Intel Core i5-2320 vs Intel Core i7-2670QM Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data places these two Sandy Bridge processors at nearly identical overall performance levels, but they serve entirely different market segments. The Intel Core i5-2320 is a desktop part with a 95 W TDP, while the Intel Core i7-2670QM is a mobile processor rated at 45 W. In every head-to-head benchmark logged, the i7-2670QM wins, but by margins that range from 0.9% to 1.1%, which is effectively a tie in real-world terms. The average benchmark score for the i5-2320 is 1083, while the i7-2670QM averages 1096, a 1.2% gap. The i7-2670QM also sits one percentile point higher in the database (31st vs. 30th percentile of all CPUs).

For users constrained to a desktop socket, the i5-2320 is the only choice of the two, since the i7-2670QM uses Intel Socket G2 (988B), which is incompatible. For mobile users, the i7-2670QM offers the same compute class with a much lower power envelope, and it adds Hyper-Threading, which the desktop part lacks. The data does not show any scenario where the i5-2320 wins a recorded benchmark, so the i7-2670QM is the stronger part on paper. However, the margins are so small that neither chip offers a meaningful performance advantage in the tested workloads; the deciding factor should be platform compatibility and power constraints, not raw score differences.

Architecture Differences

Both processors are built on the Sandy Bridge architecture, fabricated on a 32 nm process at Intel. They share the same transistor count of 1,160 million and the same die size of 216 mm². Both have 4 physical cores and a 6 MB shared L3 cache, with 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core. The fundamental architectural difference is thread count: the i5-2320 has 4 threads (one per core), while the i7-2670QM has 8 threads via Hyper-Threading, doubling the logical thread count without adding physical cores.

Clock speeds also differ. The i5-2320 runs at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and boosts to 3.30 GHz. The i7-2670QM has a lower base clock of 2.20 GHz but boosts to 3.10 GHz, which is only 0.20 GHz below the desktop part's boost. This lower base clock explains why the mobile i7 does not run away from the desktop i5 in multi-threaded tests despite having twice the thread count; the single-thread performance ceiling is nearly identical, and the additional threads only help when the workload scales well beyond 4 threads.

The integrated graphics differ as well: the i5-2320 includes Intel HD 2000, while the i7-2670QM includes Intel HD 3000. The i5-2320 supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes on the CPU, while the i7-2670QM has no PCIe lane information recorded. Memory support is DDR3 for the desktop part, with no memory support field listed for the mobile part, though both use a dual-channel memory bus. The i5-2320 is a desktop segment product, released on 2011-09-03, while the i7-2670QM is a mobile segment product, released on 2011-10-11. Neither has an unlocked multiplier, and both are end-of-life products.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data covers five Cinebench tests, and the i7-2670QM wins all five. The largest margin is in Cinebench R20 single-core, where the i7-2670QM scores 188 against the i5-2320's 186, a delta of -1.1% (negative delta indicates the i5-2320 trails). The other margins are similarly tight: Cinebench R20 multi-core shows 1334 vs. 1321 (-1%), Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 3177 vs. 3146 (-1%), and both Cinebench R15 multi-core and R23 single-core show -0.9% deltas, with scores of 320 vs. 317 and 448 vs. 444, respectively.

The practical interpretation is that the i7-2670QM's Hyper-Threading does not translate into a large multi-core advantage in these workloads. The i5-2320's higher base clock (3.00 GHz vs. 2.20 GHz) compensates for the lack of additional threads, keeping the multi-core scores within 1% of each other. In single-core tests, the i7-2670QM's boost clock of 3.10 GHz is only 0.20 GHz lower than the i5-2320's 3.30 GHz, and the 1% or less delta reflects that near-parity.

The database also records a Geekbench multi-core score of 1646 and a single-core score of 556 for the i7-2670QM, but no corresponding Geekbench results exist for the i5-2320, so a direct comparison in that test suite is not possible. Across all recorded head-to-head tests, the i7-2670QM accumulates 5 wins and the i5-2320 has 0 wins, yet the average benchmark scores (1083 vs. 1096) and percentile rankings (30th vs. 31st) confirm that the overall performance difference is negligible.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two processors in the recorded data:

• Threads: 4 (i5-2320) vs. 8 (i7-2670QM)
• Base clock: 3.00 GHz (i5-2320) vs. 2.20 GHz (i7-2670QM)
• Boost clock: 3.30 GHz (i5-2320) vs. 3.10 GHz (i7-2670QM)
• TDP: 95 W (i5-2320) vs. 45 W (i7-2670QM)
• Socket: Intel Socket 1155 (i5-2320) vs. Intel Socket G2 (988B) (i7-2670QM)
• Memory support: DDR3 (i5-2320) vs. not listed (i7-2670QM)
• PCIe: Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) (i5-2320) vs. not listed (i7-2670QM)
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD 2000 (i5-2320) vs. Intel HD 3000 (i7-2670QM)
• Market segment: Desktop (i5-2320) vs. Mobile (i7-2670QM)
• Release date: 2011-09-03 (i5-2320) vs. 2011-10-11 (i7-2670QM)
• Part number: SR02L (i5-2320) vs. SR02N (i7-2670QM)

All shared specifications include 4 cores, Sandy Bridge architecture, 32 nm process, 1,160 million transistors, 216 mm² die size, 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, 6 MB shared L3, dual-channel memory bus, no ECC support, no unlocked multiplier, and end-of-life production status. Neither part has a recorded launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster overall in the database?

A: The Intel Core i7-2670QM has a higher average benchmark score of 1096 and a 31st percentile ranking, compared to the i5-2320's average score of 1083 and 30th percentile. In head-to-head Cinebench tests, the i7-2670QM wins all 5 recorded comparisons, but the margins are between 0.9% and 1.1%.

Q: Does the i7-2670QM's Hyper-Threading give it a large multi-core advantage?

A: No. Despite having 8 threads versus the i5-2320's 4 threads, the i7-2670QM's multi-core scores are only 1% higher in Cinebench R20 and R23 multi-core tests, and 0.9% higher in Cinebench R15 multi-core. The i5-2320's higher base clock of 3.00 GHz versus 2.20 GHz largely compensates for the missing threads.

Q: Can the i5-2320 be used in a mobile laptop?

A: No. The i5-2320 is a desktop segment processor with a 95 W TDP and uses Intel Socket 1155. The i7-2670QM is the mobile part, with a 45 W TDP and Intel Socket G2 (988B). The sockets are physically incompatible.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the i5-2320 wins?

A: In the recorded head-to-head data, the i5-2320 does not win any of the 5 tests. The i7-2670QM wins all of them, though the largest winning margin is 1.1% in Cinebench R20 single-core.

Q: What is the difference in integrated graphics?

A: The i5-2320 includes Intel HD 2000, while the i7-2670QM includes Intel HD 3000. Both are integrated graphics solutions, but the mobile part has the higher model number.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory configuration?

A: Both use a dual-channel memory bus. The i5-2320 explicitly lists DDR3 memory support, while the i7-2670QM has no memory support field recorded. Neither supports ECC memory.