Intel Core i5-3350P vs Intel Core i7-4610M Comparison

The Intel Core i7-4610M and Intel Core i5-3350P are both 22 nm Intel parts, but they serve entirely different market segments: one is a mobile processor, the other a desktop part. The benchmark data reveals a clear split: the desktop i5-3350P dominates in Cinebench tests, while the mobile i7-4610M wins decisively in Geekbench, especially in single-core performance. The overall win count favors the i5-3350P, which takes 5 of the 7 head-to-head benchmarks, but the margins and the nature of those wins tell a more nuanced story.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is in Geekbench single-core, where the i7-4610M posts a score of 1024 against the i5-3350P's 584. This is a 75.3% advantage for the mobile chip, the largest delta in the entire comparison. The i7-4610M also wins Geekbench multi-core, scoring 1903 versus 1730, a 10% lead. These results suggest the i7-4610M's architecture and higher boost clock (3.70 GHz versus 3.30 GHz) provide a significant advantage in this particular workload, which often favors higher per-core efficiency and faster clock speeds.

However, the Cinebench suite tells a completely different story. Across all five Cinebench tests, the i5-3350P wins by a consistent margin of roughly 25%. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5-3350P scores 371 against the i7-4610M's 277, a delta of -25.3% (from the i7's perspective). This pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core (1546 versus 1155), R23 multi-core (3681 versus 2750), and even in the single-core versions of these tests. The i5-3350P scores 217 in Cinebench R20 single-core versus 162 for the i7-4610M, and 519 versus 388 in R23 single-core. The consistency of this 25.3% delta across both multi-core and single-core Cinebench tests is remarkable, indicating a fundamental performance gap in this rendering workload.

The average benchmark scores reflect this split. The i7-4610M has an average benchmark score of 1094, while the i5-3350P sits at 1088, a difference of less than 1%. Both processors are in the 30th percentile among all CPUs, placing them in the same performance tier overall. The nearest rivals for the i7-4610M include the Intel Core i7-4600M (avg score 1093, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-2670QM (avg score 1096, delta -0.1%), showing it is essentially tied with those parts. The i5-3350P's nearest rivals include the AMD Athlon 220GE and Intel Core i5-2450P, with deltas of 0% and 0.2% respectively, again showing a tight cluster around its score.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on different architectures despite sharing the same 22 nm process node. The i7-4610M uses the Haswell architecture, while the i5-3350P uses Ivy Bridge. This architectural generation gap is a key factor in their different performance profiles. Haswell was a significant microarchitectural update over Ivy Bridge, bringing improvements in instruction-level parallelism, branch prediction, and other efficiency gains. This likely explains why the i7-4610M can achieve such a large single-core lead in Geekbench despite having only 2 cores compared to the i5-3350P's 4 cores.

The core and thread counts differ substantially. The i7-4610M has 2 cores and 4 threads, utilizing Hyper-Threading, while the i5-3350P has 4 physical cores and 4 threads with no Hyper-Threading. This explains the i5-3350P's dominance in Cinebench, which scales well with physical core count. The i5-3350P also has a larger L3 cache at 6 MB shared, compared to the i7-4610M's 4 MB shared. Both have the same L1 cache (64 KB per core) and L2 cache (256 KB per core).

Clock speeds also differ. The i7-4610M has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz. The i5-3350P has a higher base clock of 3.10 GHz but a lower boost clock of 3.30 GHz. This means the i7-4610M can reach a higher peak frequency under load, which benefits single-threaded performance in certain workloads like Geekbench. The TDP is a major differentiator: the i7-4610M is rated at 37 watts, while the i5-3350P is rated at 69 watts. This reflects their different market segments, with the mobile chip designed for power efficiency and the desktop chip designed for sustained performance.

The i7-4610M includes integrated graphics (Intel HD 4600), while the i5-3350P has no integrated graphics at all. The i7-4610M is an end-of-life mobile processor released in January 2014, while the i5-3350P is a desktop part released in September 2012. The i7-4610M uses the Intel Socket G3, while the i5-3350P uses the Intel Socket 1155. Both support DDR3 memory in dual-channel configuration, and the i7-4610M has a recorded memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s, while this figure is not listed for the i5-3350P. Both use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), and neither supports ECC memory. The i7-4610M has 960 million transistors on a 131 mm² die, while the i5-3350P's transistor count is not recorded, though its die size is listed as 133 mm².

