Apple M2 Pro vs i5-3230M

Place in the ranking	2055	526
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	Apple Apple M-Series
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	no data
Release date	1 January 2013 (11 years ago)	17 January 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$225	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro 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	12
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	2.424 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	3.5 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	3.3 MB
L2 cache	512 KB	36 MB
L3 cache	3 MB	24 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	5 nm
Die size	118 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	40000 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro 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	no data
Socket	FCPGA988	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	no data

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	no data
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Apple M2 Pro 19-Core GPU
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 i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro.

PCIe version	3.0	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.

i5-3230M 1.66

Apple M2 Pro 14.08
+748%

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.

i5-3230M 2562

Apple M2 Pro 21709
+747%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i5-3230M 258

Apple M2 Pro 2069
+702%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i5-3230M 105

Apple M2 Pro 230
+119%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.66	14.08
Recency	1 January 2013	17 January 2023
Physical cores	2	12
Threads	4	12
Chip lithography	22 nm	5 nm

Apple M2 Pro has a 748.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, 500% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and a 340% more advanced lithography process.

The Apple M2 Pro is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3230M in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-3230M and Apple M2 Pro, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.