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Intel Core i3-2357M

Intel Core i3-2357M: A Retrospective of a Budget Laptop Processor in 2025

An analysis of the capabilities and usage scenarios of a 2011 processor in today's reality

Architecture and Manufacturing Process: The Legacy of Sandy Bridge

The Intel Core i3-2357M processor was released in 2011 as part of the Sandy Bridge platform. This first generation integrated the CPU and GPU onto a single die, marking an important step in the evolution of mobile processors.

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores with Hyper-Threading support (4 threads). Base clock speed is 1.3 GHz. Turbo mode is absent, limiting adaptability to workloads.

- Graphics: Integrated iGPU Intel HD Graphics 3000 with a frequency of 350–950 MHz. It supports DirectX 10.1 and can decode video up to 1080p resolution, but is unsuitable for 2020s gaming.

- Manufacturing Process: 32 nm – outdated by even 2025 standards. Modern Intel (Meteor Lake) and AMD (Zen 4) processors utilize 4–7 nm, providing better energy efficiency.

Power Consumption and TDP: The Balance for Ultrabooks

The processor's TDP is 17 W. This allowed for its use in slim laptops and ultrabooks of the 2010s. However, by modern standards, this figure is high: for example, the Intel Core i3-N305 (2023) offers 8 cores and four times the performance at a TDP of 15 W.

- Heat Dissipation: The cooling systems of laptops with the i3-2357M are usually passive or use miniature fans. By 2025, even budget devices address these tasks more quietly and efficiently.

- Energy Saving: Intel SpeedStep and C-states technology reduced power consumption during idle time, but their implementation is primitive compared to modern power management algorithms.

Performance: Modest Results Even for Basic Tasks

Geekbench 6 test results (Single Core: 189, Multi Core: 305) indicate that the processor in 2025 is suitable only for a limited range of tasks:

- Office Work: Browsing with 3–5 tabs, text editing, and video chats is acceptable. However, heavy web applications (Figma, Google Docs with large documents) will cause lag.

- Multimedia: Playback of Full HD video is possible, but streaming in 4K or HDR will require a hardware decoder that the HD Graphics 3000 lacks.

- Gaming: Only old games at low settings (e.g., Half-Life 2 or World of Warcraft: Cataclysm). Even Minecraft (without shaders) will operate at 20–30 FPS.

Usage Scenarios: Who Needs the i3-2357M in 2025?

1. Budget Devices for Education: Laptops costing $150–$200 (e.g., refurbished Dell Latitude E6420 or Lenovo ThinkPad X220).

2. Backup Devices: For travel or as a second laptop where damage or theft is not a concern.

3. Specialized Tasks: Terminals for data reading, simple POS systems.

Important! The processor is not suitable for:

- Working with artificial intelligence or neural networks;

- Video editing;

- Modern games and VR.

Battery Life: Modest Performance Compared to Modern Chips

With a battery capacity of 40–50 Wh, laptops with the i3-2357M in the 2010s provided 4–6 hours of operation. By 2025, their battery life will shrink to 2–3 hours due to battery wear.

Energy Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep dynamically reduces frequency during idle time;

- C6/C7 States disable unused components;

- Display Power Saving Technology reduces screen brightness.

However, modern processors (e.g., Apple M1) can operate 10–15 hours under similar scenarios.

Comparison with Competitors: What Does the Market Offer?

- AMD E2-1800 (2012): 2 cores, 1.7 GHz, Radeon HD 7340. Lags in multithreading (~20% lower in Geekbench 6).

- Intel Core i5-3427U (Ivy Bridge, 2012): 2 cores/4 threads, 1.8–2.8 GHz. 30% faster in multitasking.

- Apple M1 (2020): Single-threaded performance is 6 times higher.

Conclusion: The i3-2357M falls short even against chips from 2012-2013, not to mention modern models.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low cost of devices ($150–$250 for refurbished models);

- Sufficient for basic tasks (web surfing, office work);

- Repairability – it's easier to replace the SSD or RAM compared to modern ultrabooks.

Weaknesses:

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

- Struggles with multitasking;

- Outdated ports (often lacking USB-C and Wi-Fi 6).

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you are considering a device with the i3-2357M in 2025, pay attention to:

1. Type of Storage: Choose models with SSDs (even SATA) rather than HDDs.

2. RAM Size: At least 8 GB for Windows 10.

3. Battery Condition: Replace the battery if its wear exceeds 30%.

4. Alternatives: New budget laptops with Intel N100 (4 cores, $300–$400) or AMD Ryzen 3 7320U ($400–$500) are 3–5 times more powerful.

Final Conclusion: Who is the i3-2357M Suitable For?

This processor is a choice for those who are critically budget-conscious ($150–$200) and willing to tolerate limitations:

- Students for note-taking and working with PDFs;

- Retirees for messaging app communication;

- Enthusiasts of retro hardware.

Key Benefit: Price. However, even new budget Chromebooks (e.g., Lenovo Chromebook 3, $230) offer better battery life and modern application support.

In 2025, the i3-2357M is more of an artifact from an era than a practical solution. Yet, it may still find niche applications, reminding us of how rapidly technology evolves.

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.

i3-2357M

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

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.

100C

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.

350 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.

950 MHz

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

189

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

305

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

247

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

557

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

601

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

788

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Pentium B980

357 +88.9%

A4-4300M

313 +65.6%

A8-3520M

257 +36%

Core i3-2357M

189

Xeon E7-4809 v2

32 -83.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Celeron 3865U

693 +127.2%

Pentium B980

601 +97%

Core i3-2377M

500 +63.9%

A6-4455M

336 +10.2%

Core i3-2357M

305

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Celeron 1000M

337 +36.4%

Pentium 1405 V2

300 +21.5%

Core i3-2357M

247

E2-3000

181 -26.7%

Atom N2600

83 -66.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

PRO A6-9500E

768 +37.9%

Celeron B840

663 +19%

Core i3-2357M

557

Pentium 967

431 -22.6%

E-450

272 -51.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

A8-3500M

823 +36.9%

Core i3-3217UE

711 +18.3%

Core i3-2357M

601

Xeon Phi 7210

460 -23.5%

Atom Z2760

206 -65.7%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Celeron 3755U

1182 +50%

Pentium 2117U

1018 +29.2%

Core i3-2357M

788

Celeron 857

569 -27.8%

Atom N2600

360 -54.3%