The Intel Core i7-4960HQ is a mobile processor with 4 cores, launched in September 2013. It is part of the Core i7 lineup, using the Crystal Well architecture with BGA 1364. Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 8 threads. Core i7-4960HQ has 8 MB of L3 cache and operates at 2.6 GHz by default, but can boost up to 3.8 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Core i7-4960HQ on a 22 nm production process using 1,400 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Core i7-4960HQ, which limits its overclocking capabilities.
With a TDP of 47 W, the Core i7-4960HQ consumes typical power levels for a modern PC. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory. This processor features the Intel HD 5200 integrated graphics solution.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Core i7-4960HQ, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Programs using Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications. Besides AVX, Intel is including the newer AVX2 standard, too, but not AVX-512.