Intel Core i5-750 vs Intel Core i7-3537U Comparison

The recorded data paints an unusually clean picture: the Intel Core i5-750 wins every head-to-head benchmark against the Core i7-3537U, by margins of roughly eight percent across the board. What makes the comparison interesting is not the outcome but the context, since these two chips represent opposite design philosophies from different eras of Intel engineering. The i5-750 is a desktop quad-core from the Lynnfield family, while the i7-3537U is a low-power mobile part built for thin laptops. Both land in nearly the same overall position in the database, sitting at the 20th and 21st percentile of all recorded CPUs respectively.

The Verdict

The data shows no scenario in which the Core i7-3537U outperforms the i5-750 in the recorded tests. The i5-750 takes all five head-to-head benchmarks, leading by 8 percent in Cinebench R20 multi-core (912 versus 839), 8 percent in R23 multi-core (2172 versus 1998), and 7.8 percent in every single-core test as well. The verdict is therefore straightforward: if raw throughput is the criterion, the i5-750 is the pick.

The i7-3537U still has a place in the conversation, but on grounds other than benchmark scores. It carries a 17 W TDP against the i5-750's 95 W, it integrates Intel HD 4000 graphics where the i5-750 has no integrated GPU at all, and it runs on a modern-for-its-time 22 nm process. For a platform that needs graphics output without a discrete card, or for thermally constrained builds, the mobile chip is the only option of the two. For everything else, the desktop part wins.

Architecture Differences

These chips come from two distinct Intel generations separated by nearly a decade of process development. The i5-750 is a Nehalem-architecture Lynnfield desktop processor built on a 45 nm process, packing 774 million transistors on a 296 mm² die. The i7-3537U is an Ivy Bridge mobile processor on a 22 nm process with a die size of 118 mm², more than two and a half times smaller than its rival.

The core topology is the sharpest contrast. The i5-750 has four physical cores and four threads, one thread per core, with no Hyper-Threading. The i7-3537U has two cores and four threads, using simultaneous multi-threading to double its thread count. The desktop chip also holds double the shared L3 cache, 8 MB against 4 MB, while per-core L1 and L2 allocations are identical at 64 KB and 256 KB respectively.

Clock behavior is closer than expected. The i7-3537U has a base clock of 2000 MHz boosting to 3.20 GHz, while the i5-750 starts at 2.67 GHz and also boosts to 3.20 GHz. Both top out at the same maximum frequency, which makes the i5-750's sweep of the single-core tests notable: it converts identical peak clocks into roughly 8 percent better single-threaded results.

Feature differences round out the picture. The i7-3537U includes Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics; the i5-750 has none and relies on a motherboard or discrete GPU for display output. The i5-750 does expose PCIe Gen 2 with 16 lanes directly from the CPU, while the recorded data lists no PCIe specification for the mobile part. Both support dual-channel DDR3 memory, neither supports ECC, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. Sockets differ entirely: the i5-750 uses Intel Socket 1156, the i7-3537U is soldered to Intel BGA 1023. The i5-750 is marked end-of-life; the i5-750 launched in 2009 while the i7-3537U followed in 2013.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The margin is remarkably consistent. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5-750 scores 218 against 201 for the i7-3537U, a 7.8 percent gap. Cinebench R20 multi-core widens it fractionally: 912 versus 839, an 8 percent lead. Cinebench R23 multi-core repeats the pattern at 2172 versus 1998, again 8 percent in the desktop chip's favor.

Single-core results tell the more surprising story. The i7-3537U, a newer architecture on a much finer process node, posts 118 in Cinebench R20 single-core against 128 for the i5-750, a 7.8 percent deficit. R23 single-core reads 282 versus 306, the same 7.8 percent spread. Given that both chips boost to 3.20 GHz, the data indicates the i5-750's per-core throughput at equal peak clocks exceeds that of the low-power Ivy Bridge part, likely a consequence of the mobile chip's power-constrained operation rather than any architectural inferiority in principle.

The database also records Geekbench results for the i7-3537U (1269 multi-core, 658 single-core) but no corresponding Geekbench entries for the i5-750, so those figures serve as context only. Against its own nearest rivals, the two chips occupy strikingly similar neighborhoods: the i7-3537U's average score of 766 sits within a percentage point of the AMD A8-6600K (764, 0.3 percent), the Core i3-3240 (761, 0.7 percent), the Core i5-680 (772, -0.8 percent), and the Core i7-3687U (773, -0.9 percent). The i5-750's average of 747 is similarly bracketed by the Core i5-4200U, the AMD A10 PRO-7800B, the AMD FX-9800P, and the Xeon E5520, all within 0.7 percent of its score.

FAQ

Q: Does the Core i7-3537U win any benchmark against the Core i5-750?

A: No. The i5-750 wins all five head-to-head tests, with deltas ranging from 7.8 to 8 percent in its favor.

Q: How much better is the i5-750 in multi-core workloads?

A: It scores 218 versus 201 in Cinebench R15, 912 versus 839 in R20, and 2172 versus 1998 in R23, a consistent gap of roughly 8 percent.

Q: Which chip has integrated graphics?

A: Only the i7-3537U, which includes Intel HD 4000. The i5-750 has no integrated GPU and requires external graphics for display output.

Q: How do their power envelopes compare?

A: The i7-3537U is rated at 17 W TDP, while the i5-750 is rated at 95 W TDP, a dramatic difference reflecting their mobile and desktop segments.

Q: Which CPU has more cache?

A: The i5-750, with 8 MB of shared L3 versus 4 MB on the i7-3537U. L1 and L2 are identical per core on both.

Q: Are these chips upgradeable in the same systems?

A: No. The i5-750 uses Intel Socket 1156; the i7-3537U is a BGA 1023 soldered mobile part. Neither has an unlocked multiplier.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-750 owns every performance category in the recorded data. It wins multi-core rendering by 8 percent, it wins single-core work by 7.8 percent, and its four physical cores without Hyper-Threading deliver the stronger aggregate throughput despite its older architecture. For sustained compute, rendering, and any workload where benchmark throughput is the deciding metric, the data points unambiguously to the desktop chip.

The i7-3537U's case rests entirely outside the benchmark table. Its 17 W TDP makes it viable in thermally limited systems where a 95 W desktop processor is simply not an option. Its integrated HD 4000 graphics enable display output without discrete hardware, which the i5-750 cannot do. Its 22 nm Ivy Bridge process, 118 mm² die, and newer 2013 launch date reflect a design optimized for efficiency rather than peak speed, and its average database score of 766 actually edges the i5-750's 747 overall while sitting in an essentially equivalent percentile band (21st versus 20th). In practice, the choice reduces to platform constraints: desktop throughput goes to the i5-750, and power or graphics integration goes to the i7-3537U.