Atom C3538 vs i5-2500K

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1721	2347
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.37	0.04
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Core i5 (Desktop)	Intel Atom
Power efficiency	2.59	7.51
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Goldmont (2016−2017)
Release date	9 January 2011 (13 years ago)	15 August 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$216	$75

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-2500K has 825% better value for money than Atom C3538.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	2.1 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	no data	21
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	224 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	8 MB
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	8 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	216 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	87 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	LGA1155	FCBGA1310
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
QuickAssist	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	-
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	+
Secure Boot	no data	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	no data	-
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4: 2133
Maximum memory size	32 GB	256 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	29.871 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 3000	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538.

PCIe version	2.0	3
PCI Express lanes	16	12
USB revision	no data	3
Total number of SATA ports	no data	12
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	no data	12
Number of USB ports	no data	8
Integrated LAN	no data	2x10/2.5/1 GBE + 2x2.5/1 GBE

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	2.60	1.19
Recency	9 January 2011	15 August 2017
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	15 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Atom C3538, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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