Core i7-2720QM vs Core i7-7660U

The Core i7-2720QM packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Core i7-7660U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i7-2720QM has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i7-2720QM versus 4 GHz on the Core i7-7660U — a 19.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-7660U (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i7-2720QM uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-7660U uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-2720QM scores 4,015 against the Core i7-7660U's 4,059 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i7-7660U. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 700 vs 1,150, a 48.6% lead for the Core i7-7660U that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 2,600 vs 2,285 (12.9% advantage for the Core i7-2720QM). L3 cache: 6 MB (total) on the Core i7-2720QM vs 4 MB on the Core i7-7660U.

The Core i7-2720QM uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-7660U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core i7-2720QM versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i7-7660U — the Core i7-7660U supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-2720QM) vs 12 (Core i7-7660U) — the Core i7-2720QM offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM65,HM67,QM67 (Core i7-2720QM) and SoC (Core i7-7660U).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Core i7-2720QM) and Iris Plus 640 (Core i7-7660U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-2720QM targets Performance Laptop, Core i7-7660U targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Core i7-2720QM rivals AMD A8-3510MX; Core i7-7660U rivals Core i5-8250U.