In a nutshell
2nd gen/Sandy Bridge - Bigger in size , inferior graphic processor , more power consumption, easily overlockable.
Ivy Bridge/3rd gen - Smaller die size,More heat generation, better gfx processor,lower power consumption.Overclocking is a bit difficult than sandy bridges.
only in the case of dell inspiron SE they are providing a new model core-i7 model 3612QM that is lower clocked 35W model.
What do u mean by "lower clocked"? What is it?
Normal 45W core-i7 3610QM is of 2.3 GHz (3.3Ghz in turbo mode)
And the 35W core-i7 3612QM is of 2.1Ghz (3.1Ghz in turbo mode)
For the OP, Go with the 3rd gen if you don't have a 2nd gen, It is a bit better for laptop and if you have one 2nd Gen, no point to buy another, not VFM.
They both have same power consumption that is 45W but only in the case of dell inspiron SE they are providing a new model core-i7 model 3612QM that is lower clocked 35W model.
As long as we were testing the Core i7-2700K and the Core i7-3770K with otherwise exactly the same hardware setup, we decided to take some power readings using an Extech Datalogger. Though the full systems idled at almost the same electricity draw (about 71 watts), there was a stark difference when we maxed out all four of the processors' cores: The Core i7-2700K system needed 166.5 watts, but the Core i7-3700K drew only 136.3—a remarkable change.
On what basis are you saying that they both consume same amount of power practically. ?Ivy Bridge processors introduce Intel's new Tri-Gate transistor technology, which replaces the traditional two-dimensional "planar" design with one that uses conducting channels on three sides of a vertical "fin" structure. This reduces current leakage, which in turn lets the chips use less power and better maintain performance.
It leads to around 50% less power consumption. ALso , it supports DDR3L low voltage memory.