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Intel Core i3-2330E

Intel Core i3-2330E

Intel Core i3-2330E: Review and Relevance in 2025

Is it worth considering Sandy Bridge for basic tasks?

Architecture and Manufacturing Process

The Intel Core i3-2330E processor, released in 2011, belongs to the Sandy Bridge generation. This was a time when Intel made significant strides in performance and energy efficiency.

- Manufacturing Process: 32 nm. In comparison, modern Intel chips (2025) use 7-10 nm, which allows for higher transistor density and less heat generation.

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores, 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading. By 2025, even budget CPUs (such as the Intel Core i3-N305) offer 8 cores, but for simple tasks, two cores may be sufficient.

- Clock Speed: 2.2 GHz without Turbo Boost support. Modern counterparts (such as the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U) can automatically boost to 4.5 GHz.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 with clock speeds of 650–1100 MHz. This was a weak point even at the time—it was notably inferior to AMD's Llano (A6-3410MX), which offered more robust Radeon HD 6520G graphics.

Power Consumption and TDP

The TDP of the i3-2330E is 35 W. This is typical for mobile processors from the early 2010s, but today it seems excessive:

- Modern ultrabooks (e.g., featuring Intel Core i5-1335U) have a TDP of 15 W while providing significantly better performance.

- High TDP necessitates active cooling and reduces battery life.

Performance in Real-World Tasks

Office Work

- Microsoft Office, Browsers: The processor manages Word, Excel, and 5-10 tabs in Chrome, but launching Zoom or Slack may lead to stuttering.

- Multitasking: Concurrent work with documents, email, and messaging apps is possible, but not beyond that.

Multimedia

- Video: Streaming Full HD on YouTube is feasible, but 4K is not supported.

- Photo Editors: Adobe Photoshop CS6 will run, but filters will process slowly.

Gaming

- HD Graphics 3000: Only older games on low settings—e.g., Half-Life 2 (30-40 FPS), World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (20-25 FPS).

- Modern Titles: Even Minecraft (without shaders) will run below 30 FPS.

Use Cases

This CPU is suitable for:

- Seniors and Students: Document work, online courses, movie watching.

- As a Backup Device: For emergency tasks when the primary laptop is unavailable.

- Linux Enthusiasts: Lightweight distributions (like Lubuntu, Xubuntu) can revive old hardware.

However, do not expect it to handle:

- Running neural network models (e.g., Stable Diffusion).

- Comfortable use with graphic editors or virtual machines.

Battery Life

- Operating Time: Laptops with the i3-2330E (e.g., Dell Latitude E6420) were equipped with 6-8 cell batteries (50-80 Wh). By 2025, their capacity will decrease due to wear—expect 2-3 hours of moderate use.

- Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency scaling.

- C-States: Disabling unused components.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Llano (A6-3410MX)

- Pros: Better graphics (Radeon HD 6520G), 4 cores.

- Cons: Higher TDP (45 W), generates more heat.

Apple M1 (2020)

- Even the basic M1 vastly outperforms the i3-2330E across all parameters, including power consumption (10 W TDP).

Intel Core i3 10th Generation (e.g., i3-10110U)

- 2 cores, 4 threads, but with higher IPC (instructions per cycle), support for DDR4, and NVMe SSDs.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Low price on the used market (~$50-$100 for a laptop).

- Supports Hyper-Threading.

- Sufficient for basic tasks.

Cons:

- Outdated architecture.

- Weak graphics.

- High power consumption.

Laptop Selection Recommendations

If you still decide to buy a device with the i3-2330E in 2025:

1. Type of Device: Budget laptop for office use (e.g., Dell Latitude E-series).

2. Upgrades:

- Replace HDD with SSD (240 GB starting at $20).

- Increase RAM to 8 GB (DDR3 costs $15-$25).

3. Check the Battery: Replacing a worn-out battery will cost $30-$50.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i3-2330E is an archaic yet functional option for:

- Office tasks on a tight budget.

- Educational purposes (for example, for a student).

- Experiments with lightweight operating systems.

Key Benefits:

- Extremely low price.

- Easy upgrades (SSD, RAM).

However, for serious work, gaming, or modern applications, it is better to choose a laptop with a processor from 2022 or later (e.g., Intel Alder Lake-N or AMD Ryzen 3 7320U).

P.S. In 2025, even budget new laptops (starting at $300) offer performance levels unattainable by Sandy Bridge. But if your focus is on saving money, the i3-2330E may still serve a purpose.

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Basic

Label Name
Intel
Platform
Mobile
Launch Date
April 2011
Model Name
?
The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.
i3-2330E
Code Name
Sandy Bridge

CPU Specifications

Total Cores
?
Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).
2
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
4
Intel Turbo Boost Technology
?
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.
No
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
?
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.
Yes
CPU Socket
?
The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.
FCPGA988
Technology
?
Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.
32 nm
Max. Operating Temperature
?
Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.
100 C
PCI Express Version
?
PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.
2.0
Number of PCI Express Lanes
?
A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.
16
Instruction Set
?
The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.
64-bit
Intel 64
?
Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.
Yes
PCI Express Configurations
?
PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.
1x16 1x4 | 2x8 1x4 | 1x8 3x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type
?
Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.
DDR3 1066/1333
Max Memory Size
?
Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.
16.6 GB
Memory Channels
?
The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.
2
Max Memory Bandwidth
?
Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).
21.3 GB/s
ECC Memory Supported
?
ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.
No

GPU Specifications

GPU Name
Intel® HD Graphics 3000
Graphics Base Frequency
?
Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.
650 MHz
Graphics Frequency
?
Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.
1.05 GHz
Number of Displays Supported
2
Graphics Output
?
Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.
eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
?
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.
Yes
Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
?
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.
No
Instruction Set Extensions
Intel® AVX
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology
?
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.
Yes
Execute Disable Bit
?
Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.
Yes
Intel AES New Instructions
?
Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.
No
Intel Clear Video HD Technology
?
Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.
Yes
Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)
?
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.
Yes
Intel InTru 3D Technology
Yes
Intel Flex Memory Access
Yes
Intel Quick Sync Video
?
Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.
Yes

Benchmarks

Passmark CPU
Single Core Score
1063
Passmark CPU
Multi Core Score
1823

Compared to Other CPU

Passmark CPU Single Core
Athlon II X4 638
1163 +9.4%
Celeron 5205U
1099 +3.4%
Core i3-2330E
1063
Core i3-9100HL
1008 -5.2%
Core i3-2310M
948 -10.8%
Passmark CPU Multi Core
Core M-5Y51
2085 +14.4%
A8-6500T
1929 +5.8%
Core i3-2330E
1823
Pentium G2010
1620 -11.1%
Celeron 3867U
1460 -19.9%