Core i5-480M vs Atom x7-Z8700

The Core i5-480M packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Atom x7-Z8700 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Atom x7-Z8700 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.93 GHz on the Core i5-480M versus 2.4 GHz on the Atom x7-Z8700 — a 19.9% clock advantage for the Core i5-480M (base: 2.66 GHz vs 1.6 GHz). The Core i5-480M uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Atom x7-Z8700 uses Cherry Trail (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-480M scores 1,327 against the Atom x7-Z8700's 1,325 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i5-480M. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-480M vs 0 kB on the Atom x7-Z8700.

The Core i5-480M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Atom x7-Z8700 uses UTFCBGA1380 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 1066 on the Core i5-480M versus LPDDR3-1600 on the Atom x7-Z8700 — the Core i5-480M supports 198.9% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 8 of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-480M) vs 2 (Atom x7-Z8700) — the Core i5-480M offers 14 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM55,HM57,QM57 (Core i5-480M) and Intel FC-UTBGA592 (Atom x7-Z8700).

Virtualization: true (Core i5-480M) / not specified (Atom x7-Z8700). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics (Ironlake) (Core i5-480M) and Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail) (Atom x7-Z8700) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Core i5-480M rivals AMD Turion II M620.