CPU Comparison

The Intel Core i5-3550 and Intel Core i3-7320 are separated by five years of silicon evolution, yet benchmark results show they land in the same performance tier. The i5-3550, an Ivy Bridge quad-core from 2012, edges out the newer Kaby Lake dual-core i3-7320 in every single Cinebench test, but the margins are razor-thin, never exceeding 0.5%. This is a rare head-to-head where architectural generation matters less than core count, and the older chip’s two extra physical cores compensate for its lower clock speed and older process node.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has more physical cores?

A: The Intel Core i5-3550 has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the Intel Core i3-7320 has 2 cores and 4 threads. The i5-3550’s two additional physical cores are the primary reason it wins all multicore benchmarks.

Q: How do their single-core scores compare?

A: The scores are virtually identical. In Cinebench R15 single-core, both CPUs score exactly 57. In R20, the i5-3550 scores 241 versus the i3-7320’s 240, and in R23, the i5-3550 scores 575 versus 572, a 0.5% delta in favor of the i5.

Q: What is the biggest performance difference in any test?

A: The largest gap is in Cinebench R15 multicore, where the i5-3550 scores 410 against the i3-7320’s 408, a 0.5% difference. The R20 and R23 multicore tests show a 0.4% delta, again favoring the i5.

Q: Are these CPUs in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the i5-3550 and i3-7320 sit at the 33rd percentile among all CPUs tracked in the database. Their average benchmark scores are 1178 and 1173, respectively, making them statistical equals.

Q: Do they use the same memory and socket?

A: No. The i5-3550 uses DDR3 memory on Intel Socket 1155, while the i3-7320 uses DDR4 memory on Intel Socket 1151. The i3-7320 also has higher memory bandwidth at 38.4 GB/s versus 25.6 GB/s for the i5.

Q: What is the production status of each chip?

A: The i5-3550 is end-of-life, while the i3-7320 is listed as active. The i5-3550 had a launch MSRP of $194; no launch MSRP is listed for the i3-7320.

Architecture Differences

The i5-3550 is built on Intel’s 22 nm Ivy Bridge architecture, a 2012 design that packs 1,400 million transistors into a 160 mm² die. The i3-7320 uses the 14 nm Kaby Lake architecture, which is a much newer process but lacks published transistor or die size data in the fact pack. Process node alone tells a clear story: the i3-7320 benefits from a denser, more efficient manufacturing process, yet this advantage does not translate into benchmark wins.

Core configuration is the defining difference. The i5-3550 is a true quad-core with 4 threads, while the i3-7320 is a dual-core with Hyper-Threading, yielding 4 threads. Both share the same L1 cache at 64 KB per core and L2 at 256 KB per core, but the i5-3550 has a larger L3 cache at 6 MB shared versus 4 MB shared on the i3-7320. This cache advantage helps the i5-3550 offset the i3-7320’s higher clocks.

Clock speeds favor the i3-7320 significantly. The i3-7320 runs at a fixed 4.10 GHz base clock with no boost clock listed, while the i5-3550 has a 3.30 GHz base clock and a 3.70 GHz boost clock. Despite the i3-7320’s 0.4 GHz base clock advantage and the i5-3550’s boost headroom, the benchmark results show they perform nearly identically. The i5-3550’s extra cores and larger cache neutralize the clock speed deficit.

Memory support also diverges. The i5-3550 uses dual-channel DDR3 with 25.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the i3-7320 uses dual-channel DDR4 with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, a 50% improvement in theoretical bandwidth for the newer chip. Both feature PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes, and neither supports ECC memory. The i5-3550 integrates Intel HD 2500 graphics, while the i3-7320 integrates Intel HD 630, a newer and more capable iGPU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark suite consists of six Cinebench tests across three versions (R15, R20, R23), each split into multicore and single-core runs. The i5-3550 wins all six tests, but the margins are minimal, ranging from 0% to 0.5%. This is not a dominant performance victory; it is a consistent but narrow edge.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i5-3550 scores 410 versus the i3-7320’s 408, a 0.5% delta. This is the largest multicore gap in the entire comparison. The single-core R15 test is a dead heat at 57 points for both, resulting in a 0% delta. The i5-3550’s win here is purely nominal, both chips deliver identical single-threaded performance in this older benchmark.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern holds. The i5-3550 scores 1710 in multicore against 1703 for the i3-7320, a 0.4% delta. Single-core sees 241 versus 240, again a 0.4% delta in favor of the i5-3550. In Cinebench R23, the newest test, the i5-3550 scores 4073 in multicore versus 4057, a 0.4% delta, and 575 in single-core versus 572, a 0.5% delta.

