Core i5-3230M: a good processor for an average laptop

Core i5-3230M is an excellent dual-core chip fornotebooks of the middle price range. In the presence of a discrete video card, such a mobile system can belong even to a class of gaming machines. It is his technical parameters and real computing capabilities that will be further examined in detail.

Processor connector, a family of chips and hardware features of a semiconductor chip

This chip was released in 2013 forprocessor connector FCPGA988. This socket was widely used to create notebooks based on the CPU based on the Core architecture and belonged to its second or third generation. It is to the latter that the Intel Core i5-3230M belongs. How many cores were part of this CPU? Two real computing modules. But here the support of HT technology allowed to increase the number of threads of processing the program code by 2 times. That is, at the program level, the number of cores was 4.

Production technology

This silicon crystal was produced bythe tolerance is 22 nm. The transistors in this case had a three-dimensional layout, which the manufacturer of Intel called TriGate. Modern processors in terms of miniaturization have moved only one step forward and are produced using 14nm technology, but the technological process has not changed, and the transistors in the CPU have the same volumetric layout. Therefore, from the technological point of view, this processor continues to be relevant.

Cache Organization

As in any other high-performancemodern CPU, there are 3 levels of fast cache in Intel Core i5-3230M. Technical characteristics indicate that at the first level its total volume is 128 KB. This volume is divided into 2 equal parts of 64 KB, tied to a certain block of calculations. Again, these blocks of 64 KB are allocated to 2 blocks of 32 KB each. One of them saves the instructions, the second - the data. The total cache size on the second level is 512 KB, and on the third - 3 MB.

Memory Controller

The memory controller was a part ofsemiconductor chip. It was aimed at working with modules of the DDR3 standard. The recommended frequencies were 1333 MHz or 1600 MHz. The controller itself was two-channel. That is, the use of two slats of a reduced size allowed to obtain an additional increase in speed. For example, 2 1 GB modules were more profitable in terms of performance than 1 1 GB bar.

Thermal features

Core i5-3230M has a thermal package of 35 watts. Alas, this value does not allow passive systems based on an aluminum radiator to cool this CPU. In this case, you can only use coolers. The maximum temperature for this chip is 105 ⁰C. In reality, in the presence of a qualitative active heat sink system, this value does not exceed 50 -60 ⁰FROM.

Frequency formula

Depending on the level of complexity of the processedprogram code and its thermal state Core i5-3230M can change its clock speed. Its minimum value is 2.6 GHz, and the maximum for two computational units is 3.0 GHz. If one of the modules turns off and the CPU goes into single-core computing mode, the frequency can still increase by 200 MHz and reach 3.2 GHz.

Graphic component

This processor includes built-ingraphics accelerator line HD Graphics model 4000. Technical specifications are very modest, but its availability is enough to solve the most simple and often performed tasks. Due to the component based on this CPU, you can even create budget entry-level notebooks. The clock speeds of this GPU can vary from 650 MHz at the minimum load and up to 1.1 GHz in peak video processing mode.

Outcomes

Even now, mobile computing systemsbase Core i5-3230M can be found on sale. Of course, the level of performance they have lower than that of new generations of processors. But the cost of these laptops is much smaller. And it is for the last reason that buying such a PC will be really justified.

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