The Intel Core i7-2860QM was a mobile processor with 4 cores, launched in September 2011. It is part of the Core i7 lineup, using the Sandy Bridge architecture with Socket G2 (988B). Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 8 threads. Core i7-2860QM has 8 MB of L3 cache and operates at 2.5 GHz by default, but can boost up to 3.6 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Core i7-2860QM on a 32 nm production process using 1,160 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Core i7-2860QM, which limits its overclocking capabilities.
With a TDP of 45 W, the Core i7-2860QM consumes typical power levels for a modern PC. This processor features the Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics solution.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Core i7-2860QM, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware. Programs using Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications.