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Intel Core i3-2348M

Intel Core i3-2348M: Should You Consider an Obsolete Processor in 2025?

Introduction

The Intel Core i3-2348M processor, released in 2011, belongs to the Sandy Bridge era. Despite its venerable age, devices with this chip are still found on the second-hand market. In 2025, its relevance raises questions. Let’s explore who might find such a processor suitable today and what pitfalls to consider.

Architecture and Process Technology: The Legacy of Sandy Bridge

Key Specs:

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

- Base Clock Speed: Fixed base frequency of 2.3 GHz. No turbo mode (a characteristic of the i3 line at that time).

- Process Technology: 32 nm — a significant advancement for 2011, but today this is 3–4 times larger than modern chips (e.g., 7 nm for AMD Ryzen 5 7640U).

- Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 with frequencies of 650–1150 MHz. Supports DirectX 10.1 and basic tasks like decoding 1080p video.

Architectural Features:

- Sandy Bridge provided a 10–15% improvement in IPC (instructions per clock) compared to the previous generation.

- AVX instruction support accelerated work with applications utilizing vector computations.

- Integrated DDR3-1333 memory controller, which limits RAM speeds by modern standards.

Power Consumption and TDP: A High Price for Modest Power

- TDP: 35 W. For comparison, modern mobile processors (e.g., Intel Core i3-1315U) have a TDP of 15 W with significantly greater performance.

- Heat Generation: In laptops with passive cooling, the chip could overheat under load, leading to throttling (frequency reduction).

- Cooling Systems: Required large heatsinks and fans, which increased the weight and thickness of devices.

Performance: Modest Results Even for Office Use

Geekbench 6:

- Single-Core Test: 314 points. In comparison, the budget Intel Celeron N5100 (2021) scores around 700 points.

- Multi-Core Test: 574 points. The modern 4-core Ryzen 3 7320U scores about 2800 points.

Real-World Tasks:

- Office Work: Google Docs, Excel with spreadsheets up to 10,000 rows are acceptable but can lag when multiple browser tabs are opened.

- Multimedia: Streaming YouTube at 1080p is possible, but 4K will stutter even with hardware decoding.

- Gaming: Only old games on low settings (for example, Counter-Strike: GO — 20–25 FPS at 720p). Minecraft (versions up to 1.12) — 30–40 FPS.

Turbo Mode: Absent. This is the main drawback — the processor cannot dynamically boost its frequency under load.

Usage Scenarios: Who Is the i3-2348M Relevant for in 2025?

- Students: For typing, working with PDFs, and using Zoom (without virtual backgrounds).

- Seniors: Browsing websites, checking emails, using Skype.

- Secondary Devices: A laptop for a child or as a backup device.

- Retro PC Enthusiasts: Installing Windows 7 or Linux for experimentation.

Example: A Dell Inspiron 15 3521 (2013) laptop with this processor, 4 GB of RAM, and an HDD might cost $50–80 on the used market today. In contrast, a new budget laptop with Intel N100 (2023) costs $250–300 and is 3 times more powerful.

Battery Life: A Weak Point of Sandy Bridge

- Operating Time: 2–3 hours during web surfing (considering battery wear after 10+ years).

- Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamically reduces frequency during idle.

- C-states: Puts cores into "sleep mode" when not in use.

- Problems: High TDP and lack of modern optimizations (like in Intel’s 7 nm) make the chip power-hungry by 2025 standards.

Comparison with Competitors: Against AMD and Apple

AMD A6-3420M (2011):

- 4 cores, 1.5–2.4 GHz, TDP 35 W.

- Pros: Better multi-core performance (Geekbench 6 Multi Core ~620).

- Cons: Weaker in single-core tasks (~280 points), outdated Radeon HD 6520G graphics.

Apple MacBook Pro 2012 (Core i5-3210M):

- 2 cores, 2.5–3.1 GHz, TDP 35 W.

- Pros: macOS is optimized better, but is no longer supported in 2025.

Modern Alternatives (2025):

- Intel Core i3-1315U: 5.0 GHz, 10 cores (2P + 8E), TDP 15 W. Laptop prices start at $400.

- AMD Ryzen 3 7420U: 4 cores, 4.3 GHz, Radeon 610M. 50% more energy-efficient.

Pros and Cons of i3-2348M

Pros:

- Extremely low price on the used market.

- Sufficient for basic tasks if equipped with an SSD and 8 GB of RAM.

- Repairability — replacing thermal paste often brings it back to life.

Cons:

- No support for modern interfaces: USB 3.0, NVMe, Wi-Fi 6.

- Security vulnerabilities (e.g., Meltdown and Spectre).

- High power consumption.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you choose a device with i3-2348M:

1. Be sure to install an SSD — this will speed up the system 2–3 times.

2. Upgrade the RAM to 8 GB — Chrome will consume 4 GB within 5 tabs.

3. Check the battery: the original 4400 mAh battery will hold a charge for no more than an hour after 10 years of use.

Alternatives for 2025:

- Budget New Laptops: HP 15-dw4000 (Intel N200, $299) — supports Wi-Fi 6 and offers 8 hours of battery life.

- Refurbished Devices: Dell Latitude 3420 (2021, Core i5-1135G7) for $350 — relevant performance.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i3-2348M in 2025 is a choice for those looking for a “working tool” on the cheap. It can handle office tasks, but don't expect smooth performance in modern OS or applications. If your budget allows for $250–300, it’s better to buy a new laptop based on the Intel N-series or AMD Athlon — they will provide not only performance but also warranty, battery life, and support for modern standards. Sandy Bridge remains an important milestone in CPU development history, but its time has expired.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2013

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.

i3-2348M

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.

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.

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.

1.15 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

314

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

574

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

399

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

845

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1009

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

1268

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Opteron 6376

394 +25.5%

Celeron 2950M

360 +14.6%

Core i3-2348M

314

Celeron 887

259 -17.5%

Athlon 5150

182 -42%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Pentium G2030

787 +37.1%

A6-3500

669 +16.6%

Core i3-2348M

574

Celeron B830

464 -19.2%

Celeron 847

280 -51.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Pentium D1517

446 +11.8%

Xeon E5-2603 v3

425 +6.5%

Core i3-2348M

399

Opteron 6274

364 -8.8%

A6-3500

331 -17%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Celeron G1830

1021 +20.8%

Athlon II X2 280

918 +8.6%

Core i3-2348M

845

Xeon E3-1220L v3

779 -7.8%

Celeron 3215U

679 -19.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Pentium G640T

1102 +9.2%

Core i3-2370M

1065 +5.6%

Core i3-2348M

1009

A10-5745M

953 -5.6%

Pentium B940

849 -15.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

A4 PRO-7350B

1544 +21.8%

Celeron G555

1388 +9.5%

Core i3-2348M

1268

E2-3800

1139 -10.2%

Celeron 1037U

989 -22%