Intel Core i5-4430S vs Intel Core i7-3610QE Comparison

The Intel Core i7-3610QE and the Intel Core i5-4430S occupy the same percentile band in the database, both sitting at the 35th percentile against all recorded CPUs, yet they reach that position through very different routes. One is a 45 W mobile part from the Ivy Bridge generation with eight threads on four cores; the other is a 65 W desktop Haswell chip with four cores and four threads. Their average benchmark scores are nearly identical, 1297 versus 1274, but the individual test results split sharply: the i7-3610QE wins six of eight head-to-head contests, all of them in Cinebench, while the i5-4430S takes both Geekbench tests by wide margins. That asymmetry is the story of this comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-3610QE owns every rendering workload in the database. Across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, in both multi-core and single-core configurations, it beats the i5-4430S by 22.1 to 23.1 percent each time. For sustained rendering, encoding, or any application whose profile resembles Cinebench's all-threads-saturated workload, the recorded data gives the mobile i7 a decisive edge despite its lower power envelope. Its hyper-threaded design, four cores feeding eight threads, is the likely driver: rendering suites scale well with logical processors, and the results confirm it. A 4533 score in Cinebench R23 multi-core against 3710 is not a marginal win, it is a full performance class of separation.

The i5-4430S answers in Geekbench. Its single-core score of 980 against 560 is a 42.9 percent lead, the largest gap in the entire comparison, and its multi-core score of 2773 against 1954 adds another 29.5 percent win. Geekbench rewards per-core throughput and short burst behavior, and here the Haswell architecture, higher base clock, and desktop power budget combine to dominate. The data therefore splits the use cases cleanly: choose the i7-3610QE for rendering-class, multi-threaded production work, and choose the i5-4430S for bursty, lightly threaded, general-purpose desktop work where snappy single-thread response matters most.

Both chips land at the same 35th percentile overall, which means each is competitive in its neighborhood. The i7-3610QE's rivals include the Intel Core i5-3570K (average score 1293, a 0.3 percent gap), the AMD Opteron 6328 (1304, -0.5 percent), the Intel Core i7-3630QM (1289, 0.6 percent), and the AMD Opteron 6272 (1288, 0.7 percent). The i5-4430S clusters near the Intel Atom x7425E (1273, 0.1 percent), the Intel Core i5-4670T (1271, 0.2 percent), the Intel Core i3-1005G1 (1265, 0.7 percent), and the Intel Xeon W-2102 (1264, 0.8 percent). Both lists are tight, confirming these are mid-band performers surrounded by peers within a percent of each other.

Architecture Differences

Both chips come from Intel on the same 22 nm process node and both carry 1,400 million transistors, but the similarities largely end there. The i7-3610QE is an Ivy Bridge design released on 2012-04-28, while the i5-4430S is a Haswell design released on 2013-06-01, a full generation later. Haswell brought per-core microarchitectural improvements over Ivy Bridge, which is consistent with the i5's much stronger Geekbench single-core result even though its boost clock (3.20 GHz) is actually lower than the i7's (3.30 GHz).

The most consequential structural difference is threading. The i7-3610QE pairs its four physical cores with eight threads via hyper-threading; the i5-4430S has four cores and four threads only. That is exactly the shape of the benchmark split: Cinebench's heavily threaded workloads favor the i7's eight logical processors, while Geekbench's shorter, per-core-weighted tests favor the newer Haswell cores running at a higher base clock, 2.70 GHz against 2.30 GHz.

Cache is identical: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 on both parts. Die size differs modestly, 160 mm² for the i7 versus 177 mm² for the i5, reflecting the newer integrated graphics block. The i7-3610QE carries Intel HD 4000 graphics; the i5-4430S carries the newer Intel HD 4600. Both use dual-channel memory buses, though only the i5's memory support is recorded, DDR3, and only the i5 has a recorded PCIe version, Gen 3. Neither supports ECC memory and neither has an unlocked multiplier, so neither part is positioned for overclocking.

