Intel Atom C2538 vs Intel Core i7-860

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Atom C2538 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-860
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Core i7-860

CPU comparison

Intel Atom C2538 or Intel Core i7-860 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Atom C2538 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.40 GHz. Up to 64 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Atom C2538 was released in Q3/2013.

The Intel Core i7-860 has 4 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.46 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-860 was released in Q3/2009.
Intel Atom (108) Family Intel Core i7 (298)
Intel Atom C2000 (7) CPU group Intel Core i7 800 (6)
3 Generation 1
Avoton Architecture Lynnfield
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Atom C2538 is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.40 GHz. The Intel Core i7-860 has 4 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 2.80 GHz (3.46 GHz).

Intel Atom C2538 Characteristic Intel Core i7-860
4 Cores 4
4 Threads 8
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
2.40 GHz Frequency 2.80 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.46 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

Intel Atom C2538 Characteristic Intel Core i7-860
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation --
Technology
Max. displays
-- Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Atom C2538 supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-860 can connect up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Intel Atom C2538 Characteristic Intel Core i7-860
DDR3L-1600, DDR3-1600 Memory DDR3-1066
64 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 17.1 GB/s
Yes ECC No
2.00 MB L2 Cache 1.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 8.00 MB
2.0 PCIe version 2.0
16 PCIe lanes 16
8.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 8.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Atom C2538 has a TDP of 15 W, that of the Intel Core i7-860 is 95 W.

Intel Atom C2538 Characteristic Intel Core i7-860
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 95 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Atom C2538 has a 2.00 MB cache, while the Intel Core i7-860 cache has a total of 9.00 MB.

Intel Atom C2538 Characteristic Intel Core i7-860
22 nm Technology 45 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
BGA 1283 Socket LGA 1156
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI No
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q3/2013 Release date Q3/2009
104 $ Release price 305 $
show more data show more data


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Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-860 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Atom C2538 (43%)
Intel Core i7-860 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Atom C2538 (37%)
Intel Core i7-860 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Atom C2538
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
236 (43%)
Intel Core i7-860 Intel Core i7-860
4C 8T @ 3.46 GHz
552 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Atom C2538
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
827 (41%)
Intel Core i7-860 Intel Core i7-860
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
2039 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Atom C2538
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
960 (32%)
Intel Core i7-860 Intel Core i7-860
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
2962 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Atom C2538
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-860 Intel Core i7-860
4C 8T @ 3.46 GHz
462 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Atom C2538
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-860 Intel Core i7-860
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
1490 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Atom C2538 Intel Atom C2538
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-860 Intel Core i7-860
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
1310 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Atom C2538 Intel Core i7-860
Unknown Unknown

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