i5-2520M vs i3-3250

Place in the ranking	2118	2198
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.15	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Core i5
Power efficiency	2.65	3.80
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	9 June 2013 (11 years ago)	1 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$138	$225

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	2.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.5 GHz	3.2 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 2.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	25
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	94 mm²	149 mm²
Maximum core temperature	no data	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	65 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	624 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1155	PPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	-	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FDI	+	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	-	no data
Identity Protection	+	+
Anti-Theft	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M are enumerated here.

AMD-V	-	+
VT-d	-	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 2500	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	1.3 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+
SDVO	no data	+
CRT	no data	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i3-3250 1.60
+9.6%

i5-2520M 1.46

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i3-3250 2442
+9.1%

i5-2520M 2239

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i3-3250 583
+24.6%

i5-2520M 468

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i3-3250 1189
+27.7%

i5-2520M 931

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.60	1.46
Integrated graphics card	0.69	0.66
Recency	9 June 2013	1 February 2011
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	35 Watt

i3-3250 has a 9.6% higher aggregate performance score, 4.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 2 years, and a 45.5% more advanced lithography process.

i5-2520M, on the other hand, has 57.1% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M.

Note that Core i3-3250 is a desktop processor while Core i5-2520M is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3250 and Core i5-2520M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.