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Intel Core i3-N305

Intel Core i3-N305: Compact Energy Efficiency for Everyday Tasks

March 2025

In the world of laptops, the balance between performance, battery life, and price remains key. The Intel Core i3-N305 is a processor designed for those seeking a reliable device for work and entertainment without overpaying. Let's explore who this chip is suitable for and what benefits it offers in 2025.

Architecture and Process Technology: A Hybrid Approach for Energy Savings

Codename: Alder Lake N

Process Technology: Intel 7 (10 nm Enhanced SuperFin)

Cores and Threads: 8 cores (Gracemont), 8 threads

Clock Frequencies: Base — 1.8 GHz, max Turbo Boost — 3.8 GHz

Cache: L3 — 6 MB

Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics (Xe-LP, 32 EU, up to 1.25 GHz)

The Core i3-N305 belongs to the Alder Lake N lineup, which focuses on energy efficiency. Unlike standard hybrid processors with P- and E-cores, this one utilizes only Efficient-cores (Gracemont). This simplified architecture is optimized for background tasks and basic multitasking. The Intel 7 process ensures low thermal output, which is critical for thin laptops.

The integrated UHD graphics are based on Xe-LP architecture with 32 execution units (EU). It supports 4K/60 Hz via HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4, but is not designed for serious gaming.

Power Consumption and TDP: Ideal for Portable Devices

TDP: 15 W (configurable by manufacturers to 9 W)

A TDP of 15 W allows the processor to be used in ultrabooks and compact laptops with passive or low-power active cooling. Energy-saving technologies include:

- Intel Speed Shift — dynamic frequency management.

- C-States — disabling unused cores.

- Dynamic Tuning — real-time adaptation to workload.

For comparison, Intel's P-series processors (e.g., i5-1240P) have a TDP of 28 W and require bulkier cooling systems.

Performance: Modest, but Sufficient

Geekbench 6: 1251 (Single-Core), 4659 (Multi-Core)

Real-World Scenarios:

- Office Work: Handles Office 365, Google Workspace, and PDF editors without issues. Working with 10+ tabs in Chrome plus a Zoom call does not cause lags.

- Multimedia: Streaming 4K video, basic photo editing in Lightroom, and editing short clips in 1080p (DaVinci Resolve) is all possible, although rendering will take longer than on a Core i5.

- Gaming: CS:GO — 40-50 FPS on low settings (720p), Genshin Impact — 25-30 FPS (720p). It will suffice for less demanding games (Stardew Valley, Among Us).

Turbo Boost: Under load, the processor briefly boosts to 3.8 GHz but stabilizes at 2.5-2.8 GHz after 2-3 minutes due to TDP limitations. In devices with improved cooling (e.g., laptops with copper heat pipes), turbo mode operates more stably.

Use Cases: Who Is the i3-N305 Designed For?

- Students: Text work, online courses, watching lectures.

- Office Workers: Email, spreadsheets, video conferences.

- Users of Lightweight OS: ChromeOS, Linux (good driver support).

- Digital Nomads: Compact laptops weighing from 1.1 kg with 8+ hours of battery life.

Not Suitable For:

- Professional video editing/3D rendering.

- Modern AAA gaming.

- Heavy multitasking (e.g., running virtual machines and Photoshop simultaneously).

Battery Life: Up to 10 Hours in Moderate Use

Laptops with the i3-N305 (e.g., Acer Swift 1 or Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3) come equipped with 40-50 Wh batteries, providing:

- 8-10 hours under mixed load (web surfing, YouTube viewing).

- 12+ hours in reading/typing mode.

Energy savings are aided by:

- Hardware AV1 Decoding — reduces the load during streaming video.

- Battery Saver Mode in Windows 11 — limits background processes.

Comparison with Competitors: Competing in the Budget Segment

1. AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (Mendocino):

- 4 Zen 2 cores, Radeon 610M graphics (2 CU).

- Pros: Better graphics for gaming (15-20% faster than UHD).

- Cons: Weaker in multi-threaded tasks (Geekbench 6 Multi-Core ~3800).

