Intel processors conquer the world for a long time. Every year there are more and more of them on the market. More powerful models replace older ones. New microarchitectures, updated processor sockets and technological processes appear.
Today, the corporation is considered the largest in the world in microprocessor performance. She has been doing this since 2008 and fills three quarters of the entire market. Interestingly, the main and loyal fan of the products of this manufacturer is Dell, followed by Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo.
Back to the past
In 2010, the public got acquainted with the new Intel Core i3-530 microprocessor technology. The characteristics of the chip were not bad, as for the middle price segment. This model was one of many that entered the market that year. The corporation wanted to completely fill the entire market, often neglecting product quality.
The release of the crystal on the updated manufacturing process was caused by its main Tick-Tock principle. This progressive strategy involved once a year a change in the process technology and microarchitecture.
Base
The release of Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale was announced in tandem with the older Core i5-650 chip. Both crystals were based on the updated Westmere microarchitecture, which received a delicate 32 nm manufacturing process. Despite the rather noticeable difference between this parameter in comparison with previous models, the “trick” was different. Products carried integrated graphics Intel HD Graphics. A feature of this innovation was that before these processors such options did not exist on the market, and the combined crystal in desktop systems became something revolutionary and a pretty good alternative for medium-sized PCs.
Innovations
When reviewing the Intel Core i3-530 processor, a few words about the architecture are worth mentioning. Seven years ago, the corporation devoted a lot of time to processing and new technologies. She reworked the basics of the interaction of the chip with other components of the motherboard. The emergence of Nehalem as another important stage in the development of technology marked the use of an integrated memory controller. Previously, it was part of the system as part of the Northbridge.
The memory controller did not receive high-speed memory, but worked with the DDR3 standard. The frequency did not exceed 1.4 GHz. There was a two-channel mode, and the total volume could be 16 GB. In general, there is nothing new.
After the company decides to start developing the Westmere generation. In this case, the PCI-Express controller moves into the chip body and becomes one. The audience gets a processor that placed under its cover all the components of the former "north bridge", next to the CPU.
The last push was made by integrated graphics, "moved" there, to complete the big picture. Now, to use it together, the buyer must choose a motherboard with a set of logic Q57, H57, or H55 Express.
Support
The technical characteristics of the Intel Core i3-530 processor allowed full synchronization with the motherboards that functioned on the P55. The only thing users may encounter is with the BIOS update. And, as evidenced by the reviews of many, sometimes, even if it was possible to synchronize the work of new crystals with motherboards, the logic did not support the work of integrated graphics, so the processors did not work at full capacity.
As mentioned earlier, Clarkdale architecture works with a 32nm process technology. With the advent of this option, Nehalem began active promotion on shelves with affordable accessories. As a result, new models of the third and fifth generation are clearly interested in overclockers for their low cost and the desire to experiment with the new architecture.
Packaging
You can see what features the Intel Core i3-530 has on the box where the specification is indicated. In general, the packaging is absolutely standard for all models of the company. This is the blue box on which the model of the chip is indicated, its main features. A sticker is placed on the side end that informs about the characteristics of the new product. There is also a lot of information about the model at the back, but it is in English.
In addition, a small hole in the box can be seen at the back. Through it you can see the cooler that was prepared for the chip. Inside the box we find a standard set familiar to everyone.
The processor is placed in a special plastic “tray”, immediately there is a large-sized cooling system, there is a warranty and a user manual. For fans of the company placed a sticker with the logo of the manufacturer.
In general, this configuration is common for mid-range and low-price chips. Not surprisingly, the presence of such a cooler, which is formed of a low-profile aluminum radiator and a fan with 7 blades. The latter can take power through a cable with a connector from four pins.
In general, such a simple cooler as a whole should cover the needs of the user. It comes bundled for the reason that the chip has a low heat dissipation, and the manufacturer himself wants to save on the product as a whole.
