Core i7-840QM vs Core i3-2102

The Core i7-840QM packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Core i3-2102 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i7-840QM has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Core i7-840QM versus 3.1 GHz on the Core i3-2102 — a 3.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-840QM (base: 1.86 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The Core i7-840QM uses the Clarksfield (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i3-2102 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-840QM scores 2,025 against the Core i3-2102's 2,029 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i3-2102. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 390 vs 515, a 27.6% lead for the Core i3-2102 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,050 vs 1,082 (3% advantage for the Core i3-2102). L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-840QM vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-2102.

The Core i7-840QM uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i3-2102 uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Core i3-2102 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: PM55,HM55,QM57,HM57 (Core i7-840QM) and H61,H67,P67,Z68 (Core i3-2102).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-840QM) vs VT-x (Core i3-2102). The Core i3-2102 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 2000), while the Core i7-840QM requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-840QM targets Laptop, Core i3-2102 targets Office Desktop.