Market segmentation is the other clear divide. The i7-3610QE is a mobile processor on Intel Socket G2 (988B) with a 45 W TDP, designed for laptops and embedded systems where efficiency matters. The i5-4430S is a desktop processor on Intel Socket 1150 with a 65 W TDP. Notably, the mobile part wins the majority of benchmarks while drawing less power on paper, which makes its six Cinebench victories all the more striking.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results are remarkable for their consistency. In R15 multi-core, the i7-3610QE scores 456 against 373, a 22.3 percent win. In R15 single-core it leads 64 to 52, 23.1 percent, the largest Cinebench gap. R20 multi-core goes 1903 to 1558 (22.1 percent) and R20 single-core 268 to 219 (22.4 percent). R23 continues the pattern: 4533 versus 3710 in multi-core (22.2 percent) and 639 versus 523 in single-core (22.2 percent). Six tests, six wins, all clustered between 22.1 and 23.1 percent. That uniformity suggests the advantage is architectural rather than workload-specific: hyper-threading plus a slightly higher boost clock deliver a stable, repeatable margin across the entire rendering suite.

An interesting wrinkle is that the i7 even wins Cinebench single-core by over 22 percent, despite the i5's newer cores and higher base clock. Single-threaded rendering performance in this dataset favors the Ivy Bridge part, and the recorded boost clocks, 3.30 GHz versus 3.20 GHz, point in the same direction. The database shows the i5's Haswell advantage materializing only in Geekbench.

Geekbench flips the verdict completely. The i5-4430S posts 980 in single-core against the i7's 560, a 42.9 percent victory and the single largest delta in the comparison. In multi-core it scores 2773 against 1954, winning by 29.5 percent. This reversal is worth unpacking: Geekbench's workload mix weights integer and floating-point bursts, memory latency, and per-core efficiency, and the Haswell generation's improvements in those areas evidently outweigh the i7's thread-count advantage. The i7's eight threads cannot help in a test where per-core throughput dominates.

The aggregate picture is a 6-2 split for the i7-3610QE, but the two i5 wins are large enough that the average scores nearly cancel out: 1297 for the i7, 1274 for the i5, a gap of well under two percent. Depending on the workload, either chip can be the clear winner.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly tied: 1297 for the i7-3610QE versus 1274 for the i5-4430S. The i7 wins six of eight head-to-head tests (all Cinebench), while the i5 wins both Geekbench tests by large margins.

Q: Which one is better for rendering?

A: The i7-3610QE, decisively. It leads every Cinebench test by 22.1 to 23.1 percent, including 4533 versus 3710 in R23 multi-core. Its eight threads on four cores give it a sustained advantage in rendering workloads.

Q: Which one is better for everyday, lightly threaded tasks?

A: The i5-4430S. Its Geekbench single-core score of 980 beats the i7's 560 by 42.9 percent, the biggest gap in the comparison, reflecting the newer Haswell architecture and higher 2.70 GHz base clock.

Q: Do they use the same socket?

A: No. The i7-3610QE uses Intel Socket G2 (988B) as a mobile part; the i5-4430S uses Intel Socket 1150 as a desktop part. They are not interchangeable.

Q: Which chip is more power efficient?

A: On paper, the i7-3610QE, with a 45 W TDP versus 65 W for the i5-4430S, and it still wins the majority of benchmarks. TDP is a thermal design figure rather than a direct measurement of power draw, but the recorded data favors the mobile part.

Q: Can either CPU be overclocked?

A: No. Neither part has an unlocked multiplier, so both are fixed-configuration processors.

Specification Differences

• Threads: 8 (i7-3610QE) versus 4 (i5-4430S); both have 4 cores.
• Base clock: 2.30 GHz (i7) versus 2.70 GHz (i5).
• Boost clock: 3.30 GHz (i7) versus 3.20 GHz (i5).
• TDP: 45 W (i7) versus 65 W (i5).
• Socket: Intel Socket G2 (988B) (i7) versus Intel Socket 1150 (i5).
• Architecture / codename: Ivy Bridge (i7) versus Haswell (i5).
• Generation: Core i7, Ivy Bridge (i7) versus Core i5, Haswell (i5).
• Die size: 160 mm² (i7) versus 177 mm² (i5).
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD 4000 (i7) versus Intel HD 4600 (i5).
• Market segment: Mobile (i7) versus Desktop (i5).
• Release date: 2012-04-28 (i7) versus 2013-06-01 (i5).
• Memory support: not recorded for the i7; DDR3 for the i5.
• PCIe: not recorded for the i7; Gen 3 for the i5.
• Part number: SR0NP (i7) versus SR14M (i5).

Identical fields include manufacturer (Intel), process node (22 nm), foundry (Intel), transistor count (1,400 million), the full cache hierarchy (64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, 6 MB shared L3), dual-channel memory bus, ECC support (absent on both), and locked multipliers on both.