Intel Core i5-4460T vs Intel Core i7-3635QM Comparison

The Intel Core i5-4460T and Intel Core i7-3635QM are two 22 nm quad-core processors from adjacent Intel generations that land in nearly the same overall position in the database: both sit in the 33rd percentile versus all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores of 1190 and 1170 are separated by less than two percent. Yet the recorded data shows the head-to-head is not close at all in individual tests. The i7-3635QM wins five of seven recorded benchmarks, while the i5-4460T takes the two Geekbench contests, one of them by a decisive margin. The interesting story here is how two chips with near-identical aggregate ratings can diverge so sharply depending on the workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results all point the same direction, and the margins are remarkably consistent. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-3635QM scores 408 against 313 for the i5-4460T, a 23.3 percent gap. Cinebench R20 multi-core repeats the pattern: 1703 versus 1305, a 23.4 percent lead for the i7. R20 single-core lands at 240 versus 183, a 23.7 percent gap. Cinebench R23 multi-core finishes at 4057 versus 3109, 23.4 percent apart, and R23 single-core sits at 572 versus 438, again 23.4 percent in the i7's favor. Five tests, five wins for the i7-3635QM, and every winning margin sits in a tight band between roughly 23 and 24 percent. That consistency is itself informative: it suggests a structural advantage, primarily the i7's eight threads against the i5's four, rather than a benchmark-specific quirk.

Geekbench flips the script. In Geekbench multi-core the i5-4460T scores 2170 against 1790, a 21.2 percent win. Geekbench single-core is the most lopsided result in the entire dataset: 809 versus 532, a 52.1 percent advantage for the i5. That single-core margin is more than double any gap the i7 manages in its own winning tests, and it is the strongest argument in the data for the Haswell chip. Geekbench's workload mix apparently rewards the i5-4460T's newer architecture per thread more than Cinebench's rendering loops do, even though the i7 carries higher nominal clocks (3.40 boost versus 2.70).

The scoreboard stands at five wins for the i7-3635QM and two for the i5-4460T, but the two i5 wins include the largest single margin in the pairing. Anyone weighing these chips needs to know which benchmark family better resembles their actual workload.

Architecture Differences

Both processors are Intel parts built on the same 22 nm process at Intel's own foundries, but they come from different architectural generations. The i5-4460T is a Haswell design released in 2014; the i7-3635QM is an Ivy Bridge design released in 2012. Haswell arrived two years later, and the Geekbench single-core result (809 versus 532) is the clearest expression of that generational gap in per-thread efficiency in this dataset.

The core and thread counts diverge sharply. The i5-4460T offers 4 cores and 4 threads, with no hyper-threading. The i7-3635QM offers 4 cores and 8 threads, and those extra four threads are the most plausible explanation for its uniform 23 to 24 percent Cinebench advantage. Clock behavior also differs: the i5 runs a 1900 MHz base with a 2.70 boost, while the i7 runs a 2.40 base with a 3.40 boost.

The cache hierarchies are identical: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 on both chips. Neither part has an unlocked multiplier. Die economics differ slightly: the i7 packs 1480 million transistors into a 160 mm² die, while the i5 uses 1400 million transistors across 177 mm².

The market segments are the biggest practical difference. The i5-4460T is a desktop part on Intel Socket 1150; the i7-3635QM is a mobile part soldered to Intel BGA 1224, meaning it is not socket-swappable in the way the desktop chip is. The i5 supports DDR3 on a dual-channel bus with 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth and PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes; equivalent memory and PCIe figures are not recorded for the i7, though its memory bus is also dual-channel. Integrated graphics differ by generation: Intel HD 4600 on the i5 versus Intel HD 4000 on the i7. Neither supports ECC memory. The i5 carries a 35 W TDP against 45 W for the i7, notable given the i7 is the mobile part. The i5 is listed as end-of-life; production status for the i7 is not recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in Cinebench rendering?

A: The i7-3635QM, and by a wide margin. It wins every Cinebench test in the database: R15 multi-core 408 to 313, R20 multi-core 1703 to 1305, R20 single-core 240 to 183, R23 multi-core 4057 to 3109, and R23 single-core 572 to 438. Every margin falls between 23.3 and 23.7 percent.

Q: Which CPU is faster in Geekbench?

A: The i5-4460T. It wins Geekbench multi-core 2170 to 1790 (21.2 percent) and Geekbench single-core 809 to 532 (52.1 percent), the largest margin in the entire head-to-head dataset.

Q: How do their overall database ratings compare?

