Despite the fact that the Intel Core i5-2310 was released back in 2011, it is still great for building mid-range system units. The difference in performance with more recent chips of this family is not so big, but its price is much lower. It is for these two reasons that such central processing units fit perfectly with mid-range personal computers.
Chip niche
As noted earlier, the Intel Core i5-2310 processor is focused on the assembly of medium-speed system units of personal computers. The computational capabilities of this silicon solution are quite enough to solve almost any problem. These are the most modern toys, and three-dimensional modeling, and the development of design projects, and the creation of application software - this CPU can cope with any such task. In addition to the hero of our review, this family of semiconductor chips also includes models with the indices 2300 and 2320. Their detailed technical characteristics are shown in Table 1. The key difference between them is the different clock frequency. The larger the index, the higher the frequency and the better the speed of the computer system. The rest are identical models of central processors.
Table 1. Characteristics of the 23XX series processors
No. p / p | CPU Name | Frequency, GHz | Cache L3, Mb | Video card | Technology, nm | Thermal package, W |
one. | i3-2300 | 2.8 / 3.1 | 6 | HDGraphics 2000 | 32 | 95 |
2. | i3-2310 | 2.9 / 3.2 |
3. | i3-2320 | 3.0 / 3.3 |
CPU socket
All chips of this model range are oriented on installation in the LGA1156 socket. Now, of course, there are more advanced processor sockets from Intel - LGA1150 - and the most recent LGA1151 in this regard. But their cost is much higher (both the processor and the motherboard). But the difference in performance between LGA1156 and more recent solutions is not so big. Therefore, the most optimal in this case looks, albeit a little outdated, but it is LGA1156.
Production technology. Temperature and heat pack
32nm is an Intel Core i5-2310 semiconductor chip manufacturing process. Characteristics CPUs indicate a maximum temperature value of 72.6 ° C. In reality, the temperature in normal operation of this CPU does not exceed 53-55 ° C. The heat packet, as noted earlier, in this case is 95 watts.
Cache. RAM
The cache memory of this chip consists of 3 levels and has the following capacity:
1st level - 256 Kb.
2nd level - 1 Mb.
3rd level - 6 Mb.
The RAM controller in the Intel Core i5-2310 is integrated into its semiconductor chip. It is dual-channel, oriented to work with DDR3 memory. The most preferred straps with an operating frequency of 1333 MHz - they provide the maximum system performance. You can also install faster modules in such a PC, but their results above 1333 MHz will not be able to rise. System logic precisely with this value limits the working frequency of RAM. The maximum size of addressable RAM in this situation is 32 GB.
Possible clock frequencies
Like the Intel Core i5-2300, the hero of this review supports dynamic frequency change technology. Depending on the load, the number of computing units involved and the temperature of the silicon crystal, its value can vary in the range from 2.9 GHz to 3.2 GHz. This is the so-called Intel Turbo Bust Technology. At frequencies of 2.9-3.0 GHz, 3-4 cores work. When the frequency value becomes equal to 3.1 GHz, only 2 blocks of calculations remain in operation. Well, at 3.2 GHz, only one computing module remains in active mode.
Architecture
Intel Core i5-2310 belongs to the Sandy Bridge CPU family. This is the second generation of Intel-based semiconductor crystals based on the Core architecture. The structure of this model includes 4 full-fledged computing cores. In turn, a technology such as Hyper Trading is not supported in this situation and at the software level we get all the same 4 information processing flows.
Integrated graphics system
As in the case of Intel Core i5-2300, this CPU model is equipped with an integrated entry-level graphics accelerator - HD Graphics 2000. Its operating frequencies can vary in the range from 0.85 GHz to 1.1 GHz. The maximum number of monitor screens that can be connected to such a personal computer is 2. The level of productivity in this case is minimal, which is sufficient only for solving the least demanding tasks in this regard: office software, Internet resources, video playback and simple toys.
The results of the review. Cost
Of course, Intel Core i5-2310 is one of the best processor devices for assembling a mid-range system unit. It has full 4 cores and a sufficient level of performance. In comparison with the more recent chips of this manufacturer, it is distinguished by their lower cost - about 4000-5000 rubles from stocks, and even in a completely new condition. At the same time, their energy efficiency and performance are almost identical. Therefore, it is this processor that looks preferable in terms of purchase, albeit slightly outdated, which also boasts a higher degree of reliability due to improved thermal paste against the background of direct competitors.