Core i7-2640M vs Core i7-4610Y

Both the Core i7-2640M and Core i7-4610Y share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Core i7-2640M versus 2.9 GHz on the Core i7-4610Y — a 18.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-2640M (base: 2.8 GHz vs 1.7 GHz). The Core i7-2640M uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-4610Y uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-2640M scores 2,445 against the Core i7-4610Y's 2,446 — a 0% lead for the Core i7-4610Y. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 563 vs 700, a 21.7% lead for the Core i7-4610Y that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,184 vs 1,350 (13.1% advantage for the Core i7-4610Y). Both processors carry 4 MB of L3 cache.

The Core i7-2640M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-4610Y uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 1333 on the Core i7-2640M versus DDR3L-1600 on the Core i7-4610Y — the Core i7-2640M supports 199.1% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 16 of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-2640M) vs 12 (Core i7-4610Y) — the Core i7-2640M offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM65,HM67,QM67,QS67 (Core i7-2640M) and Haswell Y (Core i7-4610Y).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: true (Core i7-2640M) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-4610Y). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Core i7-2640M) and Intel HD Graphics 4200 (Core i7-4610Y) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-4610Y targets Ultrabook/Tablet. Direct competitor: Core i7-2640M rivals Phenom II Black Edition N660.