3 304 vs i3-3220
Aggregate performance score
Core 3 304 outperforms Core i3-3220 by a whopping 406% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2608 | 1337 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.13 | 9.14 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i3 (Desktop) | no data |
| Power efficiency | 1.00 | 18.57 |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) | Wildcat Lake (2026) |
| Release date | 3 September 2012 (14 years ago) | 16 April 2026 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $117 | $309 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Core 3 304 has 6931% better value for money than i3-3220.
Performance to price scatter graph
Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304: 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) | 5 (Penta-Core) |
| Performance-cores | no data | 1 |
| Low Power Efficient-cores | no data | 4 |
| Threads | 4 | 5 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 1.5 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 4.3 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 192 KB |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 3 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | 94 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 65 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304 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 | FCBGA1516 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 55 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304. 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, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| My WiFi | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | - |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
| Supported AI Software Frameworks | - | OpenVINO™, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT, WebNN |
Security technologies
Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304 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 i3-3220 and Core 3 304 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | - | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | LPDDR5X-7467, DDR5-6400 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 1 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel HD Graphics 2500 | Intel® Graphics |
| Quick Sync Video | + | + |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.05 GHz | 2.3 GHz |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | 3 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | DirectX 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.6 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3220 and Core 3 304.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 6 |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.33 | 6.73 |
| Recency | 3 September 2012 | 16 April 2026 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 5 |
| Threads | 4 | 5 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 3 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 55 Watt | 15 Watt |
Core 3 304 has a 406% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 13 years, 150% more physical cores and 25% more threads, a 633% more advanced lithography process, and 267% lower power consumption.
The Intel Core 3 304 is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core i3-3220 in performance tests.
Note that Core i3-3220 is a desktop processor while Core 3 304 is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
