Intel Core i5-760 vs Intel Core i7-3820QM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a consistent, if narrow, victory for the Intel Core i7-3820QM across every single benchmark in the comparison set. The Intel Core i5-760, while competitive, trails in all six tests that the database has paired them on. This is not a case of one processor dominating through overwhelming margins; instead, the i7-3820QM wins through a series of small but repeatable advantages.

Starting with the Cinebench R15 suite, the multicore test has the i7-3820QM scoring 481 points against the i5-760's 466 points. That is a 3.2% lead. The single-core R15 test tells a similar story: 67 points for the i7-3820QM versus 65 points for the i5-760, a 3.1% advantage. The margin is small, but it exists in both parallel and single-threaded workloads.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern holds. In the multicore test, the i7-3820QM reaches 2006 points, while the i5-760 manages 1942 points. The delta here is 3.3%. The single-core R20 result shows 283 points versus 273 points, which translates to a 3.7% lead for the i7-3820QM. This is actually the largest percentage gap in the entire head-to-head set, suggesting that the i7-3820QM's architectural advantages show up most clearly in lightly threaded tasks within this benchmark family.

Cinebench R23, the most recent rendering workload in the database, continues the trend. The multicore score for the i7-3820QM is 4777, compared to 4624 for the i5-760, a 3.3% difference. In single-core R23, the scores are 674 and 652 respectively, with the i7-3820QM leading by 3.4%. Across all six tests, the i7-3820QM wins every round, with deltas ranging from 3.1% to 3.7%. There is no test where the i5-760 pulls ahead, even by a fraction.

The overall averages reflect this. The i7-3820QM has an average benchmark score of 1366, while the i5-760 sits at 1337. The percentile rankings also favor the newer mobile chip: the i7-3820QM sits in the 36th percentile of all CPUs in the database, while the i5-760 is just one point lower at the 35th percentile. It is a razor-thin gap in the broader context of all recorded processors, but in direct comparison, the i7-3820QM is the clear winner.

One interesting observation is that the i7-3820QM does not have a Geekbench multicore or single-core score for the i5-760 to compare against. The database only lists Geekbench results for the i7-3820QM (2041 multicore, 601 single-core), so the head-to-head section relies entirely on the Cinebench family. That means the verdict is based on rendering workloads, which tend to favor thread count and clock speed. Still, the consistency of the 3% to 4% margins across three different Cinebench versions suggests a genuine performance gap, not a measurement artifact.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the Intel Core i7-3820QM is the faster processor in every benchmark where both chips appear. It wins all six head-to-head tests, with margins between 3.1% and 3.7%. The average benchmark score difference is 29 points (1366 versus 1337), which is about 2.2% overall. The percentile ranking is nearly identical, but the i7-3820QM holds a one-point edge.

Who should pick the i7-3820QM? Anyone looking for a mobile processor that consistently edges out a desktop part from the same era. The data shows that despite being a laptop chip with a 45 TDP, it outperforms a desktop CPU with a 95 TDP. This is notable because the i5-760 has a higher base clock (2.80 GHz versus 2.70 GHz) and a higher boost clock (3.33 GHz versus 3.70 GHz). The i7-3820QM's boost advantage of 0.37 GHz likely explains part of the single-core wins, while its 8 threads versus 4 threads explains the multicore wins.

Who should pick the i5-760? The data is less kind to this desktop processor. It loses every benchmark in the comparison. However, the i5-760 does have a few structural advantages that the benchmark scores do not capture, such as a desktop socket (Intel Socket 1156) that allows for motherboard upgrades and potentially better cooling. But on pure performance, the i5-760 is the slower chip in this pairing. The database shows no scenario where it wins.

The verdict is straightforward: the i7-3820QM is the better performer. The i5-760 is not a bad processor, it sits in the 35th percentile and is competitive with chips like the Intel Core i5-2500K, but it simply cannot match the i7-3820QM in any measured test. If the choice is between these two, the data points squarely to the mobile part.

Where Each One Wins

Looking at the benchmark wins, the i7-3820QM takes all six categories. It wins in multicore workloads across R15, R20, and R23, which makes sense given its 8 threads versus the i5-760's 4 threads. The thread count advantage is doubled, and that shows up in every parallel rendering test. The i7-3820QM also wins in single-core workloads, which is more surprising given the i5-760's higher base clock. The i7-3820QM's boost clock of 3.70 GHz versus 3.33 GHz is the likely differentiator here, along with the newer Ivy Bridge architecture.

The i5-760 has no benchmark wins in this comparison. However, the database does show that its average score of 1337 places it in the same general performance tier as several other CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-4590T (1340, a 0.2% lead for the rival), the Intel Core i5-4460S (1330, a 0.5% lead for the i5-760), and the Intel Core i5-2500K (1329, a 0.6% lead for the i5-760). So the i5-760 is competitive with a range of other mid-range chips, but against the i7-3820QM specifically, it falls short.

