Intel Core i3-3250T vs Intel Core i5-4210U Comparison

The database pits two dual-core Intel processors against each other in this comparison: the mobile Core i5-4210U and the desktop Core i3-3250T. Both chips carry 2 cores and 4 threads, both sit at the 21st percentile against all recorded CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical at 788 versus 775. Yet the head-to-head results show a clean sweep, with the i3-3250T winning all five shared Cinebench tests by roughly 13 percent. The story of this matchup is not really about which chip is faster on paper averages, it is about how a fixed desktop clock and a thermal-constrained ultrabook design produce different outcomes under load.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data shows zero benchmark wins for the Core i5-4210U in the head-to-head set. Every one of the five shared Cinebench tests, R15 multi-core, R20 multi-core, R20 single-core, R23 multi-core, and R23 single-core, goes to the Core i3-3250T with deltas between 12.8 and 12.9 percent. That consistency across both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads indicates the gap is architectural and clock-related at the same time, not a fluke of one test.

Where the i5-4210U wins is in dimensions the benchmarks do not score. Its TDP is recorded at 15 watts against 35 watts for the i3-3250T, it carries Intel HD 4400 graphics against the older HD 2500, and it belongs to the newer Haswell generation. For thin-and-light systems where sustained power draw and graphics output matter more than peak throughput, the database shows the i5-4210U is the only one of the two that fits. The i3-3250T, meanwhile, wins wherever a fixed-frequency desktop workload is the goal: its 3.00 GHz base clock with no dependence on short-lived boost behavior delivers the higher scores in every recorded test.

The i5-4210U does hold one benchmark-set advantage in the data: it has Geekbench results recorded, 1395 multi-core and 745 single-core, tests for which the i3-3250T has no entries. That is a coverage difference in the database rather than a performance win, but it does mean buyers comparing systems across Geekbench-enabled listings will find recorded numbers only for the Haswell part.

Architecture Differences

Both processors come from Intel fabs on the same 22 nm process node, so transistor density is not a differentiator. The divergence is in microarchitecture and market intent. The i5-4210U is a Haswell design released on 2014-04-13, carrying 1,400 million transistors on a 118 mm² die. The i3-3250T is an Ivy Bridge design released on 2013-06-08, and while the database records no transistor count for it, its die is smaller at 94 mm². The larger Haswell die despite the same process node reflects the additional logic Intel packed into that generation.

The clocking philosophies differ sharply. The i5-4210U starts at a 1700 MHz base and boosts to 2.70 GHz, trading peak frequency for a 15-watt envelope. The i3-3250T runs at a flat 3.00 GHz with no boost clock recorded at all, using a 35-watt budget to hold that speed indefinitely. The head-to-head data suggests the flat higher clock beats the lower base plus boost combination in sustained rendering workloads.

Cache is identical on paper: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 3 MB of shared L3 on both parts. The differences that matter in the recorded data are therefore clocks, graphics (HD 4400 versus HD 2500), and platform support. The i3-3250T records dual-channel memory with 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth and PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes; the i5-4210U lists DDR3 support but no bus, bandwidth, or PCIe figures. Sockets also differ, Intel BGA 1168 for the soldered mobile chip and Intel Socket 1155 for the desktop one, meaning the two are never interchangeable in practice.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Walking through the recorded results test by test, the pattern is remarkably uniform.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i3-3250T scores 226 against 197 for the i5-4210U, a 12.8 percent gap. R20 multi-core repeats the story: 945 versus 824, again 12.8 percent in the desktop chip's favor. R23 multi-core lands at 2252 versus 1962, a 12.9 percent margin.

Single-core results mirror the multi-core margins almost exactly. R20 single-core reads 133 for the i3-3250T versus 116 for the i5-4210U (12.8 percent), and R23 single-core reads 318 versus 277 (12.9 percent). The near-identical deltas in single- and multi-threaded tests confirm that both chips effectively scale the same way across their two cores and four threads; the i3-3250T is simply running its cores fast enough to stay ahead everywhere. There is no workload in the recorded set where the Haswell architecture's per-clock improvements overcome its clock deficit.

