The Core i5-3230M is a great dual-core chip for mid-range notebooks. With a discrete graphics card, such a mobile system can even belong to the class of gaming machines. It is its technical parameters and real computing capabilities that will be further examined in detail.
CPU socket, chip family generation and hardware features of a semiconductor chip
This chip was released in 2013 for the processor socket FCPGA988. This socket has been used universally to create CPU-based laptops based on the Core architecture and belonging to its second or third generation. It is to the latter that the Intel Core i5-3230M belongs. How many cores were part of this central processor? Two real computing modules. But support for HT technology allowed to increase the number of threads for processing program code by 2 times. That is, at the program level, the number of cores was 4.
Production technology
This silicon crystal was manufactured according to the tolerance standards of 22 nm. The transistors in this case had a three-dimensional arrangement, which was called TriGate by the Intel manufacturing company. Modern processors in terms of miniaturization have advanced only one step forward and are manufactured using 14 nm technology, but the technological process has not changed, and the transistors in the CPU have the same volumetric layout. Therefore, from a technological point of view, this processor continues to be relevant.
Cache organization
As in any other high-performance modern CPU, 3 levels of fast cache are in the Intel Core i5-3230M. Technical characteristics indicate that at the first level its total volume is 128 Kb. This volume is divided into 2 equal parts of 64 Kb, tied to a specific unit for performing calculations. Again, these 64 KB blocks are allocated to another 2 blocks of 32 KB. One of them saves instructions, the second - data. The total cache size on the second level is 512 Kb, and on the third - 3 Mb.
RAM controller
The RAM controller was part of the semiconductor chip. It was focused on working with DDR3 standard modules. Recommended frequency values were 1333 MHz or 1600 MHz. The controller itself was two-channel. That is, the use of two strips of reduced size made it possible to obtain an additional increase in speed. For example, 2 modules of 1 GB each were more profitable in terms of performance than 1 bracket per 1 GB.
Thermal features
Core i5-3230M has a thermal package of 35 watts. Alas, this value does not allow the use of passive systems based on an aluminum radiator to cool this CPU. In this case, only coolers can be used. The maximum temperature for this chip is 105 0 C. In reality, in the presence of a high-quality active heat sink system, this value does not exceed 50 -60 0 C.
Frequency formula
Depending on the complexity of the program code being processed and its thermal state, the Core i5-3230M can change its clock frequency. Its minimum value is 2.6 GHz, and the maximum for two computing units is 3.0 GHz. If one of the modules shuts down and the CPU switches to single-core computing mode, the frequency may still increase by 200 MHz and reach 3.2 GHz.
Graphic component
This processor includes an integrated graphics accelerator in the HD Graphics 4000 series. The technical specifications are very modest, but its availability is enough to solve the most simple and often performed tasks. Due to the component based on this CPU, you can also create even budget entry-level laptops. The clock frequencies of this GPU can vary from 650 MHz at minimum load and up to 1.1 GHz in peak video processing mode.
Summary
Even now, mobile computing systems based on the Core i5-3230M can be found on sale. Of course, their performance level is lower than that of new generations of processors. But the cost of such laptops is significantly less. And for the very last reason, buying such a PC will be truly justified.