Core i7-3820QM vs Core i5-1030NG7

Both the Core i7-3820QM and Core i5-1030NG7 share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Core i7-3820QM versus 3.5 GHz on the Core i5-1030NG7 — a 5.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-3820QM (base: 2.7 GHz vs 1.1 GHz). The Core i7-3820QM uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i5-1030NG7 uses Ice Lake-Y (2020) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-3820QM scores 5,607 against the Core i5-1030NG7's 5,600 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i7-3820QM. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 604 vs 1,239, a 68.9% lead for the Core i5-1030NG7 that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-3820QM vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-1030NG7.

The Core i7-3820QM uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-1030NG7 uses BGA1044 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core i7-3820QM versus LPDDR4-3733 on the Core i5-1030NG7 — the Core i5-1030NG7 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. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Core i5-1030NG7 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 4000 (Core i7-3820QM) and Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Core i5-1030NG7) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-3820QM targets High Performance Laptop, Core i5-1030NG7 targets Thin & Light Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i7-3820QM rivals A10-4600M; Core i5-1030NG7 rivals Ryzen 5 4500U.