For context against the wider database, the i5-4210U's average score of 788 places it statistically alongside the Intel Core i5-3610ME (delta 0.1 percent), the AMD Opteron 3350 HE, the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650, and the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (all at -0.2 percent). The i3-3250T's average of 775 is similarly bracketed by the Intel Celeron G5920 (0 percent), the Intel Pentium Silver J5005 (-0.1 percent), the AMD Athlon X4 760K (-0.2 percent), and the Intel Core i7-3687U (0.3 percent). Both sit in the same 21st percentile band, so despite the head-to-head sweep, these two chips occupy equivalent overall tiers in the database.

Specification Differences

The fields where the two processors diverge, per the recorded data:

• Base clock: 1700 MHz (i5-4210U) versus 3.00 GHz (i3-3250T)
• Boost clock: 2.70 GHz (i5-4210U) versus none recorded (i3-3250T)
• TDP: 15 watts versus 35 watts
• Architecture: Haswell versus Ivy Bridge
• Release date: 2014-04-13 versus 2013-06-08
• Market segment: Mobile versus Desktop
• Socket: Intel BGA 1168 versus Intel Socket 1155
• Die size: 118 mm² versus 94 mm²
• Transistors: 1,400 million versus not recorded
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD 4400 versus Intel HD 2500
• Memory bus: not recorded versus Dual-channel
• Memory bandwidth: not recorded versus 25.6 GB/s
• PCIe: not recorded versus Gen 3, 16 lanes (CPU only)
• Production status: not recorded versus End-of-life
• Geekbench results: recorded for the i5-4210U only

Everything else, cores, threads, cache hierarchy at every level, process node, foundry, ECC support (false on both), unlocked multiplier (false on both), and DDR3 memory support, is identical in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The Core i3-3250T. It wins all five shared Cinebench tests with margins of 12.8 to 12.9 percent, including both single-core and multi-core runs.

Q: Do both chips have the same core and thread counts?

A: Yes. Both are 2-core, 4-thread processors with identical cache configurations: 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 3 MB shared L3.

Q: Why does the i3-3250T win if the i5-4210U is a newer architecture?

A: The i5-4210U's Haswell design is one generation newer, but its 1700 MHz base and 2.70 GHz boost are well below the i3-3250T's flat 3.00 GHz, and the recorded data shows the clock advantage outweighs the architectural one in every test.

Q: Which one uses less power?

A: The i5-4210U, with a recorded TDP of 15 watts versus 35 watts for the i3-3250T.

Q: Can these two be swapped into the same system?

A: No. The i5-4210U uses Intel BGA 1168, a soldered mobile package, while the i3-3250T uses Intel Socket 1155 on the desktop side.

Q: Which has better integrated graphics?

A: The i5-4210U lists Intel HD 4400 while the i3-3250T lists the older Intel HD 2500, so the Haswell part has the newer graphics generation in the database.

The Verdict

The data points in one direction for performance and another for platform fit. If the goal is raw throughput in rendering workloads, the Core i3-3250T is the pick: it wins every shared benchmark by roughly 13 percent, holds its 3.00 GHz clock without relying on boost behavior, and adds recorded dual-channel memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s plus PCIe Gen 3 connectivity. Buyers should note it is flagged End-of-life in the database.

The Core i5-4210U is the choice where power and packaging dominate. Half the TDP, the newer HD 4400 graphics, and a soldered BGA package make it the only option of the two for thin mobile systems, and it is the only one with Geekbench scores on record. Its nearest-rival tier (level with the Core i5-3610ME) even edges the i3-3250T's tier on average score, 788 versus 775, even though it loses every direct test.

In short: desktop workload, take the i3-3250T on the strength of a five-test sweep. Mobile or power-limited build, the i5-4210U is the only candidate the data supports, accepting the recorded performance deficit as the cost of its 15-watt envelope.