Where Each One Wins

The i5-3350P is the clear winner for multi-threaded rendering workloads. Its 4 physical cores give it a substantial advantage in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, both multi-core and single-core versions. The 25.3% margin across all these tests is consistent and significant. For users running CPU-intensive rendering tasks, video encoding, or other workloads that scale with core count, the i5-3350P is the stronger choice based on the recorded data.

The i7-4610M wins in Geekbench, which is a more general-purpose benchmark that measures a mix of integer, floating-point, and memory performance. Its 75.3% lead in single-core and 10% lead in multi-core indicate that it handles a broader set of tasks more efficiently, likely due to the newer Haswell architecture and higher boost clock. For everyday computing, office applications, web browsing, and light content creation, the i7-4610M's architecture appears to provide a snappier experience despite having fewer cores.

The split is not simply about core count versus clock speed. The i5-3350P wins even in Cinebench single-core tests, which suggests its 4-core design and Ivy Bridge architecture are better suited to this specific rendering workload, even when only one core is utilized. Conversely, the i7-4610M wins in Geekbench single-core by a huge margin, indicating that Haswell's per-core efficiency is far superior in this more diverse benchmark. The i7-4610M also wins Geekbench multi-core despite having 2 fewer physical cores, further highlighting the architectural advantage of Haswell in this workload.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-4610M has a boost clock of 3.70 GHz, while the Intel Core i5-3350P has a boost clock of 3.30 GHz.

Q: How do the two processors compare in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The Intel Core i5-3350P scores 3681, while the Intel Core i7-4610M scores 2750. This gives the i5-3350P a 25.3% advantage.

Q: Does the i7-4610M support integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i7-4610M includes Intel HD 4600 integrated graphics. The Intel Core i5-3350P does not include any integrated graphics.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?

A: The Intel Core i7-4610M has an average benchmark score of 1094, while the Intel Core i5-3350P has an average benchmark score of 1088. Both are in the 30th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Which processor wins the Geekbench single-core test?

A: The Intel Core i7-4610M wins with a score of 1024, compared to 584 for the Intel Core i5-3350P. This is a 75.3% advantage.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-4610M has a TDP of 37 watts, while the Intel Core i5-3350P has a TDP of 69 watts.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear verdict for different use cases. For rendering and multi-threaded compute, the Intel Core i5-3350P is the definitive choice. Its consistent 25.3% lead across all Cinebench tests is unambiguous, driven by its 4 physical cores and larger 6 MB L3 cache. Users running Cinebench, similar rendering engines, or other heavily threaded applications will see a substantial performance benefit from the i5-3350P.

For general-purpose computing, the Intel Core i7-4610M is the superior part. Its 75.3% lead in Geekbench single-core and 10% lead in Geekbench multi-core show that the newer Haswell architecture provides better per-core efficiency and overall responsiveness in diverse workloads. The higher boost clock of 3.70 GHz and Hyper-Threading (4 threads on 2 cores) contribute to this advantage. The i7-4610M also offers integrated graphics, which is a feature the i5-3350P lacks entirely.

The choice ultimately depends on the primary workload. If the system will be used for content creation, rendering, or any task that scales with physical cores, the i5-3350P wins decisively. If the system is for general use, productivity, or tasks that benefit from single-thread efficiency and a newer architecture, the i7-4610M is the better option. The fact that both processors sit in the 30th percentile of all CPUs and have nearly identical average benchmark scores (1094 versus 1088) confirms they are in the same performance tier, but with very different strengths in specific benchmark categories.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specifications. The i7-4610M has 2 cores and 4 threads, while the i5-3350P has 4 cores and 4 threads. The i7-4610M has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz, while the i5-3350P has a base clock of 3.10 GHz and a boost clock of 3.30 GHz. The TDP differs significantly: 37 watts for the i7-4610M versus 69 watts for the i5-3350P.

The sockets are different: the i7-4610M uses Intel Socket G3, while the i5-3350P uses Intel Socket 1155. The architecture and codename differ as well: Haswell for the i7-4610M and Ivy Bridge for the i5-3350P. The L3 cache is 4 MB shared on the i7-4610M and 6 MB shared on the i5-3350P. The i7-4610M has integrated graphics (Intel HD 4600), while the i5-3350P has none. The market segments are mobile for the i7-4610M and desktop for the i5-3350P. The i7-4610M has a recorded memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s, while this is not listed for the i5-3350P. The i7-4610M has 960 million transistors on a 131 mm² die, while the i5-3350P has a 133 mm² die with no transistor count recorded. The i7-4610M was released in January 2014 with a launch MSRP of $346, while the i5-3350P was released in September 2012. Both use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), support DDR3 memory in dual-channel, do not support ECC memory, and have locked multipliers.