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Intel Pentium G3470

Intel Pentium G3470: A Comprehensive Review of the Budget Processor from 2025

Introduction

The Intel Pentium G3470 processor, released in 2014, is still found in budget builds and upgrade systems today. Despite its age, it remains relevant for specific tasks due to its low power consumption and availability. In this article, we will explore who this chip is suitable for in 2025, how to build a PC based on it, and the potential pitfalls awaiting users.

1. Key Specifications: Haswell Architecture and Modest Power

Architecture and Process Technology

The G3470 is built on the Haswell microarchitecture (4th generation Intel Core) with a 22 nm process technology. This allowed for reduced power consumption (TDP — 53 W) compared to previous generations. However, in 2025, 22 nm seems archaic: modern processors utilize 5–7 nm, providing a better performance-to-heat ratio.

Performance

- 2 cores / 2 threads with a base clock speed of 3.6 GHz (no turbo boost).

- Cache: 3 MB L3.

- Integrated graphics: Intel HD Graphics (for the 4th generation) with a base frequency of 350 MHz.

Real-World Performance:

- In synthetic tests (e.g., Cinebench R23), it scores ~1200–1300 points — on par with modern budget processors like the Intel Celeron G6900 (1300 points), but lacks multi-threading support.

- In games (CS:GO, Dota 2), it delivers 30–40 FPS at low settings (1080p) without a discrete graphics card.

Key Features

- Support for AVX2 and AES-NI instructions — useful for encryption and certain optimized applications.

- The video accelerator can decode 4K H.264, but H.265/VP9 requires software processing.

2. Compatible Motherboards: LGA 1150 Socket and Limited Options

Socket and Chipsets

The G3470 uses the LGA 1150 socket. Compatible chipsets:

- H81 — basic option (2 RAM slots, no RAID).

- B85 — supports 4 memory slots and more SATA 6 Gb/s ports.

- H97/Z97 — advanced capabilities (M.2, USB 3.0), but in 2025 such boards are hard to find new.

Model Examples:

- ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 ($45–60) — a minimalist board for office tasks.

- Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H ($70–90) — an optimal choice for upgrades.

Selection Tips

- Look for boards with USB 3.0 and HDMI — this will simplify peripheral connections.

- Avoid Z87/Z97 chipsets unless you plan to overclock (G3470 is locked for overclocking).

3. Supported Memory: DDR3 and Its Limitations

The processor works only with DDR3 (up to 1600 MHz in dual-channel mode). In 2025, this is an outdated standard, but memory is available at a low price:

- 8 GB (2x4 GB) DDR3-1600 — $25–30.

Important: Maximum capacity is 32 GB, but for most tasks, 8–16 GB will suffice.

4. Power Supply: Minimum Requirements

Considering the 53 W TDP and no discrete graphics card, a power supply of 300–400 W is sufficient. Recommendations:

- EVGA 400 W1 ($35) — for systems without upgrades.

- Corsair CX450 (80 Plus Bronze, $55) — with headroom for adding a GTX 1650-level graphics card.

Tip: When installing a GPU, consider its power consumption. For instance, the GTX 1650 requires a minimum 300 W PSU.

5. Pros and Cons: Who Should Consider This?

Pros

- Price: New processors cost $40–50 (rare in 2025, more often found used).

- Energy efficiency: Suitable for a PC running 24/7 (e.g., a media server).

- Integrated graphics: No need for a separate graphics card for basic tasks.

Cons

- 2 cores: Multi-threaded applications (Photoshop, Blender) will lag.

- No support for DDR4/5, PCIe 4.0: Limits upgrades.

- Outdated platform: New OS (Windows 12) may not receive drivers.

6. Use Cases: Where is G3470 Still Relevant?

Office Tasks

- Document work, browsing (10+ tabs), Zoom — the processor manages, but some stutter may occur under load.

Multimedia

- 4K playback via VLC with hardware acceleration (H.264). For streaming services (Netflix 4K), an external decoder may be needed.

Gaming

- Without a discrete graphics card: Minecraft, League of Legends at low settings.

- With GPU (GTX 1650): GTA V, Fortnite at 1080p/30 FPS.

Home Lab Projects

- Server for home automation (Home Assistant) or NAS — thanks to low TDP.

7. Comparison with Competitors

Intel Celeron G6900 (2023)

- Price: $55.

- Advantages: 2 cores / 2 threads, but supports DDR4, PCIe 5.0.

- Conclusion: Better choice for new builds.

AMD Athlon 3000G (2020)

- Price: $60.

- Advantages: 2 cores / 4 threads, Vega 3 graphics.

- Conclusion: Higher performance in multi-threaded tasks.

Conclusion: The G3470 falls short compared to modern counterparts but is a price winner on the secondary market.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

Basic Configuration (Office)

- Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS ($50).

- Memory: 8 GB DDR3-1600 ($25).

- Storage: 256 GB SSD Kingston A400 ($30).

- PSU: EVGA 400 W1 ($35).

- Total: ~$140 + case.

Gaming Upgrade

- Graphics card: GTX 1650 ($150).

- PSU: Corsair CX450 ($55).

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the Pentium G3470 Suitable For?

This processor should only be considered in two cases:

1. Upgrading an old PC on LGA 1150 (e.g., replacing a weaker Pentium).

2. Building an ultra-budget system for an office or media center where minimal cost is crucial.

Alternative: If the budget allows for $100–150, it’s better to choose modern Celerons or Athlons — they will ensure support for new standards and a longer lifespan.

In 2025, the Pentium G3470 is a niche solution. It is not suitable for gaming or professional tasks but will remain a lifeline for enthusiasts resurrecting old PCs.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2015

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.

G3470

Code Name

Haswell

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

3.60 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.

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1150

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

53 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.

Up to 3.0

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.

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 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V

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.

Yes

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® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® Processors

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 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

Graphics Video Max Memory

1.7 GB

DirectX Support

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

11.1/12

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.

1920x1080@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.

2560x1600@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

2560x1600@60Hz

Max Resolution (VGA)

1920x1200@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

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

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI/VGA

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.

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

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 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 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

OpenGL Support

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

4.3

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 5

Single Core Score

778

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1461

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2089

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2428

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E3-1280 v2

811 +4.2%

Xeon Gold 5318Y

796 +2.3%

Pentium G3470

778

Pentium Gold G5500

757 -2.7%

Xeon Gold 6240R

740 -4.9%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-4308U

1631 +11.6%

Celeron N4120

1538 +5.3%

Pentium G3470

1461

Core i3-3225

1384 -5.3%

Athlon X4 750K

1315 -10%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-7700T

2142 +2.5%

Ryzen 5 PRO 2400GE with Radeon Vega 11 Graphics

2118 +1.4%

Pentium G3470

2089

Xeon E5-2697A v4

2062 -1.3%

Xeon E5-1681 v3

2040 -2.3%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Celeron G5925

2830 +16.6%

Core i3-6100U

2639 +8.7%

Pentium G3470

2428

Athlon X4 730

2278 -6.2%

Celeron 6305

2100 -13.5%