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Intel Core i3-3250

Intel Core i3-3250: A Comprehensive Review of an Outdated, Yet Relevant Processor for Budget Tasks

(Relevant as of April 2025)

1. Key Specifications: Ivy Bridge Architecture and Modest Performance

The Intel Core i3-3250 processor, released in 2013, belongs to the third generation of Ivy Bridge architecture. Despite its age, it remains a niche solution for ultra-budget builds in 2025.

Technical Parameters

- Codename: Ivy Bridge (3rd Generation Core).

- Manufacturing Process: 22 nm (15% improvement in energy efficiency compared to Sandy Bridge).

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

- Base Clock Speed: 3.5 GHz (without Turbo Boost).

- Cache: 3 MB L3.

- TDP: 55 W.

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 2500 (basic support for DirectX 11).

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: Single-Core — 859, Multi-Core — 1654.

For comparison, the modern budget Intel Celeron G6900 (2023) scores around ~1200/2400 points.

Key Features for 2025:

- Low cost (new examples, if there are any left, — $30-40).

- Virtualization support (VT-x).

- Energy efficiency for basic tasks.

2. Compatible Motherboards: Hunting for Rarities

The processor uses the LGA 1155 socket, making it incompatible with modern platforms.

Chipsets and Selection Features

Suitable chipsets:

- H61, B75 — basic models without overclocking.

- H77, Z75, Z77 — support for PCIe 3.0, RAID, SSD caching.

Tips:

- New motherboards have not been produced since 2014. The only option is the used market (price $20-50) or leftover stock (rarely, $60-80).

- Look for models with USB 3.0 (chipsets B75 and above) and SATA III for SSDs.

- Example boards: ASUS P8B75-M, Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H.

3. Supported Memory: Only DDR3

The processor works only with DDR3:

- Max. Capacity: 32 GB (theoretical, but most boards support up to 16 GB).

- Frequencies: Up to 1600 MHz (depending on the chipset).

Recommendations:

- Use dual-channel mode (2x4 GB or 2x8 GB) to boost integrated graphics performance.

- DDR3L (1.35 V) is compatible, but standard DDR3 (1.5 V) is preferable.

4. Power Supply: Minimum Cost

With a TDP of 55 W, the processor does not require a powerful PSU:

- Without a discrete GPU: A power supply of 300-400 W is sufficient (e.g., EVGA 400 W1, $35).

- With a graphics card: For a GPU like the GTX 1650 (TDP 75 W), choose a PSU rated at 450-500 W (Corsair CX450, $55).

Important:

- Older PSUs often lack 80 Plus certification. Choose models with a warranty (e.g., Be Quiet! System Power 10, 400W, $45).

5. Pros and Cons: Who is the i3-3250 Relevant for in 2025?

Pros:

- Price: Cheaper than most modern Celerons ($30-40).

- Energy Efficiency: Suitable for low-power PCs.

- Sufficient for Basic Tasks: Office work, browsing, HD video.

Cons:

- Outdated Architecture: No support for AVX2, PCIe 3.0 (only 2.0).

- 2 Cores: Multi-threaded applications (Photoshop, video editing) will lag.

- No support for DDR4/DDR5.

6. Usage Scenarios: Where Might it Still Be Useful?

Office and Study

- Working with documents, Zoom, and browsing (up to 10 tabs).

- Example: PC based on i3-3250 + 8 GB DDR3 + 240 GB SSD — performs adequately on Windows 10 LTSC.

Multimedia

- Playing Full HD video (4K not supported).

- Connecting to a TV as a media center (Kodi, Plex).

Light Gaming

- Integrated graphics HD 2500: Minecraft, Dota 2 (on low settings, 720p).

- With a discrete graphics card (GTX 1050 Ti): GTA V (30-40 FPS, 1080p).

7. Comparison with Competitors: Budget Segment 2025

Intel Celeron G6900 (2023, $50):

- 2 cores/2 threads, UHD Graphics 710, DDR4-3200.

- Geekbench 6: ~1200/2400.

Conclusion: Better in single-threaded tasks but more expensive.

AMD Athlon 3000G (2023, $60):

- 2 cores/4 threads, Vega 3, DDR4-2666.

- Geekbench 6: ~1100/2100.

Conclusion: Wins in multi-threading and graphics.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

Office Configuration:

- Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE (used, $25).

- Memory: 2x4 GB DDR3-1600 ($15-20).

- Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB ($25).

- PSU: EVGA 450 BR ($40).

Total Price: ~$125 (without a case).

Important Nuances:

- SSD is essential: HDD will turn the system into a "slug".

- OS: Windows 10 or a lightweight Linux (Lubuntu).

- Cooling: The standard cooler is sufficient.

9. Final Thoughts: Who Should Consider the i3-3250?

This processor is worth considering only in cases of:

- Upgrading an Old PC: Replacing outdated Pentiums or Celerons on LGA 1155.

- Ultra-Budget Build: When the budget is capped at $150.

- Special Tasks: Terminal, router, media center.

For others: It’s better to add $50-70 and get a modern Celeron or Athlon with DDR4 support and warranty.

Conclusion: The Intel Core i3-3250 in 2025 is a relic, yet still capable of handling simple tasks. Its main advantage is its price, but this comes at the cost of a lack of upgradeability and compatibility with new technologies.

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.

i3-3250

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

3.50 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 2500

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

859

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1654

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

701

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1511

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1684

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2650

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Athlon 3000G

956 +11.3%

Xeon E7-4830 v3

901 +4.9%

Core i3-3250

859

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U

800 -6.9%

Xeon E3-1270

731 -14.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE

1974 +19.3%

Xeon E5-1607 v2

1820 +10%

Core i3-3250

1654

Core i7-1060NG7

1510 -8.7%

Core m3-8100Y

1340 -19%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Gold 6230

740 +5.6%

Core m3-7Y32

724 +3.3%

Core i3-3250

701

Core i7-2760QM

680 -3%

Xeon W3690

659 -6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

EPYC 9554P

1715 +13.5%

Core i7-2630QM

1615 +6.9%

Core i3-3250

1511

Pentium G3260

1440 -4.7%

Core i7-2715QE

1371 -9.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core m3-8100Y

1736 +3.1%

Xeon Silver 4112

1707 +1.4%

Core i3-3250

1684

Athlon X4 950

1639 -2.7%

Core i5-3320M

1616 -4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

A8-6600K

3006 +13.4%

A8-6500

2855 +7.7%

Core i3-3250

2650

Core i5-5250U

2465 -7%

Celeron G4930T

2297 -13.3%