Core i5-3470 vs Core i5-2550K

General info

Comparing Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1600	1521
Place by popularity	not in top-100	13
Value for money	1.65	1.47
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Intel Core i5 (Desktop)
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	January 2012 (12 years old)	1 June 2012 (11 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)	$189	$184
Current price	$92 (0.5x MSRP)	$87 (0.5x MSRP)

Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-2550K has 12% better value for money than i5-3470.

Technical specs

Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470 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	3.4 GHz	3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.6 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	6144 KB (shared)	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	216 mm2	132.8 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	67 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	67 °C
Number of transistors	1160 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470 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,LGA1155	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	77 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470. 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® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	-
TSX	no data	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	-	+
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
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	no data	Intel HD Graphics 2500
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	-	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	-	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
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.

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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.

Core i5-3470 outperforms Core i5-2550K by 14% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Advantages and disadvantages

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Performance score	2.67	3.05
Cost	$189	$184
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	77 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2550K and Core i5-3470, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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