Intel Core i3-4170T vs Intel Core i5-3335S Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data splits this comparison into two clear camps. The Intel Core i5-3335S wins five of the seven recorded head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core i3-4170T takes two decisive victories. The pattern is consistent: the i5-3335S dominates in Cinebench workloads, while the i3-4170T wins in Geekbench.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i5-3335S scores 314 against 268 for the i3-4170T, a margin of 17.2%. That advantage carries into newer Cinebench versions almost unchanged. In Cinebench R20 multicore, the i5-3335S posts 1310 versus 1120, a 17% lead. Cinebench R23 multicore shows the same story: 3121 versus 2667, again 17% ahead. The single-core Cinebench results are even closer in percentage terms. The i5-3335S scores 184 in Cinebench R20 single-core against 157, a 17.2% win, and 440 versus 376 in Cinebench R23 single-core, another 17% margin.

The i3-4170T's wins come in Geekbench, and they are substantial. In Geekbench single-core, the i3-4170T scores 972 against 559 for the i5-3335S, a 42.2% advantage. In Geekbench multicore, the i3-4170T scores 1945 against 1647, a 15.3% lead. These are not narrow wins; the i3-4170T is dramatically faster in this particular benchmark suite.

Looking at the overall average benchmark scores, the two processors are nearly identical. The i5-3335S averages 1083 across all recorded tests, while the i3-4170T averages 1072. That is a difference of roughly 1%, which explains why both sit at the 30th percentile among all CPUs in the database. The nearest rivals for the i5-3335S include the Intel Core i5-2320 at an identical 1083 average (0% delta), the Intel Core i3-6320 at 1085 (-0.2%), the Pentium Gold G6505T at 1082 (0.1%), and the AMD A12-9800 at 1081 (0.2%). For the i3-4170T, the closest competitor is the Intel Core i5-5287U at 1072 (0%), with the AMD Athlon X4 880K at 1071 (0.1%), the Intel Core i5-2310 at 1073 (-0.1%), and the AMD Opteron 3380 at 1071 (0.1%).

The verdict from the head-to-head tests is that the i5-3335S is the stronger rendering and content creation chip, while the i3-4170T is the stronger general-purpose performer in Geekbench's synthetic workload. The 17% Cinebench leads are consistent across every iteration, suggesting a true architectural advantage. The 42.2% Geekbench single-core gap is the largest single benchmark margin between the two.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-3335S is the pick for anyone whose workload resembles Cinebench: multithreaded rendering, video encoding, or any task that scales with physical cores. It wins 5 of 7 benchmarks, and every Cinebench test by roughly 17%. The four physical cores give it a structural advantage in heavily threaded workloads, and the data shows that advantage is repeatable across three generations of Cinebench tests.

The Intel Core i3-4170T is the pick for workloads that match Geekbench's mix. Its 42.2% single-core win and 15.3% multicore win in Geekbench are decisive. The 2-core, 4-thread design with a higher 3.20 GHz base clock outperforms the i5-3335S in that specific suite. Daily desktop responsiveness, light productivity, and tasks that favor IPC and clock speed are better served by the i3-4170T.

The overall average scores are nearly tied, so the choice depends entirely on workload. For threaded rendering, the i5-3335S is the clear winner. For synthetic single-thread performance, the i3-4170T is the clear winner. The 5-2 benchmark split in favor of the i5-3335S is real, but the two Geekbench losses are not minor: the single-core gap of 42.2% is the largest delta in the entire comparison. Users should select based on whether their primary applications align with Cinebench or Geekbench style workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-3335S wins 5 of the 7 recorded head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core i3-4170T wins 2.

Q: How big is the i5-3335S's lead in Cinebench?

A: The i5-3335S leads by 17.2% in Cinebench R15 multicore, 17% in R20 multicore, 17.2% in R20 single-core, 17% in R23 multicore, and 17% in R23 single-core.

Q: How does the i3-4170T beat the i5-3335S in Geekbench?

A: The i3-4170T wins Geekbench multicore by 15.3% (1945 vs 1647) and Geekbench single-core by 42.2% (972 vs 562).

Q: What are the overall average benchmark scores?

A: The i5-3335S has an average benchmark score of 1083, and the i3-4170T has an average score of 1072. Both sit at the 30th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Which CPU has more physical cores?

A: The Intel Core i5-3335S has 4 physical cores, while the Intel Core i3-4170T has 2 physical cores but supports 4 threads.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ in core count, clock speed, cache size, socket, architecture family, memory bandwidth, integrated graphics, transistor count, and die size.

The i5-3335S has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the i3-4170T has 2 cores and 4 threads. The i5-3335S has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 3.20 GHz; the i3-4170T has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and no boost capability. The i5-3335S has a 65W TDP, while the i3-4170T is rated at 35W.

The i5-3335S uses the Intel Socket 1155, while the i3-4170T uses the Intel Socket 1150. The i5-3335S has 6 MB of shared L3 cache, while the i3-4170T has 3 MB of shared L3 cache. Both have 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core.

The i5-3335S integrates Intel HD 4000 graphics, while the i3-4170T integrates Intel HD 4400 graphics. The i3-4170T has a recorded memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s; the i5-3335S does not have a memory bandwidth figure recorded. Both support DDR3 memory in dual-channel mode, and both have PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Neither supports ECC memory, and neither is multiplier unlocked.

The i5-3335S was released on 2012-10-31, while the i3-4170T was released on 2015-03-29. The i3-4170T is marked as end-of-life, while the i5-3335S has no production status recorded in the database.

Architecture Differences

Both CPUs are built on Intel's 22 nm process node and manufactured by Intel, but they use different microarchitectures. The i5-3335S is based on Ivy Bridge, and the i3-4170T is based on Haswell.

The transistor count and die size differ: the i5-3335S has 1,480 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, while the i3-4170T has 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. The i5-3335S belongs to the Core i5 generation (Ivy Bridge), while the i3-4170T belongs to the Core i3 generation (Haswell).

The integrated graphics differ as noted: HD 4000 on the i5-3335S and HD 4400 on the i3-4170T. The i3-4170T has a part number of SR1TC, while the i5-3335S has no part number listed. Both are desktop market segment parts, and neither has an unlocked multiplier.

The shared L3 cache is doubled in the i5-3335S (6 MB vs 3 MB), which directly relates to the physical core count difference. The i3-4170T's higher base clock of 3.20 GHz versus the i5-3335S's 2.70 GHz explains its Geekbench single-core advantage. The i5-3335S's boost clock of 3.20 GHz matches the i3-4170T's fixed clock, but the i3 has a newer architecture generation.

Where Each One Wins

Intel Core i5-3335S Wins:

• All Cinebench tests, both single and multicore, with a consistent 17% margin.
• Multithreaded rendering workloads that scale with 4 physical cores.
• Any scenario where the 6 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency across four cores.
• Workloads requiring higher TDP headroom (65W vs 35W) for sustained load.

Intel Core i3-4170T Wins:

• Geekbench multicore test, by 15.3%.
• Geekbench single-core test, by 42.2%.
• Synthetic single-thread performance tests that favor high base clock and Haswell efficiency.
• Low-power deployments where the 35W TDP is a significant advantage over 65W.

The i5-3335S's wins are all in Cinebench, which strongly suggests its 4 physical cores are the deciding factor. The i3-4170T's wins are both in Geekbench, which suggests its architecture and clock speed matter more in that benchmark's specific instruction mix. The i5-3335S has 5 wins, and the i3-4170T has 2. The average scores are nearly identical, so the deciding factor is workload type: rendering cores for the i5-3335S, single-thread responsiveness for the i3-4170T.