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Intel Core i3-2310M

Intel Core i3-2310M: A Retrospective and Relevance in 2025

Is it worth considering a 14-year-old processor for modern tasks?

Introduction

The Intel Core i3-2310M processor, released in 2011, became part of the era of laptops featuring the Sandy Bridge architecture. In 2025, it is seen as a relic, yet some still use it in their daily work. Let’s explore what this chip is capable of today, who might find it useful, and why modern alternatives have replaced it in the market.

Architecture and Manufacturing Process: The Legacy of Sandy Bridge

Key Specifications

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores, 4 threads (Hyper-Threading).

- Clock Speed: 2.1 GHz (without Turbo Boost).

- Manufacturing Process: 32 nm (for comparison: modern Intel chips use 7-10 nm).

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 (base frequency 650 MHz, dynamic up to 1100 MHz).

Architectural Features

Sandy Bridge introduced a number of innovations:

- Integrated DDR3-1333 memory controller.

- Support for AVX instructions (acceleration for media tasks).

- Built-in GPU capable of decoding 1080p video.

What is outdated:

- Lack of support for USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, PCIe 4.0.

- No modern instructions (AVX2, AI acceleration).

Power Consumption and TDP: The Cost of Performance

- TDP: 35 W — a high figure even for budget laptops in 2025 (modern models consume 5-15 W).

- Thermal Output: Requires active cooling, increasing noise and weight of the device.

Example: A 2012 laptop with an i3-2310M and a 45 Wh battery operated for 3-4 hours during web browsing. Today, similar new devices (e.g., featuring Intel Core i3-1315U) provide 8-10 hours of battery life.

Performance: Real-World Scenario Tests

Office Work

- Microsoft Office, Browser: Comfortable working with documents and 5-10 Chrome tabs.

- Issues: Delays when opening heavy PDFs or online presentations in Google Slides.

Multimedia

- Video: Watching 1080p/60 FPS (YouTube) is possible, but CPU usage can reach 80-90%.

- Editing: Adobe Photoshop (basic edits) is acceptable, but exporting JPEG files takes 3-4 times longer than with the Ryzen 3 7300U.

Gaming

- What it can run:

- Minecraft (30-40 FPS on low settings).

- CS:GO (25-30 FPS at 720p).

- Limitations: Modern games (such as Cyberpunk 2077) are not accessible even on minimum settings.

Turbo Mode: Absent — frequency is fixed at 2.1 GHz.

Use Cases: Who is the i3-2310M Suitable for in 2025?

1. Budget Tasks:

- Working with text, spreadsheets, email.

- Watching videos and communicating on Zoom (without background effects).

2. Education: For schoolchildren or students needing an inexpensive laptop for studies.

3. Backup Device: As a second laptop for trips where the risk of damage or theft is high.

Critically Unsuitable for:

- Video editing, 3D modeling.

- Modern games and applications with AI acceleration.

Battery Life: How Long Will It Last?

- Real-world Scenario: Laptops with i3-2310M and a new battery (if one can be found) will provide 2-3 hours of work under moderate loads.

- Power-saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep (reducing frequency at idle).

- C-States (shutting down unused cores).

Tip: Replacing HDD with SSD and increasing RAM to 8 GB will slightly improve responsiveness but not battery life.

Comparison with Competitors: What Was and What Is

Retro Competitors (2011-2013):

- AMD A6-3420M (Llano): Better graphics (Radeon HD 6520G) but weaker CPU.

- Intel Core i5-2520M: Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz, providing +40% performance.

Modern Alternatives (2025):

- Intel Core i3-1315U (15 W): 3 times higher performance in Geekbench 6 (Single: 1100, Multi: 3500).

- AMD Ryzen 3 7300U: Better energy efficiency and graphics with Radeon 740M.

- Apple M1 (in basic MacBooks): System-on-chip architecture with 18-hour battery life.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Reliability: Sandy Bridge is known for stability.

- Low cost for used devices ($50-100).

- Support for virtualization (helpful for IT specialists).

Weaknesses:

- Outdated standards (USB 2.0, SATA II).

- High power consumption.

- No support for Windows 11 (only Windows 10 or Linux).

Recommendations for Selecting a Laptop in 2025

If you consider the i3-2310M:

- Type of Device: Only used ultrabooks or budget models (e.g., Dell Latitude E6420).

- What to Look For:

- Battery condition.

- Availability of SSD (mandatory!).

- Maximum RAM capacity (8 GB minimum).

Modern Alternatives for New Laptops:

- Budget up to $400: Intel Celeron N5100 (Acer Aspire 1) — battery life up to 12 hours.

- Budget up to $600: AMD Ryzen 3 7300U (Lenovo IdeaPad 5) — balance of performance and price.

Final Conclusion

In 2025, the Intel Core i3-2310M is a choice for:

- Retro tech enthusiasts.

- Users with minimal needs (text, internet, light tasks).

- Those for whom budget is critical ($50-100 for a used device).

Key Benefit: Extremely low price. However, for any serious work, it’s better to choose a modern entry-level laptop — it will provide more performance, battery life, and support for new technologies.

Note: Prices for new devices are current as of April 2025. Laptops with i3-2310M in new condition are not available for sale.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 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.

i3-2310M

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).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

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.

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.

FCBGA1023 | PPGA988

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.

85C (PGA); 100C (BGA)

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.

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

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

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

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 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

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.

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.

1.10 GHz

Number of Displays Supported

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.

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.

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

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

330

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

640

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

371

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

829

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

948

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

1223

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

A6-5400K

404 +22.4%

Xeon E7-8870

369 +11.8%

Core i3-2310M

330

Celeron 1017U

275 -16.7%

Pentium 967

220 -33.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Celeron N4500

882 +37.8%

Athlon II X2 280

736 +15%

Core i3-2310M

640

Celeron 3855U

525 -18%

A4-3300M

393 -38.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

A4-6300B

431 +16.2%

Xeon E5-4610 v3

409 +10.2%

Core i3-2310M

371

Celeron G470

339 -8.6%

Celeron 807

300 -19.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen Embedded R1102G

983 +18.6%

Celeron G550

882 +6.4%

Core i3-2310M

829

E-300

739 -10.9%

A8-3500M

635 -23.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-2330E

1063 +12.1%

Core i3-9100HL

1008 +6.3%

Core i3-2310M

948

Celeron J3455E

846 -10.8%

Celeron B820

750 -20.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

A6-5400B

1451 +18.6%

Core i5-480M

1323 +8.2%

Core i3-2310M

1223

Atom E3845

1058 -13.5%

Celeron 1007U

832 -32%