i3-4170 vs i5-2500K
Aggregate performance score
Core i5-2500K outperforms Core i3-4170 by a moderate 14% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1735 | 1821 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.39 | 0.55 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Core i5 (Desktop) | no data |
| Power efficiency | 2.59 | 4.00 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| Release date | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 1 May 2014 (10 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $216 | $117 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i3-4170 has 41% better value for money than i5-2500K.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 3 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 216 mm2 | 177 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,160 million | 1,400 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 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 | LGA1155 | FCLGA1150 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 54 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170. 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) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | - |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | - | - |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 3000 | Intel HD Graphics 4400 |
| Max video memory | no data | 2 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | + | + |
| Clear Video HD | + | + |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.1 GHz | 1.15 GHz |
| InTru 3D | + | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| DVI | no data | + |
| VGA | no data | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096x2304@24Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 3840x2160@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 3840x2160@60Hz |
| Max resolution over VGA | no data | 1920x1200@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 11.1/12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.3 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | Up to 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 16 |
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.
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.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
3DMark Fire Strike Physics
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.60 | 2.28 |
| Integrated graphics card | 0.66 | 1.36 |
| Recency | 9 January 2011 | 1 May 2014 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 54 Watt |
i5-2500K has a 14% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.
i3-4170, on the other hand, has 106.1% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 3 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 75.9% lower power consumption.
The Core i5-2500K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-4170 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Core i3-4170, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
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