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Intel Core i5-3450

Intel Core i5-3450: A Comprehensive Review of an Outdated Yet Resilient Processor

April 2025

1. Key Specifications: What’s Hidden in Ivy Bridge?

The Intel Core i5-3450, released in 2012, belongs to the Ivy Bridge generation (3rd generation Core). Despite its age, it is still found in budget PCs.

Architecture and Process Technology

- 22 nm Technology: The transition from 32 nm (Sandy Bridge) helped reduce power consumption and improve thermal performance.

- 4 Cores/4 Threads: The lack of Hyper-Threading limits multitasking, but it is sufficient for basic tasks.

- Base Frequency of 3.1 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz: Automatic overclocking under load.

- Integrated Graphics Intel HD Graphics 2500: Suitable only for office tasks and HD video playback.

Key Features

- Support for PCIe 3.0 (relevant for NVMe SSDs via adapters).

- Intel Quick Sync Video technology (video encoding acceleration) and Virtualization support.

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: 641 (Single-Core), 1814 (Multi-Core).

- For comparison, the Ryzen 3 3200G (2019) scores about ~1000/3500.

2. Compatible Motherboards: A Hunt for Rarities

LGA 1155 Socket

Motherboards for this socket have long been discontinued. In 2025, it is impossible to find a new one—only used options are available.

Chipsets

- H61/B75: Basic models without overclocking.

- Z77/Z75: Overclocking support (for processors with a “K” designation), RAID configurations.

- Examples of Boards: ASUS P8Z77-V, Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H.

Tip: Check the condition of capacitors on used boards. Look for models with USB 3.0 and SATA III (6 Gbps) for SSDs.

3. Supported Memory: Only DDR3

- Type: DDR3 (DDR4/DDR5 not supported).

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

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

Example Configuration: 16 GB DDR3-1600 (2×8 GB) — optimal for Windows 10/11 and light tasks.

4. Power Supply: Modest Appetite

- Processor TDP: 77 W.

- Recommended PSU: 400–500 W (considering the graphics card).

Scenarios:

- Without discrete graphics: 300 W is sufficient (e.g., FSP Hyper 300).

- With a graphics card like the GTX 1650: 450 W (Corsair CX450).

Important: Use a PSU with an 80+ Bronze certification and overload protection.

5. Pros and Cons: Who Is It Suitable For?

Pros

- Low second-hand price: $20–40 (processor) + $30–50 (motherboard).

- Energy Efficiency: Suitable for systems with passive cooling.

- Reliability: A time-tested architecture.

Cons

- Outdated platform: No support for USB 3.1, NVMe (only via adapters).

- Weak multi-threading potential: Falls behind even budget Ryzen 3s.

6. Use Cases: Where Is It Still Relevant?

Office and Multimedia

- Working with documents, browsing, Netflix/YouTube (1080p).

- Example: A PC with a 240 GB SSD + 8 GB DDR3 — "comes alive" even under Windows 11.

Light Gaming

- CS:GO, Dota 2, Minecraft: 60 FPS at low settings with GPUs like the GT 1030.

- Tip: For games from the 2020s, the processor will become a "bottleneck."

Home Server

- NAS or media center based on OpenMediaVault/Plex.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD FX-8350 (2012)

- 8 Cores/8 Threads: Better for multi-threaded tasks (rendering), but with a TDP of 125 W and low IPC.

- Geekbench 6: ~550 (Single), ~2800 (Multi).

Intel Core i3-10100 (2020)

- 4 Cores/8 Threads, DDR4, PCIe 3.0.

- Geekbench 6: ~1300 (Single), ~4400 (Multi).

Conclusion: The i5-3450 falls behind even budget modern CPUs, but it wins in price.

8. Assembly Tips

- SSD is a Must: Kingston A400 240 GB ($25) will reduce boot times.

- Cooling: Replace old thermal paste (Arctic MX-4).

- BIOS: Update to the latest version for improved compatibility.

- Graphics Card: Don’t get a GPU more expensive than the Radeon RX 6400 — the processor won’t unleash its potential.

9. Summary: Who Is the i5-3450 Suitable for in 2025?

This processor is a choice for:

- Enthusiasts on a tight budget ($100–150 for the entire build).

- Owners of old PCs looking to extend the life of their system.

- Professionals building test rigs or backup machines.

Why Not? If you need to work with 4K video, streaming, or modern games — even the Intel Core i3-12100 ($120) will be significantly better.

Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-3450 is an example of "unkillable" hardware that, after 13 years, still finds application. It may not impress in performance, but for a ridiculously low price, it handles basic tasks adequately. However, in 2025, it should be viewed only as a temporary solution or a nostalgic build component.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2012

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.

i5-3450

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

3.10 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.

3.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 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.

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

77 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.

1.10 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.

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

641

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1814

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

734

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2376

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1872

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4493

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1270 v2

731 +14%

Core i7-3720QM

676 +5.5%

Core i5-3450

641

Celeron G4930

599 -6.6%

PRO A6-9500E

563 -12.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-4330

2151 +18.6%

FX-9370

1974 +8.8%

Core i5-3450

1814

Core i5-8210Y

1646 -9.3%

Pentium Gold G5400

1508 -16.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Gold 6248

770 +4.9%

Xeon Platinum 8276

746 +1.6%

Core i5-3450

734

Pentium Gold G6500T

715 -2.6%

Core i7-4710HQ

690 -6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 3550H

2651 +11.6%

Core i3-9320

2531 +6.5%

Core i5-3450

2376

Core i3-1110G4

2202 -7.3%

Celeron G6900E

2053 -13.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-7500T

1933 +3.3%

Core i5-4570T

1904 +1.7%

Core i5-3450

1872

Ryzen 3 PRO 2300U

1822 -2.7%

Xeon Gold 5118

1799 -3.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-7300HQ

5098 +13.5%

Core i7-3635QM

4726 +5.2%

Core i5-3450

4493

Core i5-6400T

4276 -4.8%

Athlon PRO 300U Mobile with Radeon Vega 3 Graphics

4080 -9.2%