2. Apple M1 (in MacBook Air):

- 8 cores (4 Performance + 4 Efficiency), 7-core graphics.

- Pros: Twice the performance, 18 hours of battery life.

- Cons: Starting price of $999, limited compatibility with Windows.

3. Intel Core i5-1235U (previous generation):

- 10 cores (2P + 8E), Iris Xe (80 EU).

- Pros: More powerful in multitasking (Geekbench 6 Multi-Core ~6500).

- Cons: 15 W TDP, but real consumption is higher, poorer battery life.

Pros and Cons of Core i3-N305

Strengths:

- Low-cost laptops ($400-600).

- Cool operation even without a fan.

- Support for modern standards: Wi-Fi 6, PCIe 4.0.

Weaknesses:

- Limited future performance headroom.

- Weaker graphics compared to Ryzen 3 7320U.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

- Device Type: Ultrabooks (e.g., ASUS Zenbook 14X), budget Chromebooks.

- Minimum Specifications:

- 8 GB RAM (preferably 16 GB for Windows 11).

- 256 GB SSD (NVMe).

- IPS display with a resolution of 1920×1080.

- Additional Features:

- USB-C with charging support.

- Matte screen coating for outdoor use.

Avoid models with HDDs and TN displays as they negate the advantages of the processor.

Final Verdict

The Intel Core i3-N305 is a solid choice for those needing an affordable, lightweight laptop with long battery life. It is ideal for study, office work, and travel, but not designed for professional tasks. If your budget is limited to $500 and gaming and "heavy" programs are not a priority, this processor will be a reliable companion. However, for more intensive workloads, it is better to consider the Core i5 or Ryzen 5.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2023

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-N305

Code Name

Alder Lake N

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.

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.80 GHz

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.

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1264

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.

Intel 7

TDP

15 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

105°C

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.

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

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.

DDR4 3200 MT/s DDR5 4800 MT/s LPDDR5 4800 MT/s

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.

Maximum Memory Speed

4800 MHz

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

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics

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.

1.25 GHz

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

12.1

Execution Units

The Execution Unit is the foundational building block of Intel’s graphics architecture. Execution Units are compute processors optimized for simultaneous Multi-Threading for high throughput compute power.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2160@60Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2160@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP 1.4b | DP 1.4 | HDMI 2.1 | MIPI-DSI 1.3

Miscellaneous

Intel Image Processing Unit

6.0

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.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

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

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.

6 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.

Yes

Intel High Definition Audio

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

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 Control-Flow Enforcement Technology

CET - Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) helps protect against the misuse of legitimate code snippets through return-oriented programming (ROP) control-flow hijacking attacks.

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.6

OpenCL Support

OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for heterogeneous parallel programming.

3.0

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

1251

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4659

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1016

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4291

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2230

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

10075

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon Gold 6144

1332 +6.5%

Core i7-6700

1285 +2.7%

Core i3-N305

1251

Core i5-8257U

1207 -3.5%

Core i5-8500T

1171 -6.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5-4617

5362 +15.1%

Xeon E5-4607

4964 +6.5%

Core i3-N305

4659

Pentium Gold G7400

4405 -5.5%

Core i5-9300HF

4154 -10.8%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Gold 5318H

1063 +4.6%

Core i9-9900T

1038 +2.2%

Core i3-N305

1016

Xeon E5-1660 v3

995 -2.1%

Xeon W-2123

969 -4.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E-2274G

4751 +10.7%

Core i7-1068NG7

4496 +4.8%

Core i3-N305

4291

Core i5-8600T

4030 -6.1%

Core i7-8705G

3854 -10.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Silver 4310T

2288 +2.6%

Xeon D-2733NT

2257 +1.2%

Core i3-N305

2230

Xeon Gold 6210U

2203 -1.2%

EPYC 7552

2175 -2.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen 5 4500U

10982 +9%

Xeon E5-4620 v3

10525 +4.5%

Core i3-N305

10075

Core i7-1068NG7

9594 -4.8%

Core i7-1265UE

9195 -8.7%