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Intel Core i3-2350M

Intel Core i3-2350M: Review of an Outdated but Resilient Mobile Processor

April 2025

Architecture and Process Technology: Sandy Bridge at 32nm

The Intel Core i3-2350M processor, released in 2011, belongs to the Sandy Bridge generation. This was Intel's first mainstream architecture that integrated a graphics core (iGPU) directly into the CPU die. The process technology is 32nm, which was considered a progressive solution for its time.

- Cores and Threads: 2 physical cores with Hyper-Threading support (4 logical threads). Base frequency is 2.3 GHz. Turbo mode is absent, which is a key distinction from the higher-end models in the lineup (i5, i7).

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 with a frequency of 650–1100 MHz. The iGPU supports DirectX 10.1 and basic multimedia tasks (video decoding up to 1080p). For gaming, it is relevant only at 720p resolution and low settings.

- Cache: 3 MB of L3 cache.

The Sandy Bridge architecture brought improved performance per clock (IPC) compared to the previous generation (Nehalem), but by 2025 it is hopelessly outdated.

Power Consumption and TDP: 35W and Heating

The processor's TDP is 35W. For modern ultrabooks, this is a high figure (for example, the Intel Core i3-N305 from 2023 has a TDP of 15W), but in 2011, such values were the norm for budget laptops.

- Heat Generation: Even under light load (office applications), CPU temperatures can reach 70–80°C if the cooling system is clogged with dust.

- Energy Efficiency: The absence of Turbo Boost and the outdated process technology make it less flexible in power management.

Performance: Minimum for Basic Tasks

According to Geekbench 6 (367 points in Single-Core, 695 in Multi-Core), the i3-2350M is close to modern entry-level ARM processors, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c (GB6 Single-Core ~450).

- Office Work: Acceptable level for Word, Excel, and browsing with 5-10 tabs. Delays are noticeable when running Zoom and Chrome simultaneously.

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

- Gaming: Only old titles like Half-Life 2 (30–40 FPS at medium settings) or Minecraft (without mods).

Usage Scenarios: Who Is It Relevant For in 2025?

- Budget Devices: Laptops priced at $250–$300 (e.g., HP 255 G8).

- Secondary PC: For children, the elderly, or as a backup device.

- Special Tasks: Terminals for data reading, simple POS systems.

Not Suitable For:

- Video editing, 3D modeling.

- Modern games (even Fortnite on the lowest settings won't run).

- Working with neural networks or virtualization.

Battery Life: 3–4 Hours of Use — and to the Outlet

Modern laptops with the i3-2350M (if any are still being sold) come with batteries ranging from 40–48 Wh. Under moderate load (browsing + documents), the battery life is 3–4 hours.

Power-saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency reduction during idle.

- C-States: Disabling unused components.

However, even these features do not help offset the high energy consumption compared to modern chips.

Comparison with Competitors: AMD A6-3420M and Others

- AMD A6-3420M (2011): 4 cores, 35W TDP, Radeon HD 6520G graphics. About 15–20% faster than the i3-2350M in multi-threaded tasks but generates more heat.

- Intel Core i5-2520M: 2 cores/4 threads with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz. 30% more performance in single-threaded scenarios.

- Apple A14 Bionic (2020): Single-Core in Geekbench 6 — 1600 points. Even outdated Apple chips outperform the i3-2350M by four times.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Reliability: Sandy Bridge is known for a long lifespan.

- Compatibility: Supports Windows 10 and Linux.

- Price: Laptops with this CPU cost less than $300.

Weaknesses:

- No support for AVX, USB 3.0, NVMe.

- Maximum of 16 GB DDR3-1333 MHz.

- Graphics can't handle even Full HD in the browser.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you still decide to buy a device with the i3-2350M in 2025, pay attention to:

1. Storage Type: Ensure it's an SSD (even SATA) instead of HDD.

2. RAM Size: Minimum of 8 GB (preferably 16 GB for browsing).

3. Battery: Replace the old battery with a new one (original or aftermarket).

4. OS: Choose lightweight OS — Windows 10 LTSC, Linux Mint.

Examples of Models:

- Lenovo ThinkPad X220: Sturdy build, easy to upgrade.

- Dell Latitude E5420: Good repairability.

Final Verdict: Only for the Most Undemanding Users

The Intel Core i3-2350M in 2025 is a choice for those who need the cheapest laptop for basic tasks. Its advantages are price and reliability, but these come at the cost of slow performance, noisy cooling fans, and frequent recharging.

Alternatives:

- For $350–400, one can find laptops with Intel N100 (2023), which are 3–4 times faster and run for 8–10 hours on battery.

- Used devices with Intel Core i5-8250U (2017) cost $200–250 and offer much better performance.

If the budget allows, it’s better to choose something modern. But if you collect retro computers or want the cheapest "printing press" — the i3-2350M can still serve you.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

October 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.

i3-2350M

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.

1.15 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

367

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

695

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

423

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

859

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

972

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

1252

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

A4-5300B

428 +16.6%

A4-6320

398 +8.4%

Core i3-2350M

367

Celeron 3965Y

322 -12.3%

A6-3410MX

268 -27%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Pentium G2130

945 +36%

Core i5-3317U

841 +21%

Core i3-2350M

695

A10-5745M

603 -13.2%

A4-3420

501 -27.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

PRO A12-9800E

468 +10.6%

Opteron 6366 HE

444 +5%

Core i3-2350M

423

Xeon E5-4650 v4

399 -5.7%

Celeron 1005M

364 -13.9%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

A6-3620

1039 +21%

A10-4600M

938 +9.2%

Core i3-2350M

859

Core i3-3217UE

790 -8%

Pentium 2020M

694 -19.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-2100T

1088 +11.9%

A4-4300M

1032 +6.2%

Core i3-2350M

972

A4-3330MX

908 -6.6%

Celeron N3350

802 -17.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Pentium 4405Y

1526 +21.9%

Pentium G645

1378 +10.1%

Core i3-2350M

1252

Core i3-2312M

1120 -10.5%

E2-3200

953 -23.9%