A6-6400B vs i5-3230M

Place in the ranking	2087	2444
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i5	no data
Power efficiency	4.35	1.49
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Richland (2013−2014)
Release date	1 January 2013 (11 years ago)	1 June 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$225	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B 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	2
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	3.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	4.1 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	96K
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (shared)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	118 mm²	246 mm²
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	70 °C
Number of transistors	no data	1,303 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B 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	FCPGA988	FM2
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1866
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	AMD Radeon HD 8470D
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 i5-3230M and A6-6400B integrated GPUs.

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

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

i5-3230M 1.64
+57.7%

A6-6400B 1.04

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.

i5-3230M 2563
+58.6%

A6-6400B 1616

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.64	1.04
Integrated graphics card	1.18	0.97
Recency	1 January 2013	1 June 2013
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	65 Watt

i5-3230M has a 57.7% higher aggregate performance score, 21.6% faster integrated GPU, 100% more threads, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.

A6-6400B, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 5 months.

The Core i5-3230M is our recommended choice as it beats the A6-6400B in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i5-3230M is a notebook processor while A6-6400B is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-3230M and A6-6400B, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.