i5-3230M vs i7-870

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-870
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
1.97
+22.4%
Core i5-3230M
2013
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.61

Core i7-870 outperforms Core i5-3230M by a significant 22% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking19302089
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.23no data
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
Seriesno dataIntel Core i5
Power efficiency1.964.35
Architecture codenameLynnfield (2009−2010)Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date8 September 2009 (15 years ago)1 January 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$305$225

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads84
Base clock speed2.93 GHz2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.6 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate2.5 GT/s5 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm22 nm
Die size296 mm2118 mm2
Maximum core temperature73 °C105 °C
Number of transistors774 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA1156,LGA1156FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2Intel® AVX
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technology1.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Demand Based Switching--
PAE36 Bitno data
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection-+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size16 GB32 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardN/AIntel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3
eDPno data+
DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+
SDVOno data+
CRTno data+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M.

PCIe version2.03.0
PCI Express lanes1616

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.

i7-870 1.97
+22.4%
i5-3230M 1.61

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.

i7-870 3136
+22.4%
i5-3230M 2562

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-870 476
i5-3230M 506
+6.3%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-870 1555
+52.5%
i5-3230M 1020

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.

i7-870 4007
i5-3230M 4268
+6.5%

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.

i7-870 5881
+56.4%
i5-3230M 3760

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.

i7-870 5
+78.5%
i5-3230M 3

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i7-870 497
+92.6%
i5-3230M 258

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.

i7-870 100
i5-3230M 105
+5%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark 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 loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i7-870 1.19
i5-3230M 1.25
+5%

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i7-870 0.5
i5-3230M 1.5
+194%

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

i7-870 29
+153%
i5-3230M 11

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

i7-870 121
+102%
i5-3230M 60

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

i7-870 3923
+21.9%
i5-3230M 3219

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-870 4590
+35.8%
i5-3230M 3380

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.97 1.61
Recency 8 September 2009 1 January 2013
Physical cores 4 2
Threads 8 4
Chip lithography 45 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 35 Watt

i7-870 has a 22.4% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

i5-3230M, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 3 years, a 104.5% more advanced lithography process, and 171.4% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-870 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3230M in performance tests.

Note that Core i7-870 is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-870 and Core i5-3230M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-870
Core i7-870
Intel Core i5-3230M
Core i5-3230M

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