Atom C3858 vs i5-2500
Aggregate performance score
Atom C3858 outperforms Core i5-2500 by a moderate 14% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1724 | 1642 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.66 | 0.94 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | no data | Intel Atom |
| Power efficiency | 2.58 | 11.21 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Goldmont (2016−2017) |
| Release date | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 15 August 2017 (7 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $85 | $332 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Atom C3858 has 42% better value for money than i5-2500.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 2 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | no data | 20 |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 672 KB |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 12 MB |
| L3 cache | 6144 KB (shared) | 12 MB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 216 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | 83 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,160 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858 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 | LGA1155 | FCBGA1310 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 25 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| QuickAssist | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Boot | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| SGX | no data | - |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4: 2400 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 256 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | 38.397 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel HD Graphics 2000 | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.1 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 3 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 16 |
| USB revision | no data | 3 |
| Total number of SATA ports | no data | 16 |
| Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports | no data | 16 |
| Number of USB ports | no data | 8 |
| Integrated LAN | no data | 4x10/2.5/1 GBE |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.59 | 2.96 |
| Recency | 9 January 2011 | 15 August 2017 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 12 |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 25 Watt |
Atom C3858 has a 14.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 280% lower power consumption.
The Atom C3858 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2500 in performance tests.
Note that Core i5-2500 is a desktop processor while Atom C3858 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500 and Atom C3858, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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