Core i7-620M vs Core i7-3689Y

Both the Core i7-620M and Core i7-3689Y share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.33 GHz on the Core i7-620M versus 2.6 GHz on the Core i7-3689Y — a 24.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-620M (base: 2.66 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Core i7-620M uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-3689Y uses Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-620M scores 1,976 against the Core i7-3689Y's 1,967 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i7-620M. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 350 vs 507, a 36.6% lead for the Core i7-3689Y that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 800 vs 1,100 (31.6% advantage for the Core i7-3689Y). Both processors carry 4 MB (total) of L3 cache.

The Core i7-620M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-3689Y uses BGA1023 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1066 memory speed. The Core i7-3689Y supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 8 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: HM55,QM57,HM57,QS57 (Core i7-620M) and HM77,QM77 (Core i7-3689Y).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics (Core i7-620M) and Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Core i7-3689Y) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-620M targets Performance Laptop, Core i7-3689Y targets Ultra-Low Power Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i7-620M rivals Core 2 Duo T9600; Core i7-3689Y rivals AMD A10-4655M.