Intel Core i7-3632QM vs Intel Pentium Silver N6005 Comparison

The Intel Core i7-3632QM and the Intel Pentium Silver N6005 are separated by nearly a decade of silicon design, yet their average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The data shows the Pentium Silver N6005 leads the overall head-to-head count 6 wins to 2, but the nature of those wins reveals two very different performance profiles. The i7-3632QM wins decisively in Geekbench tests, while the N6005 sweeps the entire Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 suite. This is a contest where the newer, lower-power part dominates in sustained CPU rendering workloads, while the older quad-core with Hyper-Threading takes the lead in a different synthetic workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head data is the Geekbench multicore test, where the Intel Core i7-3632QM scores 2142 against the Pentium Silver’s 1469. That is a massive 45.8% advantage, the single largest delta in either direction across all eight benchmarks. The i7-3632QM also wins the Geekbench singlecore test, scoring 613 versus 564, an 8.7% edge. These results indicate that in Geekbench’s workload mix, the i7’s 8 threads and older Ivy Bridge architecture are significantly more effective than the Pentium Silver’s 4 threads, even when the latter has a higher boost clock of 3.30 GHz versus 3.20 GHz.

Every other benchmark, however, belongs to the Pentium Silver N6005. The margins are consistent and narrow, hovering around 9-10%. In Cinebench R15, the N6005 scores 447 multicore and 63 singlecore, while the i7-3632QM scores 406 and 57, respectively. That translates to a 9.2% multicore win and a 9.5% singlecore win for the N6005. The pattern repeats in Cinebench R20: the N6005 posts 1866 multicore and 263 singlecore, against the i7’s 1693 and 238, again a 9.3% and 9.5% delta. The gap is nearly identical in Cinebench R23, where the N6005 scores 4444 multicore and 627 singlecore, versus 4033 and 569 for the i7-3632QM, a 9.2% and 9.3% difference.

What does this mean? The Cinebench results show a clear, repeatable advantage for the Pentium Silver N6005 across three generations of the Cinebench test. The consistency of the ~9% delta suggests a fundamental architectural efficiency advantage, not a workload anomaly. The Tremont architecture in the N6005 delivers higher per-clock performance than Ivy Bridge, which allows it to outperform the i7 despite having half the threads and a lower TDP. However, the Geekbench results tell a different story, where the i7’s thread count and older design win out dramatically. The data suggests that Geekbench’s scale favors the i7’s simultaneous multithreading, while Cinebench’s rendering workload is more responsive to the N6005’s modern cores.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The two are effectively tied. The Intel Core i7-3632QM has an average benchmark score of 1219, while the Intel Pentium Silver N6005 scores 1218. The delta between them is 0.1%, with the i7 listed as a rival to the N6005 with a deltaPct of -0.1.

Q: How many threads does each processor have?

A: The Intel Core i7-3632QM has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the Intel Pentium Silver N6005 also has 4 cores but only 4 threads. This means the i7 can process twice as many threads simultaneously.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two chips?

A: The Intel Core i7-3632QM has a TDP of 35 watts, while the Intel Pentium Silver N6005 has a TDP of 10 watts. The N6005 is rated for a 25-watt lower thermal envelope.

Q: Which processor has a higher single-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Pentium Silver N6005 wins, scoring 627 versus 569 for the Intel Core i7-3632QM. This is a 9.3% advantage for the N6005.

Q: Which processor wins the Geekbench multicore test and by how much?

A: The Intel Core i7-3632QM wins, scoring 2142 against the Pentium Silver N6005’s 1469. This is a 45.8% margin in favor of the i7.

Q: What is the production status of the Pentium Silver N6005?

A: The Intel Pentium Silver N6005 is listed as "End-of-life" in the production status field. The i7-3632QM does not have a production status listed.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two parts is substantial. The Intel Core i7-3632QM is built on the Ivy Bridge architecture, using a 22 nm process node. It integrates 1,480 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The Intel Pentium Silver N6005 uses the Tremont architecture (codename Jasper Lake), fabricated on a 10 nm process, with a die size of just 63.8 mm². The N6005’s die is less than half the size of the i7’s, yet it carries a newer design.

