i3-4030Y vs i5-2520M

Place in the ranking	2203	2431
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	3.82	8.56
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Haswell (2013−2015)
Release date	1 February 2011 (13 years ago)	14 April 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$225	$281

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y 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	2.5 GHz	1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	1.6 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 5 GT/s	5 GT/s
Multiplier	25	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	512 KB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	149 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	624 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	PPGA988	FCBGA1168
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	11.5 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
GPIO	no data	+
Smart Connect	no data	+
FDI	+	-
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
AMT	no data	9.5
Matrix Storage	no data	-
HD Audio	no data	+
RST	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y 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 i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	16 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21.335 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD Graphics 4200
Max video memory	no data	2 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	850 MHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	2560x1600@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	2561x1600@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	no data	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	11.2/12
OpenGL	no data	4.3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	12
PCI support	no data	-
USB revision	no data	3.0
Total number of SATA ports	no data	4
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	no data	4
Integrated IDE	no data	-
Number of USB ports	no data	4
Integrated LAN	no data	-
UART	no data	+

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.

i5-2520M 1.44
+35.8%

i3-4030Y 1.06

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.

i5-2520M 2238
+35.3%

i3-4030Y 1654

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.44	1.06
Integrated graphics card	0.66	0.99
Recency	1 February 2011	14 April 2014
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	11 Watt

i5-2520M has a 35.8% higher aggregate performance score.

i3-4030Y, on the other hand, has 50% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 3 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 218.2% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-2520M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-4030Y in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2520M and Core i3-4030Y, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.