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Intel Core i3-3245

Intel Core i3-3245: Overview of an Outdated Yet Relevant Budget Processor

Relevant as of April 2025

Introduction

The Intel Core i3-3245 processor, released in 2013, now appears to be a relic of the past. However, it still attracts attention in the second-hand market due to its low price ($20–30 for used units) and minimal system requirements. In this article, we'll explore who might benefit from this CPU in 2025, its strengths and weaknesses, and how to build a working configuration based on it.

1. Key Specifications

Ivy Bridge Architecture and 22 nm Process Technology

The i3-3245 is built on the Ivy Bridge microarchitecture (3rd generation Core). It is an evolution of Sandy Bridge with improved energy efficiency and support for PCIe 3.0. The manufacturing process is 22 nm, which is considered archaic by 2025 standards (modern CPUs use 5–7 nm).

Performance

- 2 cores / 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Clock speed: 3.4 GHz (without Turbo Boost).

- Geekbench 6: 592 (Single-Core), 1228 (Multi-Core).

For comparison: a modern budget CPU like the Intel Core i3-13100 (4 cores, 18 MB cache) scores approximately 2400/8000 in the same tests.

Key Features

- Intel HD Graphics 4000 — integrated graphics capable of running older games (for example, CS:GO on low settings).

- Support for PCIe 3.0 (relevant for entry-level SSDs and discrete GPUs).

- Power consumption of 55 W — easily cools even with passive coolers.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket and Chipsets

- LGA 1155 Socket — an outdated standard. New motherboards are no longer being produced, so look for used options:

- H61 — basic model without USB 3.0.

- B75 or H77 — support for SATA III and USB 3.0.

- Z77 — overclocking support (but the i3-3245 has a locked multiplier).

Recommendations

- ASUS P8B75-M or Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H — reliable options (used units cost $25–40).

- Check the condition of capacitors and the presence of the latest BIOS.

3. Supported Memory

- DDR3-1600 MHz (maximum 32 GB).

- Dual-channel mode will improve the performance of the integrated graphics.

- Important: DDR4/DDR5 is not supported. Look for memory modules with low timings (for example, 9-9-9-24).

4. Power Supply Recommendations

- With a TDP of 55 W and the absence of a discrete graphics card, a PSU of 300–400 W will suffice.

- For systems with a GPU (e.g., GTX 1650), choose models rated 450–500 W (Corsair CX450, be quiet! System Power 10).

- Tip: Power supplies with an 80+ Bronze certification will ensure stability even on older platforms.

5. Pros and Cons

Advantages:

- Low price ($20–30 on the used market).

- Energy efficiency — suitable for media centers or office PCs.

- Availability of Hyper-Threading for basic multitasking.

Disadvantages:

- Only 2 cores — weak multi-threaded performance.

- No support for DDR4, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.1.

- Outdated HD 4000 graphics (does not handle modern games).

6. Use Cases

Office Tasks

- Document work, browsing, video calls.

- Example: A system with i3-3245 + 8 GB DDR3 + SATA SSD is an excellent option for a cash register terminal.

Multimedia

- Plays 1080p video (4K via YouTube causes lag).

- Life Hack: Install Kodi or Plex for streaming content.

Gaming

- Older titles: Half-Life 2, Skyrim (on low settings).

- Advice: Add a GPU like the GT 1030 ($90–110) for 720p gaming.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD A8-5600K (2012)

- Pros: Better integrated graphics (Radeon HD 7560D).

- Cons: Higher TDP (100 W), weaker in single-threaded tasks.

Intel Pentium G4560 (2017)

- Pros: Support for DDR4, 2 cores/4 threads, higher IPC.

- Cons: Requires LGA 1151 socket (motherboards are more expensive).

8. Practical Assembly Tips

1. SSD is a must — Kingston A400 (240 GB, $20) will speed up system boot time.

2. Cooling — even the stock cooler is sufficient (temperatures under load do not exceed 65°C).

3. Upgrade — consider adding a GPU like the RX 6400 ($130) if the PSU allows.

4. OS — use Windows 10 LTSC or Linux (Ubuntu LTS) to optimize resource usage.

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the i3-3245 for?

This processor is suitable for:

- Enthusiasts building retro PCs.

- Budget office systems (e.g., for working with 1C).

- Media centers based on HTPCs.

Why in 2025?

- Affordability. A complete system will cost $100–150.

- Reliability. Ivy Bridge processors are known for their long lifespan.

However, for gaming, video editing, or AI work, it’s better to opt for modern CPUs (Intel 12th–14th generation or AMD Ryzen 5000/7000).

If you find an i3-3245 in an old PC, don't rush to throw it away. With minimal investment, it can gain a second life as a backup machine or a computer for children. But for serious tasks, it's better to look towards newer solutions.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 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.

i3-3245

Code Name

Ivi 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.

Basic Frequency

3.40 GHz

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.

FCLGA1155

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.

22 nm

TDP

55 W

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

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.

up to 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 1333/1600

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

32 GB

Memory Channels

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

Bus Speed

5 GT/s

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).

25.6 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 4000

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

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® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | 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

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

3 MB Intel® Smart Cache

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 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

592

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1228

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

608

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1286

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1781

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2363

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon D-2177NT

667 +12.7%

PRO A10-8770

634 +7.1%

Core i3-3245

592

Core i3-3250T

555 -6.3%

Celeron G3900TE

514 -13.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Pentium Gold 6500Y

1535 +25%

Core i7-2630QM

1394 +13.5%

Core i3-3245

1228

Celeron G3920

1088 -11.4%

Core i7-3517U

967 -21.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Pentium Gold G5400T

654 +7.6%

Pentium G4400T

629 +3.5%

Core i3-3245

608

Xeon X5667

584 -3.9%

Core i7-2620M

564 -7.2%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

A8-7600

1429 +11.1%

Ryzen 3 2200U

1363 +6%

Core i3-3245

1286

A8-5500B

1206 -6.2%

Core i3-2120T

1109 -13.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-3475S

1836 +3.1%

Xeon Silver 4210

1803 +1.2%

Core i3-3245

1781

Ryzen Embedded R1600

1755 -1.5%

Xeon Platinum 8352M

1719 -3.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2603 v2

2751 +16.4%

Core i3-5157U

2593 +9.7%

Core i3-3245

2363

Xeon E3-1220L v2

2234 -5.5%

Core M-5Y51

2085 -11.8%