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Intel Core i5-3450S

Intel Core i5-3450S: Obsolete Warrior or Budget Option in 2025?

Architecture, Performance, and Considerations for PC Build Choices

1. Key Specifications: What Does Ivy Bridge Hide?

The Intel Core i5-3450S processor, released in 2012, belongs to the Ivy Bridge generation. It's a 22nm chip with 4 cores and 4 threads, a base frequency of 2.8 GHz, and a turbo boost of up to 3.5 GHz. With a TDP of 65W, it stands out as one of the most energy-efficient options of its time.

Key Features:

- No support for Hyper-Threading, which limits multitasking capabilities.

- Integrated Intel HD Graphics 2500 — suitable only for basic tasks (video playback, office applications).

- Turbo Boost 2.0 and Virtualization technologies improve responsiveness and virtualization.

Performance in 2025:

According to Geekbench 6, the i5-3450S scores 597 points in single-threaded tests and 1715 points in multi-threaded tests. In comparison, the modern budget Intel Core i3-12100 (2023) shows ~1800/6000 points. This indicates that the i5-3450S can handle office tasks and light applications but struggles with modern games or resource-intensive programs.

2. Compatible Motherboards: How to Make the Right Choice?

Socket: LGA1155 — an outdated standard, and new boards have not been produced since 2013. In 2025, finding a new motherboard is impossible, but you can find models on the secondary market:

- ASUS P8H77-V (used price: $30–50).

- Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H (used price: $25–40).

Chipsets:

- H61, B75, H77, Z77. Overclocking (not possible with i5-3450S) requires Z77. The best choice for stability is B75 or H77 with support for SATA III and USB 3.0.

Selection Tips:

- Check the condition of capacitors on the used board — older models often suffer from bulging.

- Ensure that the BIOS is updated to the latest version for compatibility with NVMe SSDs (via PCIe adapter).

3. Supported Memory: DDR3 as a Limitation

The i5-3450S works only with DDR3 (up to 1600 MHz). Capacity is up to 32 GB (4 slots × 8 GB).

Issues in 2025:

- DDR3 is outdated: new modules are no longer produced, and prices for used ones start from $10 for 8 GB.

- No support for DDR4/DDR5: upgrading the system without replacing the processor and motherboard is impossible.

Tip: Use dual-channel mode (2 × 8 GB) to enhance performance by 10–15%.

4. Power Supply: How Many Watts Do You Need?

With a TDP of 65W and no overclocking, a PSU rated 400–450W is sufficient. However, consider other components:

- Dedicated graphics card (e.g., GTX 1650): +75–100W.

- SSD/HDD, cooling fans: +50W.

Recommendations:

- For a system with a GTX 1650, choose a PSU rated at 500W (e.g., Corsair CX550 — $60).

- For a PC without a graphics card, a low-powered PSU is enough (Be Quiet! SFX Power 3 400W — $55).

5. Pros and Cons: Is It Worth Getting in 2025?

Pros:

- Low power consumption (suitable for media centers).

- Adequate performance for office work and web surfing.

- Affordability (used processor — $15–25).

Cons:

- Outdated architecture: lacks support for AVX2, PCIe 3.0, USB 3.1.

- Limited upgrade potential: Socket LGA1155 is a dead-end platform.

- Weak iGPU: a discrete graphics card is necessary for gaming.

6. Use Cases: Where Is It Useful?

- Office Tasks: Word, Excel, browsers with 10+ tabs — the processor can handle this, but there may be delays with heavy PDFs.

- Multimedia: Streaming 1080p video, basic editing in Shotcut — rendering will take 2–3 times longer compared to an i3-12100.

- Gaming: Only older titles (CS:GO, GTA V) or indie games at low settings. With a GTX 1650 — 30–40 FPS in Fortnite (720p).

Real Experience: A Reddit user built a PC with an i5-3450S and GTX 1050 Ti for $150, playing Skyrim and Rocket League without issues.

7. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD FX-8350 (2012): 8 cores, but high TDP (125W) and weak single-thread performance (Geekbench 6 Single: 420).

- Intel Core i5-4570 (2013): A newer Haswell architecture, 15% faster, but more expensive (used — $30–40).

- Intel Core i3-10100 (2020): 4 cores/8 threads, supports DDR4. New — $80, but requires LGA1200 motherboard ($70).

Conclusion: The i5-3450S only wins on price but loses on performance and future potential.

8. Practical Tips for Building

1. Look for combos on the secondary market: Often, you can find a "motherboard + processor + RAM" bundle for $50–70.

2. Always install an SSD: A SATA SSD (e.g., Kingston A400 240GB — $25) will speed up the system.

3. Upgrade cooling: The stock cooler is noisy. Replace it with a DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 ($20).

4. Don’t skimp on the PSU: Cheap units can damage components.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is the i5-3450S For?

This processor should only be considered in two instances:

1. Ultra-Budget Build: If you need a PC for document editing or browsing for $100–150.

2. Upgrading an Old Computer: Replacing a weaker CPU (e.g., Pentium G2020) without changing the platform.

Alternative: For a similar $150–200, you can build a system based on AMD Ryzen 3 3200G (used) with DDR4 support and modern technologies.

Conclusion: The Intel Core i5-3450S in 2025 is a choice for enthusiasts willing to deal with limitations for minimal investment. For most users, it’s wiser to invest in more modern platforms.

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.

i5-3450S

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.

3.50 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

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.

1.10 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

597

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1715

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

649

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2116

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1873

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4375

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E7-4809 v4

671 +12.4%

Core i5-3570

637 +6.7%

Core i5-3450S

597

Core i5-3380M

559 -6.4%

Pentium G3250T

524 -12.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-4440S

2040 +19%

Core i5-3470S

1859 +8.4%

Core i5-3450S

1715

PRO A10-8770

1540 -10.2%

PRO A10-8770E

1404 -18.1%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i7-4710HQ

690 +6.3%

Core i3-4160T

672 +3.5%

Core i5-3450S

649

Core M-5Y71

626 -3.5%

Xeon Silver 4116T

601 -7.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-6870HQ

2434 +15%

Pentium Gold G6605

2284 +7.9%

Core i5-3450S

2116

Core i7-2675QM

1976 -6.6%

FX-8100

1858 -12.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen Embedded R2514

1933 +3.2%

Core i7-5557U

1904 +1.7%

Core i5-3450S

1873

Ryzen 5 2500U

1822 -2.7%

Xeon Silver 4208

1799 -4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon Bronze 3204

4835 +10.5%

Celeron G6900

4555 +4.1%

Core i5-3450S

4375

Core i5-2500K

4121 -5.8%

Core i5-7360U

3894 -11%