Intel Core i5-2380P vs Intel Core i7-2820QM Comparison

The Intel Core i7-2820QM and Intel Core i5-2380P are both Sandy Bridge parts from the same 32 nm generation, but they target entirely different platforms. The i7-2820QM is a mobile processor with hyper-threading, while the i5-2380P is a desktop chip without integrated graphics. Despite the i5’s higher base clock, the benchmark data shows the i7-2820QM winning every single head-to-head test, with a consistent performance edge that makes the comparison surprisingly one-sided.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The i7-2820QM’s victory is not narrow; it is a clean sweep. Across all five head-to-head benchmark results, the mobile i7 beats the desktop i5 by a nearly uniform margin of roughly 19.6% to 19.7%. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i7-2820QM scores 372 against the i5-2380P’s 311, a 19.6% advantage. The story repeats in Cinebench R20 multicore, where the i7 posts 1552 versus 1297, again a 19.7% lead. The most substantial raw gap appears in Cinebench R23 multicore: the i7-2820QM reaches 3697 points, while the i5-2380P manages 3090 points. That 607-point difference is the largest absolute spread in the dataset.

Single-core performance tells the same tale. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the i7-2820QM scores 219, besting the i5-2380P’s 183 by 19.7%. Cinebench R23 single-core shows the i7 at 522 versus the i5’s 436, a 19.7% delta. Even though the i5-2380P has a higher base clock of 3.10 GHz compared to the i7’s 2.30 GHz, both processors boost to the same 3.40 GHz ceiling. The i7’s hyper-threading (8 threads versus 4) and larger 8 MB shared L3 cache clearly overcome the i5’s raw clock advantage in sustained workloads.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the pattern. The i7-2820QM holds an average benchmark score of 1069, while the i5-2380P sits just behind at 1063. Both processors land in the 29th percentile of all CPUs, indicating they occupy a similar overall performance tier despite the head-to-head results. The i7’s nearest rivals include the Intel Processor N95 (average score 1070, delta -0.1%) and the AMD Athlon X4 880K (average score 1071, delta -0.2%), showing it is tightly clustered with those parts. The i5-2380P’s nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-4570TE (1062, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Xeon W3580 (1064, delta -0.1%), a similarly tight grouping.

Architecture Differences

Both processors share the Sandy Bridge architecture, the 32 nm process node, and the same 1,160 million transistors on a 216 mm² die. They also share the same per-core cache hierarchy: 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core. The divergences begin with the L3 cache. The i7-2820QM offers 8 MB of shared L3, while the i5-2380P is limited to 6 MB. That 2 MB difference is a meaningful factor in the i7’s consistent benchmark wins.

Core and thread counts are the next major split. The i7-2820QM provides 4 cores and 8 threads via hyper-threading, whereas the i5-2380P offers 4 cores and 4 threads with no hyper-threading. This explains the multicore performance gap: the i7 can process two threads per core, effectively doubling its thread count in heavily threaded workloads like Cinebench. The i5-2380P’s higher base clock of 3.10 GHz versus the i7’s 2.30 GHz cannot compensate for the missing threads in multicore tests, though both boost to 3.40 GHz.

Platform and power characteristics differ sharply. The i7-2820QM is a mobile part with a 45 W TDP, socketed for Intel Socket G2 (988B), and includes Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics. The i5-2380P is a desktop part with a 95 W TDP, socketed for Intel Socket 1155, and has no integrated graphics at all. The i5-2380P supports DDR3 memory over a dual-channel bus, while the i7-2820QM also uses dual-channel memory but the FACT PACK does not list specific memory support for the i7. The i5-2380P supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only); no PCIe information is provided for the i7.

