i3-3250 vs i7-4600U

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2039	2122
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	0.14
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i7	no data
Power efficiency	10.79	2.65
Architecture codename	Haswell-ULT (2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	1 September 2013 (11 years ago)	9 June 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$398	$138

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 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	2.1 GHz	3.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.5 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	22 nm
Die size	118 mm2	94 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	65 °C
Number of transistors	1,300 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 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	FCBGA1168	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	55 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	-
Identity Protection	+	+
Anti-Theft	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600
Maximum memory size	16 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4400	Intel HD Graphics 2500
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1.05 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	no data
OpenGL	4.3	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250.

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

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	1.71	1.54
Integrated graphics card	1.35	0.69
Recency	1 September 2013	9 June 2013
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	55 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4600U and Core i3-3250, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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