A: They are nearly identical. Both sit in the 33rd percentile versus all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores differ by about two percent (1190 for the i5-4460T versus 1170 for the i7-3635QM).

Q: Do the extra threads on the i7 matter?

A: The data strongly suggests yes. The i7's eight threads versus the i5's four align with its uniform 23 to 24 percent Cinebench multi-core advantage, even though the i5 wins Geekbench single-core by 52.1 percent. Threaded rendering workloads favor the i7; lightly threaded or mixed workloads measured by Geekbench favor the i5.

Q: Are these chips on the same socket?

A: No. The i5-4460T uses Intel Socket 1150 on the desktop. The i7-3635QM is a mobile processor permanently attached to Intel BGA 1224, so it cannot be moved between boards the way a socketed desktop chip can.

Q: Which chip has the newer architecture?

A: The i5-4460T. It is a 2014 Haswell design, while the i7-3635QM is a 2012 Ivy Bridge design. Both are built on Intel's 22 nm process.

Specification Differences

• Threads: 4 on the i5-4460T, 8 on the i7-3635QM (both have 4 cores)
• Base clock: 1900 MHz on the i5, 2.40 on the i7
• Boost clock: 2.70 on the i5, 3.40 on the i7
• TDP: 35 W on the i5, 45 W on the i7
• Socket: Intel Socket 1150 (i5) versus Intel BGA 1224 (i7)
• Architecture: Haswell (i5) versus Ivy Bridge (i7)
• Market segment: Desktop (i5) versus Mobile (i7)
• Transistors: 1400 million on the i5, 1480 million on the i7
• Die size: 177 mm² on the i5, 160 mm² on the i7
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD 4600 (i5) versus Intel HD 4000 (i7)
• Memory support: DDR3 recorded on the i5 only; both use dual-channel buses
• Memory bandwidth: 25.6 GB/s recorded on the i5 only
• PCIe: Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes recorded on the i5 only
• Release date: 2014 for the i5, 2012 for the i7
• Production status: the i5 is listed as end-of-life; no status is recorded for the i7

Everything else in the recorded data matches: 22 nm Intel fabrication, identical cache layouts (64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, 6 MB shared L3), no ECC support, and locked multipliers on both.

The Verdict

The database makes this a workload question, not a blanket ranking. If the use case involves sustained multi-threaded rendering, the i7-3635QM is the clear pick: it wins all five Cinebench tests by 23.3 to 23.7 percent, and its eight threads explain why. If the use case is better represented by Geekbench, the i5-4460T dominates, taking multi-core by 21.2 percent and single-core by 52.1 percent, the biggest gap anywhere in this pairing.

Practical constraints may decide it before benchmarks do. The i7-3635QM is a BGA mobile part with no socket upgrade path, while the i5-4460T is a socketed desktop chip on Intel Socket 1150. The i5 also runs at a lower 35 W TDP versus 45 W, despite being the desktop part. For a builder choosing between systems containing these chips, the i5's platform flexibility, lower TDP, newer Haswell architecture, and Geekbench performance make it the more practical default. The i7 earns its place only where the workload is specifically the threaded rendering type that Cinebench measures.

Context from the rivals list reinforces how evenly matched they are overall. The i5-4460T's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-4170 (average score 1193, within 0.3 percent), the Intel Core i5-2400 (1187, within 0.3 percent), the AMD Opteron 6234 (1191, within 0.1 percent), and the Intel Core i7-8665UE (1193, within 0.2 percent). The i7-3635QM's neighbors include the Intel Core i7-2960XM and Intel Core i5-3570S (both 1169, within 0.1 percent), the AMD Opteron 6220 (1168, within 0.2 percent), and the Intel Core i3-7320 (1173, within 0.2 percent). Both chips occupy the same neighborhood of the database from slightly different directions.

Where Each One Wins

Intel Core i7-3635QM wins on:

• Cinebench R15 multi-core: 408 versus 313
• Cinebench R20 multi-core: 1703 versus 1305
• Cinebench R20 single-core: 240 versus 183
• Cinebench R23 multi-core: 4057 versus 3109
• Cinebench R23 single-core: 572 versus 438
• Boost clock headroom: 3.40 versus 2.70

Intel Core i5-4460T wins on:

• Geekbench multi-core: 2170 versus 1790
• Geekbench single-core: 809 versus 532
• Power draw: 35 W TDP versus 45 W
• Platform flexibility: Socket 1150 versus soldered BGA 1224
• Newer architecture: Haswell versus Ivy Bridge
• Newer integrated graphics: HD 4600 versus HD 4000

In short: rendering boxes lean i7, everything else leans i5.