i5-3230M vs PRO A12-8870
Aggregate performance score
PRO A12-8870 outperforms i5-3230M by an impressive 51% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1725 | 2048 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Intel Core i5 |
| Architecture codename | Carrizo (2015−2018) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| Release date | October 2016 (7 years ago) | 1 January 2013 (11 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $225 |
Detailed specifications
PRO A12-8870 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 cores | 4 (Quad-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.2 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | no data | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | 2048 KB | 512 KB |
| L3 cache | no data | 3 MB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 250 mm2 | 118 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 105 °C |
| Number of transistors | 3,100 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
Compatibility
Information on PRO A12-8870 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 configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | AM4 | FCPGA988 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | + | - |
| AVX | + | + |
| FRTC | + | - |
| FreeSync | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| My WiFi | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| 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 | + |
| Status | no data | Discontinued |
Security technologies
PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M 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 PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M 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 PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2400 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | AMD Radeon R7 Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| iGPU core count | 8 | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Enduro | n/a | - |
| Switchable graphics | + | - |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | n/a | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| SDVO | no data | + |
| CRT | no data | + |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | DirectX® 12 | no data |
| Vulkan | + | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.50 | 1.66 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 35 Watt |
PRO A12-8870 has a 50.6% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.
i5-3230M, on the other hand, has a 27.3% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.
The PRO A12-8870 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3230M in performance tests.
Note that PRO A12-8870 is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between PRO A12-8870 and Core i5-3230M, 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.
