Intel Core i7-3840QM Review

The Core i7-3840QM is one of Intel's high-end Laptop processors. It was released in 2012 with 4 cores and 8 threads. With base clock at 3.8GHz, max speed at 3.8GHz, and a 45W power rating. The Core i7-3840QM is based on the Ivy Bridge 22nm family and is part of the Core i7 series.

Core i7-3840QM is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i7-2840QM processor that was based on the Sandy Bridge and 32nm process and was released in 2011.

The Intel Core i7-3840QM marks yet another blast from Team Intel, ramping up the intensity of the Intel vs AMD processor war. Still, though, there’s more than just core counts when it comes to a mainstream processor, as single-core performance needs to be on point, especially if you’re hoping to play the best PC games.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the Intel Core i7-3840QM finally dethrones the Phenom II X2 X640 BE as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Core i7-3840QM doesn't reach the same single-core performance as AMD, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

We covered the deep dive details of the Ivy Bridge chip design in our Intel Core i7-3920XM and Core i7-3820QM review, so head there for more information on the Core i7-3840QM's architecture, which is identical to the Core i7-3820QM.

As the higher-priced version of the Core i7-3820QM, the Core i7-3840QM has higher base and Boost frequencies of 3.8 and 3.8 GHz, respectively. That's an increase in base frequency and a bump to boost clocks, but the real advantage should lay in the higher Package Power Tracking (PPT) envelope, which is a measurement of the maximum amount of power delivered to the socket. The Core i7-3820QM's PPT tops out at 45W, while the motherboard can pump up to 142W to the Core i7-3840QM at peak performance. That opens up much more aggressive boost behavior, on both single and multiple cores, that could widen the performance gap beyond what we see on the spec sheet.

What this all means is that the Intel Core i7-3840QM is an absolute beast when it comes to multi-threaded workloads, especially at this price point. If you're counting on doing some video editing or compiling one hell of an Excel spreadsheet, you're going to see firsthand a performance boost with the Core i7-3840QM.

Bear in mind, however, that if you already have something like the Core i7-2840QM, this generation doesn't offer the biggest boost in performance. You might want to wait another year or so before dropping a few hundred bucks, or even opt to splurge on a higher-end but pricier chip.

One of the nice things about the Intel Core i7-3840QM processors is that the retail boxed models come with a CPU cooler. So, you can pick something like the Intel Core i7-3840QM up for $568 and don’t need to spend any extra money on CPU cooling.

The Intel Core i7-3840QM retail boxed processor comes with the traditional ‘pancake’ CPU cooler. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done on this processor which is rated at 45W TDP. You do not need to have an aftermarket cooling solution unless you want to.

Our look today at the Intel Core i7-3840QM showed that it is a very capable processor. A 4-core processor sounds like it would be really under-powered these days, but we were pleasantly surprised with a snappy and very capable system. Having just 4 cores had this processor coming in at the back of the pack for heavily threaded workloads, but it performed better than some of its more expensive siblings in lightly threaded workloads where it shined thanks to its high base clocks.

If extended overclocking and boost frequencies are trivial matters to you, Intel also offers the Core i7-3820QM at $498. It’s still outfitted with 4-cores and 8-threads, but clocks in at a slower 3.7GHz and maxes out at only 3.7GHz.

There’s a saying that two heads are better than one and, well, 4-cores are better than 2. The extra processing power of the Core i7-3840QM puts AMD’s processors to shame, including both its closest competitor and a much higher-spec part.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i7 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the high-end with its Core i7-3840QM processors, which the company is making available as of on September 2012.