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Intel Core i5-3340S

Intel Core i5-3340S: An Obsolete Warrior or a Budget Solution in 2025?

April 2025

Despite being released over a decade ago, the Intel Core i5-3340S can still be found in budget builds and office PCs. But is it still relevant in the era of DDR5 and next-gen core architectures? Let's take a closer look.

Key Specifications: What Does the i5-3340S Offer?

The processor belongs to the Ivy Bridge family (3rd generation Intel Core), released in 2013. Its key specifications include:

- Process Technology: 22 nm.

- Cores/Threads: 4/4 (without Hyper-Threading).

- Base Clock: 2.8 GHz, with turbo mode up to 3.3 GHz.

- Cache: 6 MB L3.

- TDP: 65 W.

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 2500 (basic, suitable only for display output).

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: 583 (single-core), 1703 (multi-core).

For comparison: a modern budget Intel Core i3-13100 (2023) scores around ~2200/8000 points.

Key Features for its Time:

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

- Power-saving technologies (e.g., SpeedStep).

Compatible Motherboards: LGA1155 Socket and Chipsets

The i5-3340S uses the outdated LGA1155 socket, which limits motherboard options. Compatible chipsets include:

- H61, B75, H77, Z75, Z77.

Examples of models: ASUS P8H77-V, Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H.

Selection Features in 2025:

- Only the used market: New boards are not being produced. The average price for used boards is $20-40.

- Limitations:

- No support for USB 3.0 on H61 chipsets.

- Maximum of 32 GB DDR3.

- No M.2 slots (only SATA III).

Tip: Look for boards with UEFI BIOS for compatibility with modern SSDs.

Supported Memory: DDR3 and Its Limitations

The processor works only with DDR3:

- Frequencies: 1333–1600 MHz (officially), but some boards support overclocking up to 1866 MHz.

- Capacity: Up to 32 GB (4 slots × 8 GB).

Issues in 2025:

- DDR3 lags behind DDR4/DDR5 in speed (bandwidth up to 25.6 GB/s vs. 51.2 GB/s for DDR5-6400).

- Higher power consumption (1.5 V compared to 1.2 V for DDR4).

Practical Example: For an office PC, 8–16 GB of DDR3-1600 is sufficient (used price: $15–30).

Power Supply: How Many Watts Do You Need?

With a TDP of 65 W and no powerful GPU, a budget power supply of 400-450 W is sufficient.

Recommendations:

- For systems with a GPU like NVIDIA GTX 1650: 450 W (e.g., EVGA 450 BR, $40–50).

- For an office build: 300–350 W (Corsair CV350, $35).

Important: Choose a power supply with an 80+ Bronze certification for reliability.

Pros and Cons of the i5-3340S in 2025

Pros:

1. Low Cost: Used processor costs $15–25.

2. Energy Efficiency: 65 W vs. 95 W for older AMD FX series.

3. Sufficient for Basic Tasks: Office work, browsing, light multimedia.

Cons:

1. Outdated Architecture: No support for AVX2 or modern instructions.

2. Limited Upgrade Potential: LGA1155 socket is not compatible with new CPUs.

3. Weak Graphics: HD 2500 cannot handle even indie games from the 2020s.

Use Cases: Where is the Processor Still Relevant?

1. Office PCs: Document work, Zoom, browsing (Chrome with 5+ tabs).

2. Home Media Center: Streaming video (1080p), Netflix via HDMI.

3. Entry-Level Server: NAS running Linux (OpenMediaVault).

4. Gaming: Only old titles (e.g., CS:GO on low settings — 40–50 FPS with GTX 750 Ti).

Real Example: A user built a PC for $100 (i5-3340S + 8 GB DDR3 + 240 GB SSD) for remote work.

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD FX-6300 (2012):

- 6 cores, but low IPC. Geekbench 6: ~450/1800.

- TDP 95 W, requires expensive cooling.

- Conclusion: i5-3340S is more efficient in single-core performance.

2. Intel Core i3-10100 (2020):

- 4/8, Geekbench 6: ~1500/4500.

- New costs $90–110, but requires LGA1200 platform.

Conclusion: The i5-3340S falls short against even budget modern CPUs but excels in secondary market pricing.

Build Tips

1. Budget Configuration ($100–150):

- CPU: i5-3340S ($20).

- Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LX3 ($30).

- Memory: 8 GB DDR3-1600 ($15).

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

- PSU: 350 W ($35).

2. For 2010s Gaming: Add a GPU like the GTX 1050 Ti (used — $50).

Warning: Do not use an HDD as the system disk — an SSD is critically important for speed.

Final Conclusion: Who is the i5-3340S Suitable For?

This processor is a choice for:

- Minimalism Enthusiasts: Building a PC for $100.

- Owners of Old Systems: Upgrading without changing the platform.

- Educational Institutions: Cheap computers for schools.

Why Not? If you need to work with modern software (2025 games, 4K editing, AI), even budget newcomers like the Intel N100 (2023) will perform better.

Conclusion: The Intel Core i5-3340S is a relic that can still serve a purpose in 2025, but only in niche scenarios. Its main advantage is price, not performance.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

July 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.

i5-3340S

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

2.80 GHz

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.

3.30 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.30 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.

2.0

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.

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

65 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.

3.0

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.

Yes

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.

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 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

583

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1703

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

551

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1478

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1752

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

3914

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i7-3960X

658 +12.9%

Core i5-3475S

624 +7%

Core i5-3340S

583

Pentium G2130

548 -6%

FX-6330

508 -12.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-2500K

2032 +19.3%

Core i5-3570S

1857 +9%

Core i5-3340S

1703

Core i3-6100U

1531 -10.1%

PRO A12-8870E

1392 -18.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

FX-8370

588 +6.7%

Xeon E7-4850 v4

568 +3.1%

Core i5-3340S

551

Core M-5Y31

531 -3.6%

Xeon W3530

518 -6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-7500U

1658 +12.2%

Pentium G4500

1563 +5.8%

Core i5-3340S

1478

PRO A12-9800E

1408 -4.7%

Celeron G4930T

1350 -8.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Silver 4208

1799 +2.7%

Ryzen 5 PRO 2500U

1774 +1.3%

Core i5-3340S

1752

Pentium G2120

1714 -2.2%

Celeron G1850

1692 -3.4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Athlon 320GE

4388 +12.1%

Opteron 3380

4134 +5.6%

Core i5-3340S

3914

Core i7-7600U

3724 -4.9%

PRO A10-8770

3538 -9.6%