Processor N97 vs i5-2500K
Aggregate performance score
Processor N97 outperforms Core i5-2500K by a substantial 34% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-2500K and Processor N97 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1734 | 1543 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.39 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Core i5 (Desktop) | no data |
| Power efficiency | 2.59 | 27.51 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Alder Lake-N (2023) |
| Release date | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 3 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $216 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-2500K and Processor N97 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) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 96 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 2 MB (shared) |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 216 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | 105 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,160 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-2500K and Processor N97 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 |
| Socket | LGA1155 | Intel BGA 1264 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 12 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Processor N97. 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) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i5-2500K and Processor N97 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | + |
| EDB | + | no data |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Processor N97 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | - | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Processor N97. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4, DDR5 4800 MHz Single-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 3000 | Intel UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) ( - 1200 MHz) |
| 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 i5-2500K and Processor N97 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Processor N97.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 9 |
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.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
3DMark06 CPU
3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.60 | 3.49 |
| Integrated graphics card | 0.66 | 2.32 |
| Recency | 9 January 2011 | 3 January 2023 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 12 Watt |
Processor N97 has a 34.2% higher aggregate performance score, 251.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 11 years, a 220% more advanced lithography process, and 691.7% lower power consumption.
The Processor N97 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2500K in performance tests.
Note that Core i5-2500K is a desktop processor while Processor N97 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Processor N97, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
