i5-520E vs i3-550

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2448	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.11	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Core i5
Power efficiency	1.31	no data
Architecture codename	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Westmere (2010−2011)
Release date	30 May 2010 (14 years ago)	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$101	$210

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E 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	3.2 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	2.4 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 1.0
Bus rate	2.5 GT/s	1 × 2.5 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	18
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	3 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	81 mm2	81 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	no data
Number of transistors	382 million	382 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E 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	FCLGA1156	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	-	+
FMA	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FDI	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E are enumerated here.

VT-d	no data	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1066
Maximum memory size	16.38 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	17.051 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors	Intel HD Graphics (Ironlake)
Clear Video HD	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

Pros & cons summary

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Recency	30 May 2010	7 January 2010
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	35 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-550 and Core i5-520E, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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