Intel Core i5-3475S vs Intel Core i7-4610M Comparison

The Intel Core i7-4610M and Intel Core i5-3475S are two very different processors that end up in a similar performance bracket, but the data shows they achieve that status through completely opposite strategies. One is a low-power mobile part with hyper-threading, while the other is a desktop quad-core from an older generation. The benchmark results reveal a fascinating split: the desktop chip dominates in rendering workloads, but the mobile chip counters with surprising victories in Geekbench. This comparison is less about a single winner and more about understanding what each architecture does best.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench suite paints a stark picture of multi-threaded performance, and it is not close. Across every Cinebench iteration, the Intel Core i5-3475S wins decisively. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the i5-3475S scores 3685 against the i7-4610M's 2750, a substantial 25.4% advantage. The story repeats in Cinebench R20 multicore, where the i5-3475S posts 1547 versus 1155 for the i7-4610M, again a 25.3% gap. Even in the older Cinebench R15 multicore test, the i5-3475S's 371 score dwarfs the i7-4610M's 277, maintaining that consistent 25.3% deficit. This pattern is easily explained by the physical hardware: the i5-3475S has four physical cores, while the i7-4610M has only two, and hyper-threading cannot fully compensate for that missing silicon in these heavily parallel workloads.

The single-core Cinebench results are equally one-sided, though the margin narrows slightly. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the i5-3475S scores 520 versus 388 for the i7-4610M, a 25.4% lead. The Cinebench R20 single-core test shows a similar 25.7% advantage for the i5-3475S, with scores of 218 and 162 respectively. This is counterintuitive at first glance. The i7-4610M has a higher boost clock (3.70 GHz) than the i5-3475S (3.60 GHz), yet it still loses in single-threaded Cinebench by a wide margin. The data suggests that the newer Haswell architecture in the i7-4610M is not enough to overcome the older Ivy Bridge design's per-core efficiency in this specific workload, a surprising turn given the generational gap.

However, the narrative flips entirely when looking at Geekbench. The i7-4610M wins Geekbench multicore with a score of 1903, beating the i5-3475S's 1731 by a healthy 9.9% margin. The single-core Geekbench result is even more dramatic. The i7-4610M scores 1024, which is a massive 68.7% higher than the i5-3475S's 607. This is the single largest performance gap in the entire comparison, and it completely contradicts the Cinebench single-core results. The implication is that Geekbench's workload mix favors the i7-4610M's higher boost clock and newer IPC improvements, while Cinebench R23's rendering engine is more sensitive to the i5-3475S's additional cores and possibly different memory latency characteristics.

The overall win count sits at 5 for the i5-3475S and 2 for the i7-4610M. Yet, the magnitude of those two wins for the i7-4610M, particularly the 68.7% Geekbench single-core victory, means the average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The i5-3475S has an average benchmark score of 1091, while the i7-4610M sits at 1094, a difference of only 0.3%. The data suggests that these chips are not simply better or worse than each other, but rather that they excel in different types of workloads, making the "winner" entirely dependent on the application being used.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-4610M has an average benchmark score of 1094, which is just three points higher than the Intel Core i5-3475S's 1091. This is a negligible difference of roughly 0.3%, indicating they are statistically tied in overall performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-3475S always faster than the i7-4610M?

A: No. While the i5-3475S wins all four Cinebench tests (R15, R20, R23 multicore and single-core), the i7-4610M wins both Geekbench tests. In Geekbench single-core, the i7-4610M is 68.7% faster, a massive reversal of the trend seen in Cinebench.

Q: Does the i7-4610M's higher boost clock give it an advantage?

A: The data shows mixed results. The i7-4610M boosts to 3.70 GHz compared to the i5-3475S's 3.60 GHz, and it does win Geekbench single-core by a wide 68.7% margin. However, it still loses all Cinebench single-core tests by over 25%, which indicates clock speed alone does not determine the winner.

Q: How do the core counts affect the benchmark results?

A: The i5-3475S has 4 cores while the i7-4610M has only 2 cores (with 4 threads). This physical core advantage likely drives the i5-3475S's consistent 25% lead in all Cinebench multicore tests, where scaling across physical cores is critical.

Q: Are these processors comparable in their production status?

A: The i7-4610M is listed as "End-of-life" production status, while the i5-3475S has no explicit production status listed in the data. This suggests the i7-4610M is officially discontinued, but the i5-3475S's status is not specified.