Cache layouts also differ fundamentally. The i7-3632QM has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core, with a 6 MB shared L3 cache. The N6005 also has 64 KB of L1 per core, but its L2 cache is 1.5 MB shared across all cores, and it has a 4 MB shared L3 cache. The i7’s per-core L2 allocation is larger, but the N6005’s shared L2 pool is designed for efficiency across a smaller thread count.

The integrated graphics are another differentiator. The i7-3632QM uses Intel HD 4000, while the N6005 uses UHD Graphics 32EU. The N6005 also specifies memory support for DDR4 and LPDDR4, with a dual-channel memory bus and a memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. The i7-3632QM lists no specific memory support or bandwidth figures, only a dual-channel memory bus. The N6005 has PCIe Gen 3 with 8 lanes (CPU only), while the i7 lists no PCIe information.

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge on almost every key specification. The core count is the same at 4, but the i7-3632QM has 8 threads versus 4 for the N6005. Base clock speeds are dramatically different in notation: the i7 runs at 2.20 GHz, while the N6005 lists a base clock of 2000.00 MHz (which is 2.00 GHz). Boost clocks are closer, with the i7 at 3.20 GHz and the N6005 at 3.30 GHz. The TDP gap is significant: 35 watts for the i7 versus 10 watts for the N6005.

Sockets are incompatible: the i7-3632QM uses Intel Socket G2 (988B), while the N6005 uses Intel BGA 1338. The process node differs as noted (22 nm vs 10 nm). The i7 has a listed transistor count of 1,480 million and die size of 160 mm²; the N6005 has no transistor count listed but a die size of 63.8 mm². The i7’s cache includes per-core L1 (64 KB) and L2 (256 KB) and a 6 MB shared L3; the N6005 has per-core L1 (64 KB), a 1.5 MB shared L2, and a 4 MB shared L3. Memory support is only listed for the N6005 (DDR4, LPDDR4), and memory bandwidth is only listed for the N6005 (46.9 GB/s). The N6005 has a listed part number (SRKGU) and a production status of End-of-life, while the i7 does not. Both have a release date, but only the i7 has one listed (2012-10-18), while the N6005 has none.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-3632QM wins in Geekbench applications. It dominates the multicore test with a 45.8% lead and takes the singlecore test by 8.7%. This makes it the stronger choice for workloads that resemble Geekbench’s mix, which tends to favor integer and floating-point operations with high thread counts. The i7’s 8 threads give it a clear edge in scenarios where parallel scaling is effective.

The Intel Pentium Silver N6005 wins in every Cinebench test, across R15, R20, and R23, in both single-core and multi-core runs. The margins are consistent at roughly 9.2% to 9.5%. This indicates that the N6005’s Tremont cores are more efficient at rendering tasks, which are typically memory-latency sensitive and benefit from modern instruction sets. The N6005 achieves this while consuming 25 watts less power (10W TDP vs 35W TDP), which suggests it is the better fit for thermally constrained or battery-powered mobile devices.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split. If the workload is Geekbench-centric, the Intel Core i7-3632QM is the unambiguous winner, with a 45.8% multicore advantage that dwarfs any other delta in the comparison. This is the processor for users who need maximum thread scaling in that specific benchmark environment.

If the workload is Cinebench-based, the Intel Pentium Silver N6005 is the better performer, winning all six Cinebench tests by a consistent ~9% margin. The N6005 also does so at a 10-watt TDP against the i7’s 35-watt TDP, making it the more power-efficient choice for sustained rendering workloads. The overall win count (6-2 in favor of the N6005) and the identical average benchmark scores (1219 vs 1218) suggest that for general use, the two are nearly interchangeable, but the specific application dictates the pick. The i7-3632QM is the choice for Geekbench-heavy multitasking; the Pentium Silver N6005 is the choice for Cinebench-style rendering and power-sensitive designs.