The i7-2820QM’s market segment is mobile, released in January 2011, and is marked as end-of-life. The i5-2380P is a desktop part released in January 2012, with no production status listed. The i7 part number is SR012, and the i5 is SR0G2. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so overclocking is not an option on either. The i7-2820QM includes integrated graphics, while the i5-2380P notably omits them, a design choice that reduces the desktop chip’s feature set but also its power envelope is still much higher at 95 W.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Core i7-2820QM wins every benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, with a consistent 19.6% to 19.7% advantage across both single-core and multicore tests. For anyone choosing between these two based purely on performance, the i7-2820QM is the clear pick. Its 8 threads and larger 8 MB L3 cache deliver results that the i5-2380P cannot match, despite the i5’s higher base clock.

However, the platform context matters. The i7-2820QM is a mobile processor, designed for laptops with a 45 W TDP and integrated graphics. The i5-2380P is a desktop CPU with a 95 W TDP, no integrated graphics, and support for DDR3 memory and PCIe Gen 3. If the use case is a desktop build where a discrete GPU is already present, the i5-2380P’s lack of integrated graphics is irrelevant, and its higher base clock might appeal in lightly threaded tasks—but the benchmark data shows it still loses single-core tests to the i7 by nearly 20%.

From a strict performance standpoint, the i7-2820QM is the superior processor. The i5-2380P only makes sense if the desktop socket, DDR3 memory support, or PCIe Gen 3 lanes are hard requirements, since those are features the i7-2820QM does not list. But for raw compute, the i7-2820QM’s hyper-threading and extra cache win decisively. The 29th percentile ranking for both CPUs indicates they are peers in the broader market, yet in a direct comparison, the i7-2820QM is the one to choose.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has better multicore performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-2820QM wins all multicore tests. In Cinebench R23 multicore, it scores 3697 versus the i5-2380P’s 3090, a 19.6% advantage. In Cinebench R20 multicore, it scores 1552 versus 1297, a 19.7% lead.

Q: Do these CPUs have the same number of cores and threads?

A: No. Both have 4 cores, but the i7-2820QM has 8 threads via hyper-threading, while the i5-2380P has 4 threads. This thread difference is a major reason for the i7’s multicore wins.

Q: What is the L3 cache size on each processor?

A: The i7-2820QM has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, while the i5-2380P has 6 MB of shared L3 cache. Both have 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core.

Q: Do either of these CPUs include integrated graphics?

A: Only the i7-2820QM includes integrated graphics, specifically Intel HD 3000. The i5-2380P has no integrated graphics at all.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for these two chips?

A: The i7-2820QM has a 45 W TDP, making it a mobile part, while the i5-2380P has a 95 W TDP, indicating a desktop design. The i5’s higher TDP does not translate to better performance in these benchmarks.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: Both processors boost to the same 3.40 GHz. However, the i5-2380P has a higher base clock at 3.10 GHz compared to the i7-2820QM’s 2.30 GHz.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-2820QM wins in every measured benchmark category. It takes the multicore tests with deltas of 19.6% in Cinebench R15 and R23, and 19.7% in Cinebench R20. It also wins single-core tests with a 19.7% delta in both Cinebench R20 and R23. The i7’s 8 threads and 8 MB L3 cache give it a decisive edge in threaded workloads, and its hyper-threading even helps in single-core tests, likely due to better scheduling and cache utilization. The i7-2820QM is the winner for any compute-heavy task, including video rendering, 3D modeling, and software compilation, based on its Cinebench scores.

The Intel Core i5-2380P wins in no benchmark tests. The head-to-head data shows 5 wins for the i7-2820QM and 0 wins for the i5-2380P. However, the i5-2380P has platform advantages that are not reflected in raw compute scores. It supports DDR3 memory and PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-2820QM’s FACT PACK does not list memory support or PCIe details. The i5-2380P also has a higher base clock of 3.10 GHz, which could theoretically benefit short, lightly threaded tasks, but the benchmark data shows it still loses single-core tests. For a desktop system with an existing discrete GPU, the i5-2380P’s lack of integrated graphics is not a drawback, and its desktop socket may be more convenient for upgrades. The i5-2380P is the choice only if the desktop platform, DDR3 memory support, or PCIe Gen 3 connectivity are mandatory, since its performance is consistently behind the i7-2820QM.