Which to prefer: more speed or more core

[idata]

Hi I am about to buy a laptop. Which to prefer: i7-2630QM or i5-2410M

i5-2410M

i7-2630QM

Marked Frequency

2.30 GHz

2.00 GHz

Turbo Boost

Upto 2.9 GHz

Upto 2.9 GHz

Cache

3 MB

6 MB

Cores

2

4

Will i5-2410M give better performance over i7-2630QM, when single threaded app is running, since i7 is having less marked speed than i5

OR

Will i7 get Turbo Boost to at least 2.3GHz for all the time, in such cases (running single threaded app), for all the time, so that I will get minimum i5 like performance?

Which to prefer? Which will have better performance?

Is there any computation instance in which i5-2410M will work better than i7-2630QM?

Is there any better processor at the same cost or below i7-2630QM?

[Adolfo_S_Intel2]

The more cores the processor has, the more tasks the processor can perform at the same time, so the processor with more cores will have better performance when running multiple applications at the same time.

[idata]

Is there a difference regarding temperature and power consumption between i7-2630QM or i5-2410M?

[idata]

Adolfo:

The question is about one (1) single-threaded process - not multiple multi-threaded processes.

If I run just one (1) single-threaded process (not a multi-threaded process, or many multi-threaded processes, but just one (1) single-threaded process only, with nothing else running on either CPU, which CPU will finish that particular single-threaded process faster - the i5-2410M or the i7-2630QM?

Will the i7-2630QM automatically speed up from 2.0 GHz, or will it lag behind the i5-2410M because each core of the i5-2410M runs at a faster native 2.3 GHz? 

[Adolfo_S_Intel2]

This is really relative, because even when the i5-2410M has a faster clock speed, it also has less cache RAM, so it will not be able to save as much data on the cache RAM as the i7-2630QM.

If you really need to check which one will perform faster in one single task, I would suggest checking with a Benchmark performance website like TOM's Hardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/ http://www.tomshardware.com/

NOTE: This link is being offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel of the content, products, or services offered there.

I would also suggest checking with any of the Authorized Intel® Distributors for additional buying recommendations:

You can find a list of Authorized Intel® Distributors at:

http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/asmo-na/eng/227304.htm http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/asmo-na/eng/227304.htm

If you are located out of North America, you can check this link for local Authorized Intel® Distributors:

http://premierlocator.intel.com/Default.aspx http://premierlocator.intel.com/Default.aspx

[idata]

The i7-2630QM has higher TDP than the i5-2410M, and, as a result, your laptop will run less time on the same battery charge. If you don't care about this then, in my opinion, it's better to get i7-2630QM. The difference in performance at stock speeds between two CPUs is 15% at most. As was pointed out by Adolfo_Intel, the 2630QM has larger cache, so the performance difference will be actually smaller. When running single-threaded applications, both processors will activate Turbo Boost, and run at about the same frequency. In dual-threaded applications the 2630QM has slightly higher Turbo Boost frequency. Source:

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i5/Intel-Core%20i5%20Mobile%20I5-2410M.html http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i5/Intel-Core%20i5%20Mobile%20I5-2410M.html

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core%20i7%20Mobile%20I7-2630QM.html http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core%20i7%20Mobile%20I7-2630QM.html

The advantage of the 2630QM is in its high TDP. Turbo Boost mode stays active until it hits power or temperature maximum limits. The 2630QM has higher TDP, so it's more likely to stay longer in the Turbo mode, and more likely to run at the maximum Turbo Boost speed. So, taking into account the performance increase due to Turbo Boost feature and larger cache, I think that the i7-2630QM has better performance in single-threaded and dual-threaded applications.

Gennadiy