i3-2105 vs i5-3230M

Place in the ranking	2056	2336
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	0.07
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i5	no data
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	1 January 2013 (11 years ago)	22 May 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$225	$145

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	3.1 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	118 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	69 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105 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	FCPGA988	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105 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 i5-3230M and Core i3-2105 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	-
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105. 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	25.6 GB/s	21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
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.

i5-3230M 1.66
+39.5%

i3-2105 1.19

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
+39.5%

i3-2105 1837

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.

i5-3230M 507
+6.1%

i3-2105 478

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.

i5-3230M 1022
+5%

i3-2105 973

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.66	1.19
Integrated graphics card	1.18	0.66
Recency	1 January 2013	22 May 2011
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	65 Watt

i5-3230M has a 39.5% higher aggregate performance score, 78.8% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 1 year, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-3230M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-2105 in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i5-3230M is a notebook processor while Core i3-2105 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-3230M and Core i3-2105, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.