i5-12500H vs i3-3250

Place in performance ranking	2089	544
Place by popularity	not in top-100	32
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Alder Lake-P
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Alder Lake-H (2022)
Release date	9 June 2013 (11 years ago)	4 January 2022 (2 years ago)

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H 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)	12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads	4	16
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	2.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.5 GHz	4.5 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	1.1 MB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	10 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	18 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	94 mm²	217 mm²
Maximum core temperature	no data	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	65 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H 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	FCBGA1744
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H. 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	-	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
FDI	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Launched
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H are enumerated here.

VT-d	-	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600	DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
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® Iris® Xe Graphics eligible
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	1.3 GHz
Execution Units	no data	80
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12.1
OpenGL	no data	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H.

PCIe version	2.0	4.0
PCI Express lanes	16	20

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.

i3-3250 1.58

i5-12500H 13.67
+765%

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.

i3-3250 2442

i5-12500H 21137
+766%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.58	13.67
Recency	9 June 2013	4 January 2022
Physical cores	2	12
Threads	4	16
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	45 Watt

i5-12500H has a 765.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, 500% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and 22.2% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-12500H is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-3250 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-3250 is a desktop processor while Core i5-12500H is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3250 and Core i5-12500H, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.