i5-3230M vs FirePro A320
Aggregate performance score
Core i5-3230M outperforms A320 by a significant 20% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2567 | 2408 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.14 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Intel Core i5 |
| Power efficiency | 0.52 | 1.77 |
| Designer | AMD | Intel |
| Manufacturer | GlobalFoundries | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Trinity (2012−2013) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| Release date | 7 August 2012 (13 years ago) | 1 January 2013 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $225 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M: 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 | 3.8 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.2 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 192K | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 4 MB (shared) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 3 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 246 mm2 | 118 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 105 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 74 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 1,303 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
Compatibility
Information on FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M 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 | FM2 | FCBGA1023 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 100 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | + | - |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| My WiFi | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| 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 | + |
Security technologies
FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M 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 FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M 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 FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3-1866 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | FirePro | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| SDVO | no data | + |
| CRT | no data | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by FirePro A320 and Core i5-3230M.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.23 | 1.47 |
| Recency | 7 August 2012 | 1 January 2013 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 100 Watt | 35 Watt |
FirePro A320 has 100% more physical cores.
i5-3230M, on the other hand, has a 20% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 months, a 45% more advanced lithography process, and 186% lower power consumption.
The Intel Core i5-3230M is our recommended choice as it beats the AMD FirePro A320 in performance tests.
Note that FirePro A320 is a desktop processor while Core i5-3230M is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