Q: Which chip has a higher percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: Both processors have the same percentile ranking. The i7-4610M is in the 30th percentile and the i5-3475S is also in the 30th percentile, confirming that they are positioned at the same level within the broader CPU landscape.

The Verdict

The data does not support a single "best" chip. Instead, it points to a clear choice based on workload. For users running rendering applications like Cinebench, the Intel Core i5-3475S is the unequivocal pick. It wins every Cinebench test by a margin of roughly 25%, and its four physical cores deliver exactly what these multi-threaded tasks need. This is the chip for content creation that relies on sustained multi-core rendering.

The Intel Core i7-4610M is the counter-intuitive choice for general responsiveness and specific single-threaded applications. Its Geekbench single-core score of 1024 is 68.7% higher than the i5-3475S's 607, a staggering lead that suggests superior performance in software that does not scale well across cores. Its Geekbench multicore win of 1903 versus 1731 also shows it can handle some multi-threaded tasks better, despite having fewer physical cores.

The final recommendation hinges on the application. If the primary use is video rendering, 3D modeling, or any Cinebench-like workload, the i5-3475S is the only logical choice. If the workload involves a mix of office productivity, web browsing, and legacy single-threaded applications, the i7-4610M's surprising Geekbench dominance makes it the more compelling option, despite its mobile origins. The data clearly shows that a higher core count does not automatically equate to a faster processor in every scenario.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every fundamental specification. The i7-4610M uses the Intel Socket G3 and is a mobile part, while the i5-3475S uses the Intel Socket 1155 and is a desktop part. The i7-4610M has 2 cores and 4 threads, whereas the i5-3475S has 4 cores and 4 threads. Base clocks are similar, with the i7-4610M at 3.00 GHz and the i5-3475S at 2.90 GHz, and boost clocks are also close at 3.70 GHz and 3.60 GHz respectively. The TDP differs significantly: the i7-4610M is rated at 37W and the i5-3475S at 65W. Cache sizes also differ, with the i7-4610M having 4 MB of shared L3 cache and the i5-3475S having 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

The i7-4610M lists a memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s, while the i5-3475S does not have a memory bandwidth figure in the data. Integrated graphics differ, with the i7-4610M featuring Intel HD 4600 and the i5-3475S featuring Intel HD 4000. The release dates are different, with the i7-4610M launching on 2014-01-31 and the i5-3475S on 2012-05-31. The i7-4610M has a launch MSRP of $346, while the i5-3475S has no launch MSRP listed. The part numbers are SR1KY for the i7-4610M and SR0PP for the i5-3475S.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is clear. The i7-4610M is based on the Haswell architecture, while the i5-3475S uses the older Ivy Bridge architecture. Both are built on the same 22 nm process node and by the same foundry, Intel. However, the transistor counts differ substantially. The i7-4610M has 960 million transistors on a 131 mm² die, while the i5-3475S packs 1,400 million transistors onto a 160 mm² die. The larger die and higher transistor count on the i5-3475S reflect its quad-core design.

The i7-4610M is part of the Core i7 (Haswell) generation, while the i5-3475S is from the Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) generation. Both support DDR3 memory in dual-channel configuration, and both support PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. Neither supports ECC memory, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. The cache hierarchy is identical in structure for L1 and L2, with 64 KB per core and 256 KB per core respectively, but the L3 cache is larger on the i5-3475S at 6 MB shared versus 4 MB shared on the i7-4610M. The i7-4610M has a higher boost clock and a significantly lower TDP, while the i5-3475S has more cores and more cache.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-3475S wins in all rendering and heavily parallelized workloads. Its four physical cores give it a consistent 25% lead in every Cinebench test, from R15 to R23. This makes it the clear choice for 3D rendering, video encoding, and any task that can utilize all available cores simultaneously. The larger 6 MB L3 cache also likely contributes to its performance in cache-sensitive applications, though the benchmark data does not directly measure this.

The Intel Core i7-4610M wins in Geekbench, particularly in single-core performance. Its 68.7% lead in Geekbench single-core is the most decisive result in the entire comparison, and its 9.9% Geekbench multicore win shows it can also handle some multi-threaded tasks better. This points to strengths in applications that rely on high per-core IPC and lower latency, such as web browsing, office productivity, and certain legacy software that is not well-optimized for multiple cores. Its lower 37W TDP also makes it a better fit for power-constrained environments, even though it is a mobile part. The data suggests that if a user's workload primarily involves Geekbench-style tasks, the i7-4610M is the superior processor, despite its fewer cores.