Intel Core i7 2630QM

If you are in the market for a new notebook with an Intel Sandy Bridge processor, one of the higher-end offerings is the Core i7 2630QM, which is a quad-core processor with Hyper Threading that boasts a 2.0GHz base frequency but can ramp up to 2.9GHz thanks to Turbo Boost. In this article are some Linux benchmarks of the Intel Core i7 2630QM compared to other mobile Intel CPUs.

This mobile CPU with eight threads also boasts 6MB of Intel Smart Cache, 45 Watt TDP, Intel HD 3000 Graphics support (assuming the notebook vendor wires up integrated graphics instead of a discrete GPU), and the other 32nm Sandy Bridge features like AVX extension support, Intel FDI, VT-x Virtualization, AES New Instructions, and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology.

The Core i7 2630QM benchmarking under Linux is being done from a soon-to-be-reviewed ZaReason Chimera notebook. This re-branded Compal PBL21 has the i7-2630QM CPU, 8GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics, and a 128GB Super Talent SSD. Ubuntu 11.10 was used for testing with the Linux 3.0 kernel.

The Intel Core i7 2630QM was compared to a fellow Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 2520M from an HP EliteBook and then an Intel Core i7 720Q from a Lenovo ThinkPad W510. The Intel Core i5 2520M Sandy Bridge is a dual-core part with Hyper Threading, 3MB of Smart Cache, and a 2.5GHz base frequency that goes up to 3.2GHz with Turbo Boost. The Intel Core i7 720Q is a Nehalem/Clarksfield processor that's a quad-core with Hyper Threading, 6MB of Smart Cache, 1.6GHz base frequency, and 2.9GHz Turbo Frequency.

More Linux benchmarks from the ZaReason Sandy Bridge notebook will be published in the coming days, for now it's just about the CPU tests from the Phoronix Test Suite for the Core i7 2630QM, Intel Core i5 2520M, and Intel Core i7 720Q.