i5-3230M vs Ryzen 5 3500

Place in the ranking	930	2089
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	AMD Ryzen 5	Intel Core i5
Power efficiency	11.72	4.35
Architecture codename	Zen 2 (2017−2020)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	no data (2024 years ago)	1 January 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$225

Detailed specifications

Ryzen 5 3500 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	6 (Hexa-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	6	4
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.1 GHz	3.2 GHz
Bus rate	no data	5 GT/s
L1 cache	384 KB	64K (per core)
L2 cache	3 MB	256K (per core)
L3 cache	16 MB	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	7 nm, 12 nm	22 nm
Die size	no data	118 mm²
Maximum core temperature	no data	105 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 5 3500 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	Socket AM4	FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 5 3500 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	+	+
AVX	+	+
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	+
Precision Boost 2	+	no data

Security technologies

Ryzen 5 3500 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 Ryzen 5 3500 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 Ryzen 5 3500 and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-3200	DDR3
Maximum memory size	128 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.196 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	-	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video HD	-	+
Graphics max frequency	-	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	-	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Ryzen 5 3500 and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	-	3
eDP	-	+
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+
SDVO	-	+
CRT	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 5 3500 and Core i5-3230M.

PCIe version	no data	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.

Ryzen 5 3500 8.05
+400%

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.

Ryzen 5 3500 12791
+399%

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.

Ryzen 5 3500 1515
+199%

i5-3230M 506

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.

Ryzen 5 3500 5379
+427%

i5-3230M 1020

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	8.05	1.61
Physical cores	6	2
Threads	6	4
Chip lithography	7 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	35 Watt

Ryzen 5 3500 has a 400% higher aggregate performance score, 200% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 214.3% more advanced lithography process.

i5-3230M, on the other hand, has 85.7% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 5 3500 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3230M in performance tests.

Note that Ryzen 5 3500 is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 5 3500 and Core i5-3230M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.