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Intel Core i7-3720QM

Intel Core i7-3720QM in 2025: Is It Worth Considering an Outdated Processor?

Analysis of Capabilities, Use Cases, and Alternatives

Architecture and Process Technology: The Ivy Bridge Legacy

The Intel Core i7-3720QM processor, released in 2012, became part of the third generation of Intel Core processors (codename Ivy Bridge). Its architecture was based on a 22nm process technology, which was a significant advancement for its time, allowing for reduced power consumption and improved thermal performance compared to its predecessors (Sandy Bridge, 32nm).

Key Specifications:

- 4 cores and 8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Base frequency: 2.6 GHz, maximum Turbo Boost frequency — 3.6 GHz (for one core).

- Integrated graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000 with a frequency of up to 1250 MHz.

- Memory support: DDR3-1600 MHz, up to 32 GB.

- Interfaces: PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0, SATA III.

Architectural Features:

- Turbo Boost 2.0 — automatic overclocking under low temperature load.

- AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) — acceleration of calculations for scientific and multimedia tasks.

- Integrated GPU HD 4000 supported DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.0, and resolutions up to 3840x2160, but it will be unsuitable for gaming in 2025.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

The processor's TDP is 45 W, placing it in the category of mobile CPUs for high-performance laptops. In comparison, modern Intel 13th generation processors (e.g., Core i7-13700H) at 45 W TDP offer double the multi-threaded performance.

What does this mean for users?

- Laptops with the i7-3720QM required efficient cooling systems. In 2025, such devices (if still operational) may suffer from overheating due to worn thermal paste or dust-clogged fans.

- Modern ultrabooks with a TDP of 15–28 W (e.g., based on Intel Core i5-1335U) demonstrate comparable or better performance while consuming less power.

Performance in Real-World Tasks

Office Work and Multitasking

- For browsing, office applications (Word, Excel), and video conferencing, the processor is still relevant. However, running 20+ Chrome tabs simultaneously alongside background tasks can lead to stuttering.

- Geekbench 6 Single-Core: 676 — this is on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (2023 smartphones). It's sufficient for basic tasks but not for heavy editors like Photoshop 2025.

Multimedia and Rendering

- Video conversion in HandBrake (1080p → 720p): around 12–15 minutes for a 4 GB file. In comparison, the Ryzen 5 5600H accomplishes this in 5–7 minutes.

- Multi-threaded result Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: 2298 is close to budget Intel Core i3-1215U (2300–2400 points), but the latter consumes half the power.

Gaming

- Paired with a discrete graphics card like the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (relevant from 2020 to 2022), the processor can run games from 2015 to 2018 on medium settings:

- The Witcher 3: 35–40 FPS (1080p, Medium).

- GTA V: 50–60 FPS (1080p, High).

- Modern AAA titles (Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield) will be unplayable even on low settings.

Turbo Boost Mode: Pros and Cons

- Under a load on 1–2 cores, the frequency rises to 3.6 GHz, providing a boost in single-threaded tasks (e.g., file archiving).

- However, under prolonged load (gaming, rendering), temperatures can reach 90–95°C, leading to throttling (frequency reduction to 2.8–3.0 GHz).

Use Case Scenarios: Who is i7-3720QM Suitable For in 2025?

1. Budget Retro Gamers: for playing older games (2010s) or indie projects.

2. Office Tasks and Studies: working with documents, online courses, video viewing.

3. Upgrade Enthusiasts: replacing HDDs with SSDs and adding RAM can extend the life of the laptop.

Who it is not suitable for:

- Digital artists and videographers: power shortage for 4K editors.

- Fans of modern games: lack of support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and weak graphics.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

Laptops with the i7-3720QM in 2025 (if they are not new) typically come with worn-out batteries, reducing runtime to 2–3 hours under mixed load.

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep — dynamic frequency adjustment depending on load.

- C-States — disabling unused cores.

- However, even these technologies do not mitigate high TDP: modern processors with comparable performance (e.g., Apple M1) offer 8–10 hours of autonomy.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD A10-4600M (2012):

- 4 cores, TDP 35 W, integrated graphics Radeon HD 7660G.

- Falls short in multi-threading (~1800 points in Geekbench 6 Multi-Core).

Apple M2 (2022):

- Single-Core: 2500+, Multi-Core: 9500+ in Geekbench 6.

- TDP 20 W, battery life up to 18 hours.

Intel Core i5-12450H (2023):

- 8 cores (4P+4E), TDP 45 W, Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: 6500.

- Supports DDR5 and PCIe 4.0.

Conclusion: The i7-3720QM in 2025 is only relevant as a budget solution on the second-hand market (price of laptops: $150–250). New devices with comparable performance (e.g., Acer Aspire 3 based on Ryzen 5 7520U) start from $500.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low price on the second-hand market.

- Upgrade potential (SSD replacement, RAM addition).

- Support for Windows 10/11 (with limitations).

Weaknesses:

- High power consumption.

- Lack of support for modern standards (USB-C, Wi-Fi 6).

- Risk of overheating in older laptops.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

If you are considering a device with i7-3720QM in 2025, pay attention to:

1. Battery Condition: replacement can cost $30–50.

2. Presence of SSD: HDD severely slows down the system by 5–7 times.

3. Cooling System: cleaning and replacing thermal paste is essential.

4. Portrait of the Ideal Candidate:

- Budget gaming laptop with GTX 770M/870M.

- Business models Lenovo ThinkPad T430/T530 (price: $200–300 on the second-hand market).

Tip: For $400–600, you can buy a new laptop with Ryzen 5 7530U or Intel Core i5-1235U that will outperform the i7-3720QM in all aspects.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i7-3720QM in 2025 is a choice for those who:

- Are looking for a temporary solution at a minimal budget ($150–250).

- Plan to use the laptop for simple tasks or retro gaming.

- Are willing to upgrade and maintain the hardware.

Key Benefits: low price, sufficient performance for basic scenarios. However, for most users, more modern processors with better power, autonomy, and support for new technologies would be a more sensible choice.

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.

i7-3720QM

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

2.60 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.

3.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.60 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 | FCPGA988

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.

1.25 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

676

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2298

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

733

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2766

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1869

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

5666

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E5-2640

800 +18.3%

Xeon E3-1270 v2

731 +8.1%

Core i7-3720QM

676

Core i5-3450

641 -5.2%

Celeron G4930

599 -11.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-7400T

2803 +22%

Xeon E5-2658 v4

2506 +9.1%

Core i7-3720QM

2298

Core i3-6100T

2071 -9.9%

Core i3-4150

1890 -17.8%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 5 2600H

769 +4.9%

Ryzen 3 2300U

745 +1.6%

Core i7-3720QM

733

Xeon E3-1265L v2

712 -2.9%

Core m7-6Y75

689 -6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

EPYC 9754

3053 +10.4%

Xeon E5-2643 v2

2898 +4.8%

Core i7-3720QM

2766

Ryzen 5 3550H

2651 -4.2%

Core i3-9320

2531 -8.5%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-7500U

1929 +3.2%

Core i7-6660U

1899 +1.6%

Core i7-3720QM

1869

Xeon E5-1607 v3

1817 -2.8%

Core i5-6300HQ

1792 -4.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i3-10100TE

6237 +10.1%

Core i7-8550U

5926 +4.6%

Core i7-3720QM

5666

Core i5-4590

5365 -5.3%

Xeon W-2102

5074 -10.4%