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Intel Core i7-3615QM

Intel Core i7-3615QM: Review and Relevance in 2025

Analysis of a decade-old processor in the context of modern tasks

Architecture and Manufacturing Process: The Foundation of Performance

The Intel Core i7-3615QM, released in 2012, belongs to the Ivy Bridge generation and is manufactured using a 22nm process. This was a significant step forward from Sandy Bridge, thanks to energy efficiency optimization and improved transistor structure.

- Cores and Threads: 4 physical cores and 8 logical threads thanks to Hyper-Threading. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with Turbo Boost reaching up to 3.3 GHz (for a single core) or 3.1 GHz under full load.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 with a frequency of 650–1200 MHz. It supports DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.0, and resolutions up to 3840×2160. For its time, it was decent graphics capable of handling HD video and simple games.

The Ivy Bridge architecture brought a 5–10% improvement in IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) compared to Sandy Bridge, which is especially noticeable in single-threaded tasks.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

The processor's TDP is 45W, which is typical for high-end mobile CPUs from the early 2010s. However, this is a high value by modern standards. For example, contemporary Intel Core i5/i7 12th generation (Alder Lake) processors provide similar performance with a TDP of 15–28W.

- Heat Dissipation: An efficient cooling system is required for stable operation. In older laptops (for example, the Dell XPS 15 from 2012), temperatures could reach 85–90°C under load, leading to throttling.

- Optimization: Technologies like Enhanced SpeedStep reduced power consumption while idle, but under load, the CPU quickly drained the battery.

Performance: What Can the i7-3615QM Do in 2025?

Geekbench 6 results (Single-Core: 605; Multi-Core: 2054) indicate that the processor lags behind even budget modern CPUs. For instance, the Intel Core i3-1215U (2022) scores 1800/4500 points.

- Office Tasks: Document processing, web browsing (10–15 tabs), Zoom/Teams— the processor can handle it, but there may be stutters under multitasking.

- Multimedia: Watching 4K videos on YouTube (with hardware acceleration) is possible, but rendering in Adobe Premiere would take 3–4 times longer than on modern laptops.

- Gaming: The integrated HD 4000 graphics can only manage older games at low settings: CS:GO—30–40 FPS (720p), Minecraft—40–50 FPS. Modern titles like Cyberpunk 2077 are inaccessible even on the lowest settings.

- Turbo Boost: Under brief loads (for example, launching a heavy application), the frequency rises to 3.3 GHz, but prolonged operation in turbo mode leads to overheating.

Usage Scenarios: Who Would Benefit from This CPU?

- Budget Users: If a laptop with an i7-3615QM was purchased for $150–200 (used market), it is suitable for study, web surfing, and movie watching.

- Retro Gaming Enthusiasts: For running games from the 2000s to early 2010s (for example, Half-Life 2, Skyrim on low settings).

- Office Workers: As a backup device for working with text and spreadsheets.

Important: In 2025, this processor is not suitable for tasks requiring AI acceleration, 3D modeling, or streaming.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

Even in new laptops from 2012–2013 (for instance, Lenovo ThinkPad T530) with a 90 Wh battery, idle time did not exceed 5–6 hours. Under load (gaming, rendering), the battery drained within 1.5–2 hours.

- Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep — dynamic frequency scaling.

- C-States — powering down unused cores.

- Turbo Boost — increasing performance only when necessary.

However, modern processors (for example, Apple M2) offer 2–3 times greater battery life thanks to Big.Little architecture and a 5nm manufacturing process.

Comparison with Competitors: Where Does Ivy Bridge Stand?

- AMD A10-4600M (2012): 4 cores, TDP 35W, Radeon HD 7660G. It falls short compared to the i7-3615QM in multi-threaded tasks (Geekbench 6 Multi-Core ~1600), but has more powerful graphics.

- Intel Core i7-4700MQ (Haswell, 2013): Performance gain of 10–15%, TDP 47W. More relevant in 2025 due to AVX2 support.

- Apple M1 (2020): Single-thread performance is three times higher, TDP 15W. This illustrates how much the market has changed over a decade.

Conclusion: The i7-3615QM is only a viable option among devices from 2012–2014. Against the backdrop of modern CPUs, it appears outdated.

Pros and Cons: Is It Worth Considering?

Strengths:

- Reliability: Many laptops with this CPU are still operational.

- Multi-threading: 8 threads are beneficial for parallel tasks (for example, video encoding).

- Price: On the secondary market — $150–250 for the entire laptop.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated architecture: No AVX2 support, USB 3.1, or Thunderbolt compatibility.

- High energy consumption: Not suitable for ultrabooks.

- Weak graphics: HD 4000 is incompatible with modern APIs (Vulkan, DirectX 12).

Laptop Selection Recommendations

If you are considering devices with the i7-3615QM in 2025, pay attention to:

1. Battery Condition: Replace it with a new one (cost ~$50–80).

2. Component Upgrades: Install an SSD instead of an HDD and increase RAM to 16 GB.

3. Cooling: Clean the cooler and replace thermal paste.

Modern Alternatives:

- Budget new laptops: Intel Core i3-1215U ($400–500) or AMD Ryzen 5 5500U ($450–600).

- Used business models: Dell Latitude 5490 (8th generation Intel, $300–400).

Final Conclusion: Who Is the i7-3615QM Suitable For?

This processor is an option for those who:

- Seek a temporary solution for minimal money.

- Work with non-demanding software (office, old programs).

- Nostalgically appreciate retro tech or collect it.

Key Benefits: Low cost, proven reliability, sufficient performance for basic tasks. However, for serious work, gaming, or mobility, it is better to choose modern devices.

In 2025, the Intel Core i7-3615QM serves as a monument to an era, reminding us of how far technology has come in a decade.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2012

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i7-3615QM

Code Name

Ivi Bridge

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.30 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.30 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.30 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1224

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

22 nm

TDP

45 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

105 C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8 2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR3/L/-RS 1333/1600

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

32 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

5 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

25.6 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics 4000

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

650 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.20 GHz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Instruction Set Extensions

Intel® AVX

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

6 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

605

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2054

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

672

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2684

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1709

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

5221

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core M-5Y10

687 +13.6%

Xeon E3-1280 v2

644 +6.4%

Core i7-3615QM

605

Xeon E3-1220L

569 -6%

FX-4170

530 -12.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E-2386G

2487 +21.1%

Core i3-7100T

2256 +9.8%

Core i7-3615QM

2054

Core i3-1000NG4

1861 -9.4%

Xeon W3530

1722 -16.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Silver 4114

715 +6.4%

Xeon E5-2618L v3

690 +2.7%

Core i7-3615QM

672

Athlon Silver 3050U

650 -3.3%

Core i7-3537U

626 -6.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i3-9100E

2961 +10.3%

Core i5-1145GRE

2795 +4.1%

Core i7-3615QM

2684

Xeon E5-1603 v3

2557 -4.7%

Core i7-4765T

2410 -10.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Athlon Gold 3150U

1766 +3.3%

Core i7-2600K

1745 +2.1%

Core i7-3615QM

1709

Xeon E5-2658

1688 -1.2%

Xeon D-1548

1647 -3.6%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-2700K

5753 +10.2%

Xeon E5-1410

5522 +5.8%

Core i7-3615QM

5221

Xeon D-1518

4854 -7%

Core i7-2860QM

4558 -12.7%