For the i7-3820QM, its nearest rivals give context to its performance. The Intel Xeon D-1521 (1367, a 0.1% edge over the i7-3820QM), the Intel Xeon E5-1410 v2 (1368, a 0.2% edge), and the AMD Opteron 6376 (1370, a 0.3% edge) are all slightly ahead. The Intel Core i5-8365UE (1362, a 0.3% lead for the i7-3820QM) is slightly behind. This places the i7-3820QM in a tight cluster of processors that are all within 0.3% of each other. The i7-3820QM is essentially at parity with a Xeon server chip and a workstation chip, which is impressive for a mobile part.

In terms of use cases, the i7-3820QM is the pick for multi-threaded rendering, video encoding, or any workload that can use 8 threads. The i5-760, with only 4 threads, will lag in those scenarios. For single-threaded tasks, the i7-3820QM still wins, but the margin is smaller. The i5-760 is not the recommended choice for any measured workload, but it could still handle basic desktop tasks that do not require heavy rendering.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-3820QM has an average benchmark score of 1366, while the Intel Core i5-760 scores 1337. The i7-3820QM leads by 29 points.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two in any single test?

A: The largest gap is in Cinebench R20 single-core, where the Intel Core i7-3820QM scores 283 and the Intel Core i5-760 scores 273, a 3.7% difference.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-760 win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-3820QM wins all six recorded head-to-head tests, with deltas ranging from 3.1% to 3.7%.

Q: How do these processors compare to their nearest rivals in the database?

A: The Intel Core i7-3820QM is nearly tied with the Intel Xeon D-1521 (0.1% behind), the Intel Xeon E5-1410 v2 (0.2% behind), and the AMD Opteron 6376 (0.3% behind). The Intel Core i5-760 is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-4590T, 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i5-4460S, and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i5-2500K.

Q: Which processor has more threads?

A: The Intel Core i7-3820QM has 8 threads, while the Intel Core i5-760 has 4 threads. This doubles the parallel processing capacity for the i7-3820QM.

Q: What is the percentile ranking difference between the two?

A: The Intel Core i7-3820QM is in the 36th percentile of all CPUs, while the Intel Core i5-760 is in the 35th percentile. The difference is one percentile point.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different architectural generations and are built for different market segments. The Intel Core i7-3820QM uses the Ivy Bridge architecture on a 22 nm process node, with 1,400 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The Intel Core i5-760 uses the older Nehalem architecture (codename Lynnfield) on a 45 nm process node, with 774 million transistors on a much larger 296 mm² die. The process shrink from 45 nm to 22 nm is substantial, and it explains how the i7-3820QM packs nearly twice the transistor count into roughly half the die area.

The i7-3820QM is a mobile processor (market segment: Mobile) using Intel BGA 1224 socket, while the i5-760 is a desktop processor (market segment: Desktop) using Intel Socket 1156. This explains the TDP difference: the i7-3820QM is rated at 45 watts, while the i5-760 is rated at 95 watts. The mobile part achieves higher performance despite a lower power envelope, which is a direct result of the newer manufacturing process.

Cache hierarchies are identical in structure: both have 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The i7-3820QM adds 8 threads versus the i5-760's 4 threads, which is the most significant architectural feature difference. The i7-3820QM also includes integrated graphics (Intel HD 4000), while the i5-760 has no integrated graphics at all.

The i5-760 supports DDR3 memory and has PCIe Gen 2 with 16 lanes (CPU only). The i7-3820QM has a dual-channel memory bus but no specific memory support type listed in the database. Both have ECC memory disabled and both have locked multipliers. The i7-3820QM was released later (2012-04-28) compared to the i5-760 (2010-07-17), and the i5-760 is marked as end-of-life production status.

Specification Differences

The core counts are the same: both have 4 physical cores. The thread counts differ, with the i7-3820QM offering 8 threads and the i5-760 offering 4 threads. Base clock speeds are close, with the i5-760 at 2.80 GHz and the i7-3820QM at 2.70 GHz, a 0.10 GHz advantage for the desktop part. Boost clocks favor the i7-3820QM, which reaches 3.70 GHz versus the i5-760's 3.33 GHz, a 0.37 GHz advantage.

The TDP is a major difference: 45 watts for the i7-3820QM versus 95 watts for the i5-760. The sockets are incompatible: Intel BGA 1224 for the mobile chip, Intel Socket 1156 for the desktop chip. The process nodes differ significantly: 22 nm for the i7-3820QM and 45 nm for the i5-760. Transistor counts are 1,400 million versus 774 million, and die sizes are 160 mm² versus 296 mm².

The i7-3820QM has integrated graphics (Intel HD 4000), while the i5-760 does not. The i5-760 lists DDR3 memory support and PCIe Gen 2 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-3820QM does not have those fields populated in the database. The i5-760 is end-of-life, while the i7-3820QM has no production status listed. Release dates are about two years apart, with the i7-3820QM launching in 2012 and the i5-760 in 2010. Part numbers are SR0MK for the i7-3820QM and SLBRP for the i5-760. Both have locked multipliers and no ECC support.