Intel Mobile Processors Core i7 vs Core i7 Extreme Edition
Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme are Intel core processors based on Sandy Bridge architecture. Here we will analyse the difference between Intel Core i7-2820QM and Intel Core Extreme i7-2920XM. Inter Core i7-2820QM and Core i7 Extreme (i7-2920XM) both have almost same performance and functionality except clock speed, bus to core ratio, Max TDP and supported sockets. The Performance and speed benchmark of the processors are discussed in detail below. In conclusion Intel core i7 Extreme (i7-2920XM)is better than Intel Core i7-2820QM.
Hyper-Threading Technology
What is Hyper-Threading Technology?
Hyper-Treading Technology uses the processor resources efficiently and effectively by running multiple threads on each core. Thus it increases the throughput, improving overall performance on threaded software.
Hyper-Threading technology is used by Intel core to simulate more cores than existing actual cores. For example i7 processor family is having 4 cores but it simulates as eight cores.
Max Turbo Boost Frequency
What is Max Turbo Boost Technology and Max Turbo Boost Frequency?
Max Turbo Boost Frequency is the maximum clock speed the processor is capable of operating using Turbo Boost Technology. Intel introduced Turbo Boost Technology to provide more performance when needed. This technology has been introduced in microarchitecture of Sandy Bridge. The latest version of Turbo Boost is 2.0, this automatically allows processor cores to run faster than the base frequency when it’s operating below power, current and temperature. This Turbo Boost is activated when Operating System (Ex: Windows) requests for high performance processor state.
Core i7-2820QM supports up to 3.4 GHz turbo boost frequency and Core i7 Extreme (i7-2920XM) supports up to 3.5 GHz.
Clock Speed
What is Processor Clock Speed?
Clock speed of a processor is the rate at which a processor can complete a processing cycle. It’s normally measured in MHz or GHz. One MHz (Mega Hertz) is equal to one million cycles per second and one GHz is one billion cycles per second. Thus 2 GHZ processor is twice faster clock speed than 1 GHz processor. However it does not mean 2 GHz processor is always faster than 1 GHz processor because different processors use different architecture.
But Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme both based on Sandy Bridge architecture so that we can compare the speed with clock speed as well.
Core i7 -2820QM comes with 2.3 GHz and Core i7 Extreme (i7-2920XM) comes with 2.5 GHz. Thus we can conclude Core i7-2920XM is faster than Core i7-2820QM.
Bus to Core Ratio
What is Bus to Core (Bus/Core) Ratio in Computer Architecture?
In the Intel Architecture, the Front Bus runs in a fixed speed whereas processor runs in a different speed. If they are closer then processor has to wait fewer cycles in execution. In theory the closer the bus speed is to the chip the faster the system performs.
Intel Core i7-2820QM has Bus/Core ratio of 23 and Intel Core i7 Extreme (i7-2920XM) as 25.
Maximum TDP (Thermal Design Power)
What is Maximum TDP of a Processor?
The Maximum TDP is the aggregate of the maximum TDP values of the processor. TDP means Thermal Design Power which is the power of the cooling system in the processor that can dissipate the heat without reaching the maximum junction temperature. For example 55 Watts TDP means the processor can dissipate up to 55 Watts of heat without exceeding the highest temperature point defined.
Max TDP of Core i7-2820QM is 45 Watts and Core i7 Extreme (i7-2920XM) is 55 Watts.
| Specification | Core i7
(i7-2820QM) |
Core i7 Extreme
(i7-2920XM) |
| Clock Speed | 2.3 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| No of Cores | 4 | 4 |
| No of Threads | 8 | 8 |
| Bus/Core Ratio | 23 | 25 |
| Cache Memory | 8MB | 8MB |
| Instruction Set | 64 bit | 64 bit |
| Max TDP | 45 Watts | 55 Watts |
| Memory Size | 8GB | 8GB |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 25.6GB/S | 25.6GB/S |
| Memory Type | DDR3-1066/1333/1600 | DDR3-1066/1333/1600 |
| Integrated Graphics | Yes | Yes |
| Intel HD Graphics | Yes | Yes |
| Graphics Frequency | 1.3GHz | 1.3GHz |
| Graphics Output | eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT | eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT |
| Turbo Boost Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Turbo Boost Frequency | 3.4GHz | 3.5GHz |
| Hyper Threading | Yes | Yes |
| Virtualization | Yes | Yes |
| Virtualization for Direct I/O | Yes | Yes |
| AES New Instructions | Yes | Yes |
| Trusted Execution | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| WiMAX | Yes | Yes |
| Anti Theft Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Sockets Supported | FCPGA988 | FCBGA1224, FCPGA988 |
Difference between Intel Mobile Core i7-2820QM and Core i7 Extreme(i7-2920XM)
(1) Processor speed is higher in Core i7 Extreme than Core i7.
(2) Both Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme has 8 MB cache and supported to 8 GB main memory.
(3) Intel Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme Processors comes with either of these Intel QM57, QS57 and PM55 Express Chipsets.
(4) Socket Support differs from Core i7 to Core i7 Extreme. (FCBGA1224, FCPGA988 and FCPGA988 respectively)
(5) Turbo Boost Frequency is higher in Core i7 Extreme than Core i7. (3.5 and 3.4 respectively)