Pentium 3556U vs i3-2100

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2358	2733
Place by popularity	100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.28	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Pentium
Power efficiency	1.70	4.23
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Haswell (2013−2015)
Release date	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 September 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$73	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U 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	2
Base clock speed	3.1 GHz	1.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.1 GHz	1.7 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	2 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	131 mm2	118 mm2
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	105 °C
Number of transistors	504 million	1,400 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U 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	FCLGA1155	FCBGA1168
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	no data	-
GPIO	no data	+
Smart Connect	no data	+
FDI	+	-
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
AMT	no data	9.5
Matrix Storage	no data	-
HD Audio	no data	+
RST	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	+	-
OS Guard	no data	-
Anti-Theft	no data	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	16 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 2000	Intel® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® Processors
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	3
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	10
PCI support	no data	-
USB revision	no data	3.0
Total number of SATA ports	no data	2
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	no data	2
Integrated IDE	no data	-
Number of USB ports	no data	4
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	1.17	0.67
Recency	20 February 2011	1 September 2013
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	15 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2100 and Pentium 3556U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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