Intel Core i5-4570R vs Intel Core i7-3630QM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a sharply split picture between these two processors. The Intel Core i7-3630QM dominates the Cinebench suite, while the Intel Core i5-4570R takes a commanding lead in Geekbench. The overall win count favors the Core i7-3630QM with six wins out of eight head-to-head comparisons, but the margin of victory in the two Geekbench tests is substantial.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Core i7-3630QM scores 439 against 390 for the Core i5-4570R, a delta of 11.2 percent. The single-core R15 test shows the same pattern: 61 versus 54, an 11.5 percent advantage for the Core i7. Moving to Cinebench R20, the multicore result is 1832 against 1629 (11.1 percent), and single-core is 258 versus 229 (11.2 percent). The Cinebench R23 results continue the trend: 4364 versus 3879 in multicore and 616 versus 547 in single-core, both with deltas around 11.1 to 11.2 percent. Across every Cinebench iteration, the Core i7-3630QM holds a remarkably consistent lead, hovering just above 11 percent.

The picture inverts completely in Geekbench. The Core i5-4570R scores 2872 in multicore against 2111 for the Core i7-3630QM, a 36 percent advantage. In single-core Geekbench, the Core i5-4570R posts 943 versus 633, a massive 49 percent delta. These are not marginal differences; the Core i5-4570R nearly doubles the per-core Geekbench performance advantage over its rival.

The average benchmark scores reflect this split. The Core i5-4570R has an average score of 1318 across all tests, while the Core i7-3630QM sits at 1289. Both parts land at the 35th percentile among all CPUs in the database, meaning they occupy the same overall rank despite the divergent test results. The nearest rivals for the Core i5-4570R include the Intel Celeron G6900E at 1321 (0.2 percent behind), the Intel Celeron G6900T at 1321 (0.2 percent behind), the Intel Core i7-3770T at 1314 (0.3 percent ahead), and the AMD Athlon Gold 7220U at 1311 (0.5 percent ahead). For the Core i7-3630QM, the nearest rivals are the AMD Opteron 6272 at 1288 (0.1 percent behind), the Intel Core i5-4670R at 1286 (0.2 percent behind), the Intel Core i5-3570 at 1286 (0.3 percent behind), and the Intel Core i5-3570K at 1293 (0.3 percent ahead).

The Cinebench consistency indicates that the Core i7-3630QM's architectural advantages in threaded workloads translate directly across all three Cinebench versions. The Geekbench results, however, suggest that the Core i5-4570R has a fundamentally different performance profile that favors the specific workload mix in Geekbench. The 36 percent multicore and 49 percent single-core leads are too large to be noise, even though the overall average scores end up within 2.3 percent of each other.

The Verdict

The data supports distinct picks depending on the workload. For users who prioritize Cinebench-style rendering or any workload modeled on Cinebench, the Intel Core i7-3630QM is the clear choice. It wins all four Cinebench tests by roughly 11 percent, and its eight threads versus four give it a decisive edge in heavily threaded content creation tasks. The Core i7-3630QM also carries a lower TDP of 45 watts versus 65 watts for the Core i5-4578R, which matters for thermally constrained systems.

For users who prioritize Geekbench-style workloads, the Intel Core i5-4578R is the winner by a wide margin. The 36 percent multicore and 49 percent single-core leads in Geekbench suggest that it handles the instruction mixes used in that benchmark far more efficiently. The Core i5-4578R also includes the Intel Iris Pro 5200 integrated graphics, which is a more capable iGPU than the Intel HD 4000 found in the Core i7-3630QM.

The database places both parts at the same 35th percentile, which means neither is a generational outlier in overall standing. The average benchmark scores differ by only 29 points (1318 versus 1289), but that is not the whole story. The user should choose based on the benchmark suite that best represents their daily workload. If the answer is Cinebench, the Core i7-3630QM wins. If the answer is Geekbench, the Core i5-4578R wins decisively.

