Intel’s Fastest 22nm Mobile Ivy Bridge Chip “Core i7-3920XM” Tested

Intel would be launching its 22nm Ivy Bridge Processors for Desktop and Mobile Market in Q2 2012 as a part of Intel's 3000 Series Processor Family. Chinese Forum member "Wesley-Alex" on it168.com has leaked the first 22nm Ivy Bridge (Mobile) Processors which is also the fastest of the Mobile Segment codenamed Core i7-3920XM (Engineering Sample).

The Core i7 3920XM features a 22nm design consisting of 4 Cores and 8 Threads, Stock Frequency is maintained at 2.9Ghz and Turbo Boost upto 3.8Ghz. The CPU allows for Dual Channel memory support with speeds of 1600Mhz and packs 8Mb L3 Cache, An HD 4000 Integrated Graphics Processor and a Max TDP of 55W.

Since the chip was acquired by the OEM Manufacturer's, Its still in engineering phase so the tests may not give the same results when compared to the retail sample. Also the Core i7 3920XM is based on a different manufacturing then 2nd Generation Sandy Bridge Processors so using it on older rPGA988B HM65 and HM67 motherboards ain't feasible. However the configuration of the laptop used consisted of:

• HM77 chipset
• 4GB DDR3-1600 memory
• 500GB SATA hard drive
• 17.4-inch 1920 × 1080 resolution screen
• MXM 3.0/PCI-E slot
• Radeon HD 6990M/ HD Graphics 4000

The CPU at idle frequencies stays at around 50C which is a bit high for a 22nm processor and during stress tests temps rise to 70-80C, One reason behind this could be that the Processor is still in Engineering Phase and retail models would improve the thermal specs. Detailed result of benchmarks below:

CPU Benchmarks:

Fritz Chess Benchmark:

Core i7 3920XM (Stock): 12392 Kilonodes/s

Cinebench R10:

• Single Thread: 5974 Points
• MultiThread: 23187 Points

Winrar Benchmark:

Core i7 3920XM (Stock): 3293kb/s Average/2502kb/s Current

WPrime 32M:

Core i7 3920XM (Stock): 13.058 Sec

GPU Benchmarks - HD Graphics 4000 Results:

• 3DMark 06: 8049 3DMarks
• 3DMark 11: 615 Performance Marks

GPU Benchmarks - AMD HD6990M Results:

• 3DMark 11: 3618 Performance Marks
• Just Cause 2 (1080P, Max Settings, DX10): 76.58 AVG FPS
• GTA IV (1080P, Very High Settings): 40-45 AVG FPS
• H.A.W.X (1080P, DX11, Maxed Out): 101 AVG FPS
• Lost Planet 2 (1080P, DX11, Tessellation High): 34 AVG FPS

The Core i7 3920XM even in its engineering phase is an excellent chip, With performance levels nearing that of High End Sandy Bridge Processors and IGP performance increasing, The Ivy Bridge Mobile segment will surely pack a punch when it comes to Performance/Watt Ratio. Intel's Ivy Bridge is officially expected to launch in April 2012.

About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.

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