The data reveals that the i3-7320’s higher clock speed and newer architecture do not overcome the i5-3550’s core count and cache size. The i5-3550’s average benchmark score of 1178 edges out the i3-7320’s 1173, and the nearestRivals list confirms they belong to the same performance class: the i5-3550 is 0.4% faster than the i3-7320, while the i3-7320 is 0.4% slower than the i5-3550. Notably, the i3-7320 also trails the Intel Core i7-3635QM by 0.3% and the Intel Core i7-2960XM by 0.4%, while the i5-3550 is 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i5-4440 and 0.7% faster than the Intel Core i5-2400.

Specification Differences

• Cores: i5-3550 has 4, i3-7320 has 2
• Threads: Both have 4
• Base Clock: 3.30 GHz (i5-3550) vs 4.10 GHz (i3-7320)
• Boost Clock: 3.70 GHz (i5-3550) vs none listed (i3-7320)
• TDP: 77 W (i5-3550) vs 51 W (i3-7320)
• Socket: Intel Socket 1155 (i5-3550) vs Intel Socket 1151 (i3-7320)
• Architecture: Ivy Bridge (i5-3550) vs Kaby Lake (i3-7320)
• Process Node: 22 nm (i5-3550) vs 14 nm (i3-7320)
• Transistors: 1,400 million (i5-3550) vs not listed (i3-7320)
• Die Size: 160 mm² (i5-3550) vs not listed (i3-7320)
• L3 Cache: 6 MB shared (i5-3550) vs 4 MB shared (i3-7320)
• Memory Support: DDR3 (i5-3550) vs DDR4 (i3-7320)
• Memory Bandwidth: 25.6 GB/s (i5-3550) vs 38.4 GB/s (i3-7320)
• Integrated Graphics: Intel HD 2500 (i5-3550) vs Intel HD 630 (i3-7320)
• Production Status: End-of-life (i5-3550) vs Active (i3-7320)
• Release Date: 2012-04-28 (i5-3550) vs 2017-01-02 (i3-7320)
• Launch MSRP: $194 (i5-3550) vs not listed (i3-7320)

Where Each One Wins

The i5-3550 wins every benchmark in this comparison, but the margins are so small that the practical takeaway is more nuanced. In multicore workloads, the i5-3550’s two extra physical cores give it a consistent, if modest, advantage. Across R15, R20, and R23 multicore tests, the i5-3550 leads by 0.4% to 0.5%. This suggests that applications that scale across cores, rendering, video encoding, or multitasking, will see a slight edge on the i5-3550.

The i5-3550 also wins every single-core test, but by even narrower margins. In R15, both score 57. In R20, the i5-3550 leads by 1 point (241 vs 240), and in R23, it leads by 3 points (575 vs 572). This is within run-to-run variance; the i5-3550’s single-core superiority is essentially negligible.

The i3-7320 does not win any test, but it has clear advantages that do not show up in Cinebench scores. Its 51 W TDP is significantly lower than the i5-3550’s 77 W, making it a more power-efficient choice. It supports DDR4 memory with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, a 50% improvement over the i5-3550’s DDR3 bandwidth. It also has a newer integrated GPU (Intel HD 630 vs HD 2500) and a higher base clock of 4.10 GHz versus 3.30 GHz. For users prioritizing power draw, memory bandwidth, or integrated graphics capability, the i3-7320 is the stronger pick despite losing every benchmark.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Core i5-3550 is the faster CPU in every benchmark tested, but the margin is too small to matter for most users. A 0.5% performance difference in Cinebench R15 multicore and a 0.4% difference in R20 and R23 multicore means that in real-world applications, these two CPUs will feel identical. The i5-3550’s win is a technicality driven by its 4 cores versus 2 cores, but the i3-7320’s higher clock speed and newer architecture nearly close the gap entirely.

Choices should be made on platform and efficiency rather than raw score. The i5-3550 is an end-of-life part on Socket 1155 with DDR3 memory and a 77 W TDP. The i3-7320 is active on Socket 1151 with DDR4 memory and a 51 W TDP. If the user is building a new system, the i3-7320’s modern platform, lower power draw, and newer iGPU make it the logical choice. If the user has an existing Socket 1155 system, the i5-3550 offers a marginal performance edge without a platform change.

The verdict is simple: for benchmark bragging rights, the i5-3550 wins. For a new build or an upgrade path, the i3-7320’s efficiency and memory bandwidth advantages outweigh a 0.4% average score difference. Both CPUs sit at the 33rd percentile, so neither is a performance leader, they are mid-pack processors with near-identical capabilities.