Architecture Differences

The Core i5-4570R is built on the Haswell architecture, codename Crystal Well. The Core i7-3630QM uses the earlier Ivy Bridge architecture. Both are manufactured on the same 22 nm process node at Intel, but the transistor counts differ. The Haswell die packs 1,700 million transistors across a 260 mm² die size, while the Ivy Bridge chip has 1,480 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The Haswell design is larger both in transistor count and physical size, reflecting its newer architecture and integrated graphics improvements.

The cache hierarchy also differs. Both parts have 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core, but the L3 cache is different. The Core i5-4570R has 4 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Core i7-3630QM has 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The larger L3 allocation on the Core i7-3630QM gives it a capacity advantage for data reuse across cores.

The integrated graphics represent a major architectural split. The Core i5-4570R carries Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics, which is the high-end integrated solution for Haswell. The Core i7-3630QM uses Intel HD 4000, the older Ivy Bridge graphics engine. The Iris Pro 5200 includes eDRAM (embedded DRAM) as part of the Crystal Well package, which contributes to its larger die size and transistor count. The HD 4000 has no such cache, and its graphics performance is considerably lower in the database's measurements.

The memory support and bus are identical on paper: both support DDR3, dual-channel memory, and have a memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. Both also use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), and neither supports ECC memory. The memory controller on the Haswell architecture is generally more efficient, but the peak bandwidth figures are the same.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specification fields. The Core i7-3630QM has 8 threads versus 4 threads on the Core i5-4570R, a direct consequence of Hyper-Threading support on the Core i7. The base clock is higher on the Core i5-4570R at 2.70 GHz versus 2.40 GHz, but the boost clock favors the Core i7-3630QM at 3.40 GHz versus 3.20 GHz.

The thermal design power differs by 20 watts: 65 watts for the Core i5-4570R and 45 watts for the Core i7-3630QM. The former is a desktop part, the latter a mobile part. The socket types are incompatible: Intel BGA 1364 for the Core i5-4570R versus Intel Socket G2 (988B) for the Core i7-3630QM. The market segment is listed as Desktop for the Core i5-4570R and Mobile for the Core i7-3630QM.

The release dates are separated by about eight months, with the Core i7-3630QM launching on September 29, 2012, and the Core i5-4570R on June 1, 2013. The Core i7-3630QM has a launch MSRP of $378, while the Core i5-4570R has no recorded launch MSRP. Both are end-of-life products and neither has an unlocked multiplier.

The part numbers are SR18P for the Core i5-4570R and SR0ux for the Core i7-3630QM. The process node, foundry, memory support, memory bus, and PCIe configuration are identical between the two. The L1 and L2 cache sizes are the same per core, but the core counts differ, so the aggregate L1 and L2 totals are different: 4 cores on the Core i5-4570R versus 4 cores on the Core i7-3630QM (but the Core i7 has 8 threads, so the L1/L2 per physical core is the same).

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher single-core Geekbench score?

A: The Intel Core i5-4570R scores 943 in Geekbench single-core, while the Intel Core i7-3630QM scores 633. This is a 49 percent advantage for the Core i5-4570R.

Q: How does the multicore Cinebench R23 performance compare?

A: The Core i7-3630QM scores 4364 in Cinebench R23 multicore versus 3879 for the Core i5-4570R, a 11.1 percent lead for the Core i7-3630QM.

Q: Which CPU has a higher thermal design power?

A: The Core i5-4570R has a TDP of 65 watts, while the Core i7-3630QM has a TDP of 45 watts. The mobile Core i7 is more power efficient.

Q: What is the difference in thread count?

A: The Core i7-3630QM supports 8 threads across 4 cores, whereas the Core i5-4570R supports 4 threads across 4 cores. The Core i7-3630QM has Hyper-Threading, the Core i5-4570R does not.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the Core i7-3630QM?

A: The launch MSRP of the Intel Core i7-3630QM is $378.

Q: Which integrated graphics processor is more capable?

A: The Core i5-4570R includes Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics, while the Core i7-3630QM includes Intel HD 4000 graphics. The Iris Pro 5200 is the more advanced integrated GPU, and it is paired with a larger die size of 260 mm² versus 160 mm² for the Core i7-3630QM.