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Intel Pentium G630

Intel Pentium G630 in 2025: Is It Worth It? A Complete Breakdown of an Obsolete Processor

Introduction

Even in 2025, older generation processors such as the Intel Pentium G630 (Sandy Bridge) continue to attract attention due to their low price. But how relevant are they? Let’s explore who this model is suitable for and what pitfalls await users.

1. Key Specifications: What’s Inside?

Sandy Bridge Architecture

The Pentium G630 was released in 2011 and is based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture (32 nm). This is Intel's first generation with an integrated graphics core (Intel HD Graphics) and support for AVX instructions. However, by 2025 this architecture is considered outdated:

- 2 cores, 2 threads — the lack of Hyper-Threading limits multitasking.

- Base frequency of 2.7 GHz — without Turbo Boost.

- L3 cache — 3 MB — modest capacity for modern applications.

Performance in Numbers

Based on Geekbench 6 tests (2025):

- Single-core: 403 points — comparable to modern budget processors (e.g., Intel Celeron G5920 — ~420 points).

- Multithreaded: 651 points — weak performance due to the lack of multithreading.

Key Features for 2025:

- Low power consumption (TDP 65 W).

- Basic virtualization instruction support (VT-x).

2. Compatible Motherboards: What to Look For?

Socket and Chipsets

- Socket LGA 1155 — discontinued. No new motherboards available, only used ones.

- Chipsets: H61, B65, H67, P67, Z68.

Features of Choice in 2025:

- H61 — the most affordable option, but limited to 16 GB DDR3 and lacks overclocking.

- Z68 — supports overclocking (though Pentium G630 is not unlocked).

- Issues: Lack of UEFI with modern interfaces (for example, NVMe requires BIOS modifications).

Example: ASUS P8H61-M LX3 motherboard (used) — $25–$40.

3. Memory: DDR3 vs Modern Standards

The Pentium G630 supports DDR3-1066/1333 MHz with a maximum capacity of 32 GB (theoretically). In practice:

- Most H61 boards are limited to 16 GB.

- DDR3 lags behind DDR4/DDR5 in speed (up to 21 GB/s compared to 50+ GB/s for DDR5).

Tip: Use two 8 GB modules (16 GB) for dual-channel mode — this will speed up the integrated graphics.

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

With a TDP of 65 W, a system with the Pentium G630 consumes:

- Without a graphics card: ~100–150 W (considering HDD, SSD, fans).

- With a discrete GPU (e.g., GTX 1050): ~200–250 W.

Recommendations:

- A basic 400 W PSU (e.g., EVGA 400 N1 — $35) — for systems without a powerful graphics card.

- For gaming builds — 500 W (Be Quiet! System Power 10 — $55).

5. Pros and Cons: Is It Worth It?

Pros:

- Price: On the second-hand market — $10–$20 (processor + cooler).

- Energy efficiency: Suitable for NAS or media center.

- Sufficient for basic tasks: Office work, browsing, 1080p video.

Cons:

- Outdated platform: No support for USB 3.0, NVMe, Windows 11.

- Poor multithreading: Cannot handle video editing or streaming.

6. Use Cases: Where It Comes in Handy?

- Office PC: Document work, Zoom, browsing (up to 10 tabs).

- Media center: Viewing 1080p through Plex, Kodi (but cannot handle 4K).

- Light gaming: Minecraft, Dota 2 on low settings (with GT 1030 — 30–40 FPS).

Real Experience: A user from Brazil built a PC with G630 + 8 GB DDR3 + SSD for $60 for studying — the system has been running since 2015!

7. Competitors: How Does It Compare?

- AMD Athlon II X2 270 (2011): 2 cores, 3.4 GHz. Pros: Cheaper. Cons: No integrated graphics.

- Intel Celeron G5905 (2020): 2 cores, 3.5 GHz. Pros: Supports DDR4, price $50 (new).

Conclusion: The Pentium G630 lags behind even modern budget CPUs in performance and functionality.

8. Assembly Tips: How to Avoid Mistakes

1. SSD is a must: Kingston A400 240 GB ($25) will speed up the OS boot.

2. Graphics Card: Choose models without additional power requirements (GTX 1650 Low Profile — $150).

3. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but replace the thermal paste (Arctic MX-4 — $5).

4. OS: Use Windows 10 LTSC or Linux (Ubuntu) for better optimization.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the Pentium G630?

This processor should only be considered in cases of:

- Extremely budget builds for office/internet (up to $100).

- Upgrading an old PC without changing the motherboard.

- Projects like retrocomputers or educational setups.

Why Not to Buy in 2025:

- Lack of new components.

- Risk of old parts failing.

- Low performance for modern OS and applications.

Alternatives for 2025

If your budget allows for $100–150, it is better to choose:

- Intel Celeron G6900 (2 cores, 4.0 GHz, DDR4) — $50.

- AMD Ryzen 3 4100 (4 cores, 3.8 GHz, DDR4) — $80.

Both options support modern technologies and guarantee stability.

Conclusion

The Pentium G630 is a relic of the past, but it still has its niche uses. However, in the age of DDR5 and AIO cooling, its time has long passed. Build a system around it only if no other options are available.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

September 2011

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.

G630

Code Name

Sandy 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

2.70 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.

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.

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.

32 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.

2.0

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

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

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 1066

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).

17 GB/s

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® Processors

Graphics Base Frequency

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

850 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 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 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

Instruction Set Extensions

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® 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.

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.

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

Intel Flex Memory Access

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.

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

403

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

651

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

479

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

908

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1246

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

1317

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

FX-8300

472 +17.1%

Core i5-3337U

432 +7.2%

Pentium G630

403

Core i5-480M

368 -8.7%

Core i3-3227U

324 -19.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

A6-7480

895 +37.5%

A6-3430MX

748 +14.9%

Pentium G630

651

Pentium B950

539 -17.2%

A4-3310MX

414 -36.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Athlon X4 850

509 +6.3%

Xeon E5-2650 v4

495 +3.3%

Pentium G630

479

Core i3-3110M

463 -3.3%

Celeron 3865U

443 -7.5%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i3-5005U

1080 +18.9%

Athlon X4 730

1015 +11.8%

Pentium G630

908

A4-3420

842 -7.3%

Pentium N3710

771 -15.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core m5-6Y57

1352 +8.5%

Athlon II X4 651

1295 +3.9%

Pentium G630

1246

Pentium G620

1194 -4.2%

A10-5750M

1138 -8.7%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

A8-3510MX

1614 +22.6%

A6-3430MX

1448 +9.9%

Pentium G630

1317

Core i5-2537M

1202 -8.7%

Celeron G530T

1056 -19.8%