Intel Core i7-920 vs Intel Core i5-680

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-920 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i5-680
Intel Core i7-920 Intel Core i5-680

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-920 and the Intel Core i5-680 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-920 4 core processor released in Q4/2008 with the Intel Core i5-680 which has 2 CPU cores and was introduced in Q2/2010.
Intel Core i7 (298) Family Intel Core i5 (331)
Intel Core i7 900 (7) CPU group Intel Core i5 600 (6)
1 Generation 1
Bloomfield Architecture Clarkdale
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-920 is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.66 GHz (2.93 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i5-680 clocks with 3.60 GHz (3.86 GHz), has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-920 Characteristic Intel Core i5-680
4 Cores 2
8 Threads 4
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
2.66 GHz Frequency 3.60 GHz
2.93 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.86 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 Core i7-920 Characteristic Intel Core i5-680
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
GPU frequency 0.50 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.73 GHz
-- GPU Generation 5
Technology 32 nm
Max. displays 2
-- Compute units 12
-- Shader 24
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
-- DirectX Version 10.1

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 Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 Decode
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to 24 GB of memory in a maximum of 3 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-920, while the Intel Core i5-680 supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 21.3 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-920 Characteristic Intel Core i5-680
DDR3-1066 Memory DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
24 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
3 Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 21.3 GB/s
No ECC No
1.00 MB L2 Cache 0.50 MB
8.00 MB L3 Cache 4.00 MB
-- PCIe version 2.0
-- PCIe lanes 16
-- PCIe Bandwidth 8.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-920 has a TDP of 130 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i5-680 is 73 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-920 Characteristic Intel Core i5-680
130 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 73 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-920 has 9.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 45 nm. The cache of Intel Core i5-680 is at 4.50 MB. The processor is manufactured in 32 nm.

Intel Core i7-920 Characteristic Intel Core i5-680
45 nm Technology 32 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
LGA 1366 Socket LGA 1156
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
No AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q4/2008 Release date Q2/2010
305 $ Release price 305 $
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-920 (79%)
Intel Core i5-680 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-920 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 (80%)

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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.93 GHz
513 (79%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.86 GHz
651 (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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.66 GHz
2085 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
1394 (67%)

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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.66 GHz
2800 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
2599 (93%)

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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.93 GHz
525 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.86 GHz
0 (0%)

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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.66 GHz
1771 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) @ 0.73 GHz
35 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.93 GHz
242 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.86 GHz
0 (0%)

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 Core i7-920 Intel Core i7-920
4C 8T @ 2.66 GHz
1263 (100%)
Intel Core i5-680 Intel Core i5-680
2C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-920 Intel Core i5-680
Unknown Unknown

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