Intel Core i7-3940XM Review

Introducing the Core i7-3940XM! This Laptop processor is part of Intel's high-performance high-end range. Released in 2012, it features 4 cores and 8 threads. It has a base clock speed of 3.9GHz, can boost up to 3.9GHz, and has a power rating of 55W, making it a perfect fit for your gaming rig. The Core i7-3940XM is based on the robust Ivy Bridge 22nm architecture and is part of the acclaimed Core i7 series.

And guess what? The Core i7-3940XM is the ultimate successor to Intel's previous-gen gaming champion, the Core i7-2920XM. The Core i7-2920XM was based on the legendary Sandy Bridge and 32nm process, and it made its grand entrance into the gaming scene back in 2011. But now, it's time for the Core i7-3940XM to take the throne and conquer the gaming world!

The Intel Core i7-3940XM is another epic drop from Team Intel, cranking things up in the neverending Intel vs AMD CPU war. But hey, core count ain't everything, especially for playing the hottest PC games. Single-core performance gotta be on point too.

Can the Intel Core i7-3940XM finally dethrone the king of mainstream CPUs, the Phenom II X2 X640 BE? It's a maybe. The Core i7-3940XM doesn't quite reach the same single-core performance as its rival, but more games are starting to use all those threads, so who cares!

The Core i7-3940XM takes the best parts of the Ivy Bridge architecture, which gives you 15% more instructions processed per cycle (IPC) on average, and shrinks it down to a 22nm process. This creates a super powerful chip that performs awesome in all our tests, especially considering the competitive price, compatibility with most existing FCPGA988 motherboards, ability to overclock, and included cooler. Basically, it's a win-win!

The Core i7-3940XM is the more expensive version of the Core i7-3920XM, and it shows with its higher base and boost clock speeds: 3.9 GHz and 3.9 GHz, respectively. That's a nice boost in speed, but the real game changer is the higher power delivery (PPT). This lets the motherboard pump more juice (up to 142W) to the Core i7-3940XM compared to the Core i7-3920XM's limit of 55W. This extra power allows the Core i7-3940XM to crank up the boost clocks even more aggressively, on both single and multiple cores. That means the performance gap between these two CPUs might be bigger than what the specs on paper suggest.

The Intel Core i7-3940XM launched on on September 2012 for $1096, which is pretty much the same price as the last-generation Core i7-2920XM. At least there's no crazy price hike this generation!

The high number of threads (over 7!) in the Intel Core i7-3940XM makes it a monster for tasks that use all the cores at once (multi-threaded workloads), especially for the price. If you edit a lot of videos or work with giant spreadsheets, the Core i7-3940XM will give you a noticeable performance boost.

Heads up! If you already have a Core i7-2920XM, this new generation doesn't offer a huge jump in performance. You might be better off waiting a year to upgrade or spending more on a higher-end CPU.

Intel has been struggling lately to keep up with the new Phenom II X2 processors. This has forced them to get creative with their existing lineup. The Intel Core i7-3940XM isn't exactly new - it's basically a Core i7-2920XM with a higher clock speed. But there's one more twist...

One of the best things about the Intel Core i7-3940XM is that it comes with a free CPU cooler! You can grab the Core i7-3940XM for $1096 without having to spend extra on cooling.

The Intel Core i7-3940XM comes with a basic heatsink cooler, nothing fancy. But it gets the job done for this low-power CPU (TDP of 55W). You won't need a fancy aftermarket cooler unless you want to overclock it.

Don't let the 4 cores fool you, the Intel Core i7-3940XM is a surprisingly capable processor! It held its own and felt snappy in our tests. While it fell behind on heavily threaded tasks due to the lower core count, it actually beat some pricier siblings in lightly threaded tasks thanks to its high clock speeds.

If you don't care too much about overclocking and max boost speeds, then the Intel Core i7-3920XM is a good option for $1096. It also has 4 cores and 8 threads, but with slightly lower clock speeds (3.8GHz base and 3.8GHz boost).

More cores, more power! The Core i7-3940XM's 4 cores outperform everything AMD throws at it, including both the competitor's closest rival and a higher-end model.

Building on the success of mainstream Core i7 CPUs, Intel is now attacking the high-end market with the Core i7-3940XM processors, available since on September 2012.