The "heart" of the system
The Intel Core i3-530 processor specifications are average. This model is not for powerful systems, and especially not for gaming PCs. Nevertheless, it looks pretty profitable with all its implementations, especially if you return in time to 2010. Now the chip has questions, and it is unlikely to be able to interest advanced users and those who decide to build a PC on their own.
The form factor dictates the main characteristics of the Intel Core i3-530 processor. Socket H or LGA1156 has now lost its relevance and is only on legacy systems. Nevertheless, a chip with a clock frequency of 2.93 GHz came out, and the cache got 4 MB. The interface side of the chip received pads and capacitors.
Distinctive features of new products from the previous generation lie in the fact that support for Intel Turbo Boost and Intel Trusted Execution technologies has disappeared. But the latter option has a slight effect on performance. It turned out to be much sadder to lose additional frequencies when loading one core.
Specifications
The Intel Core i3-530 features slightly different characteristics from version 540. In general, tests showed that one parameter of the multiplier changes, which leads to a reduced frequency of 133 MHz. The chip itself, as mentioned earlier, works with the DDR3 memory type, whose frequency reaches 1333 MHz. We must not forget about the presence of graphics embedded in the crystal.
Before us is a model with two cores, which received the name Clarkdale. The supply voltage is 0.65-1.4 V. Power dissipation reaches 73 watts. The critical temperature at which the chip can still function correctly and stably reaches 72 degrees.
The graphics core is also represented by 12 computing pipelines, the operating frequency was 733 MHz, which obviously will not be enough for game projects, although, in truth, rarely integrated graphics can cope with gaming requests. The graphics component on average takes about 1.7 GB of memory. Supports the tenth version of DirectX, as well as OpenGL 2.1.
Testing
At one time, the Intel Core i3-530 2.93 GHz chip went through many tests. The characteristics were compared with a couple of crystals, among which were models from both the native workshop and competing production. The opponents of the hero of our review are Intel Core i3-540, i5-650 and AMD Athlon II X4 630.
The processors went through standard tests, which are usually created specifically to unleash the potential of the model. As a result, this chip is inferior on all fronts, since serious competitors are selected. Albeit insignificantly, but he lagged behind in graphic tests, gaming and synthetic applications. If we take the weaker Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 model, then in this case the hero of our review was able to get ahead by 15%, which is not so much. This begs the question: is it not easier to pay extra to get a more productive crystal, or not to overpay at all and get a budget model?
Overclocking
Checking the Intel Core i3-530 (2.93 GHz) specifications, one should not forget about overclocking potential. The clock frequency was raised to 2.4 GHz, while it was necessary to raise the voltage and provide the crystal with an improved cooling system. Despite its thin 32 nm case, the processor overheats under load, and this undoubtedly affects the efficiency of overclocking.
Experts say that 4.4 GHz is not the limit, in general, the system can be accelerated yet, but with the use of aggressive voltage, which is not always safe and always a risk, especially for inexperienced overclockers.
This overclocking potential answers the question of whether to buy this model. With such overclocking, it looks very profitable. A performance increase of more than 50% is a good indicator.
Reviews
Overall, users praised the Intel Core i3-530. The characteristics did not always receive positive reviews, since not everyone decided to overclock the model. Those who nevertheless understood overclocking received only positive impressions. So, the model itself showed that the corporation is ready to go on the most daring experiments, and they turn out to be quite successful, albeit not always the first time.
Now it will be difficult to find a buyer for this chip. But at one time, those who had enough of a dual-core processor boldly purchased this product for themselves and could even try to create an average gaming platform. The cost was also acceptable. Moreover, many preferred the 530 model rather than the 540. The older one has become somewhat more expensive, and the performance / price ratio has noticeably worsened.
As a result, the price difference was about $ 20, and the capabilities of the younger model made it possible to overtake and overtake his "older brother", which, of course, looked much more profitable and profitable.