i5-3230M vs Athlon II X4 740

VS

Aggregate performance score

Athlon II X4 740
2012
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.67
+4.4%
Core i5-3230M
2013
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.60

Athlon II X4 740 outperforms Core i5-3230M by a minimal 4% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking20692103
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesAthlonIntel Core i5
Power efficiencyno data4.36
Architecture codenamePiledriverIvy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date1 October 2012 (12 years ago)1 January 2013 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$71$225

Detailed specifications

Athlon II X4 740 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)
Threads44
Base clock speed3.2 GHz2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.7 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rateno data5 GT/s
L1 cache192 KB64K (per core)
L2 cache4 MB256K (per core)
L3 cacheno data3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm22 nm
Die sizeno data118 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data105 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Athlon II X4 740 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
SocketSocket FM2FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)65 watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® AVX
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data-
EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection-+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel 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 Athlon II X4 740 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 Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M.

PCIe versionno data3.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

Athlon II X4 740 1.67
+4.4%
i5-3230M 1.60

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.

Athlon II X4 740 2677
+4.5%
i5-3230M 2562

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.67 1.60
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 32 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 35 Watt

Athlon II X4 740 has a 4.4% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.

i5-3230M, on the other hand, has a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M.

Note that Athlon II X4 740 is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X4 740 and Core i5-3230M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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AMD Athlon II X4 740
Athlon II X4 740
Intel Core i5-3230M
Core i5-3230M

Other comparisons

We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

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