Core 2 Solo SU3500 vs Core i5-2520M

Place in the ranking	2202	3268
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	Intel Core 2 Solo
Power efficiency	3.81	2.93
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Penryn (2008−2011)
Release date	1 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 April 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$225	$262

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500 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)	1 (Single-Core)
Threads	4	1
Base clock speed	2.5 GHz	1.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	1.4 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 5 GT/s	800 MHz
Multiplier	25	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	64 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	3 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Die size	149 mm²	107 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	624 million	410 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
VID voltage range	no data	1.05V-1.15V

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500 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 (Uniprocessor)	no data
Socket	PPGA988	BGA956
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	5.5 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	-
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	-
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	-
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
FSB parity	no data	-

Security technologies

Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	no data
Maximum memory size	16 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	21.335 GB/s	no data

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	1.3 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500 integrated GPUs.

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

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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.

i5-2520M 1.41
+729%

Core 2 Solo SU3500 0.17

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i5-2520M 4041
+175%

Core 2 Solo SU3500 1468

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i5-2520M 3542
+442%

Core 2 Solo SU3500 654

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.

i5-2520M 18
+524%

Core 2 Solo SU3500 112.25

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.41	0.17
Recency	1 February 2011	1 April 2009
Physical cores	2	1
Threads	4	1
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	5 Watt

i5-2520M has a 729.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 100% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

Core 2 Solo SU3500, on the other hand, has 600% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-2520M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Solo SU3500 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2520M and Core 2 Solo SU3500, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.