent 21% lead across the board is too large to ignore. For those who need a low-power chip with modern memory support and can tolerate a significant performance deficit, the i3-8145UE serves that niche. The verdict from the benchmark data is unambiguous: the older i7 outperforms the newer i3 in every compute test, and the i3’s advantages are confined to power efficiency and platform features, not processing speed.