Intel Core i5-2320

The Intel Core i5-2320 is a desktop processor based on the Sandy Bridge architecture, released in September 2011. It pairs four physical cores with four threads, a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.30 GHz. Fabricated on Intel's 32 nm process with 1,160 million transistors on a 216 mm² die, it supports DDR3 memory over a dual-channel interface and includes Intel HD 2000 integrated graphics. In the benchmark aggregate, it posts an average score of 1078, placing it at the 30th percentile of all CPUs.

How It Compares

The Intel Core i5-5287U achieves an average score of 1078, identical to the i5-2320, with a delta of 0%. This perfect tie in the composite benchmark indicates that the two processors deliver the same aggregate performance, despite likely differences in platform and power envelope. The i5-2320's four cores and higher TDP do not translate into a measurable advantage in this summary metric.

The Intel Core i7-2760QM scores 1076, giving the i5-2320 a 0.2% advantage (delta +0.2%). This is a marginal edge, well within typical run-to-run variance, but the data records a positive delta in favor of the i5-2320. The two parts are effectively indistinguishable in this benchmark set.

The AMD A12-9800 scores 1081, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-2320 (delta -0.2% from the i5's perspective). The AMD part holds a minuscule lead, but again the difference is negligible. The i5-2320 trails by less than a third of a percent, making the comparison a statistical tie.

The Intel Core i7-2820QM scores 1075, placing it 0.3% behind the i5-2320 (delta +0.3%). This is the largest delta among the four rivals, yet still a sub-percent difference. The i5-2320 ranks slightly higher than this part in the aggregate.

Overall, the i5-2320 sits in a tight cluster of four rivals, with deltas ranging from -0.2% to +0.3%. All five processors are within a fraction of a percent of each other, indicating that the i5-2320 offers performance comparable to a set of parts from different vendors and market segments. The 30th percentile ranking reinforces that this is a mid-range processor, but one that holds its own against a narrow field of near-equal competitors.

Power and Thermals

The i5-2320 carries a 95W TDP, which for a quad-core desktop processor of its generation indicates a need for a dedicated air cooler. The 32 nm process node and 1,160 million transistors on a 216 mm² die contribute to a power density that a standard tower cooler can manage. The processor is socketed in Intel Socket 1155, a platform designed for mainstream desktops. With a boost clock of 3.30 GHz, thermal management is straightforward under typical workloads, though the 95W figure suggests that a capable air cooler is required for sustained all-core operation.

The multiplier is locked, so thermal design is fixed at stock settings; no overclocking headroom is available. The integrated Intel HD 2000 graphics add a small amount of heat, but the primary thermal load comes from the CPU cores. The 32 nm process is relatively mature for the era, and the 1,160 million transistor count is modest by today's standards, but the 95W TDP remains a mid-range figure for a desktop part. The dual-channel DDR3 memory controller and the 16-lane PCIe Gen 3 interface (CPU only) are additional components that influence the overall power draw, though the TDP figure is the primary thermal specification. The processor's end-of-life status means it is no longer produced, but its thermal characteristics remain relevant for legacy systems that still rely on it.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The i5-2320's single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R20, is 185, while its multi-thread score is 1315. In R23, the corresponding scores are 442 and 3133. The multi-thread scores are substantially higher than the single-thread scores, reflecting the scaling across four physical cores. However, because the processor has only four threads for four cores, there is no hyper-threading to extract additional parallelism. This means that workloads that can use more than four threads will not see any benefit beyond the four physical cores.

The boost clock of 3.30 GHz applies to single-thread bursts, while the base 3.00 GHz is the sustained all-core frequency, though the exact frequency behavior is not specified in the data. The single-thread scores are modest by modern standards, but they are consistent with the processor's 30th percentile overall standing. The multi-core scores indicate that the processor scales well when all four cores are engaged, as evidenced by the Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 315. The absence of SMT means that the multi-thread performance is purely a function of the four physical cores, and the 3.30 GHz boost clock can be maintained on a single core for lightly threaded workloads. The ratio between multi-core and single-core scores is not directly computable from the provided data, but the absolute values show a clear multi-core advantage, typical of a quad-core part without simultaneous multithreading.

FAQ

Q: What is the TDP of the Intel Core i5-2320?

A: The TDP is 95 watts.

Q: How many cores and threads does it have?

A: It has 4 cores and 4 threads.

Q: What is the socket type?

A: It uses Intel Socket 1155.

Q: Does it have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, it includes Intel HD 2000.

Q: What is its average benchmark score and percentile?

A: Its average benchmark score is 1078, placing it at the 30th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: How does it compare to the Intel Core i5-5287U?

A: The i5-2320 and i5-5287U have identical average scores (1078) with a 0% delta.

Benchmark Performance

In the composite benchmark, the i5-2320 achieves an average score of 1078. This places it at the 30th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 30% of the database. Its nearest rival, the i5-5287U, matches this score exactly (delta 0%). The i7-2760QM is 0.2% slower (1076), the AMD A12-9800 is 0.2% faster (1081), and the i7-2820QM is 0.3% slower (1075). These deltas are all within a narrow band, with the largest difference being 0.3%, indicating that the i5-2320 is functionally equivalent to these four parts in aggregate performance.

The specific Cinebench scores provide a more granular view. The R15 multi-core score is 315, the R20 multi-core score is 1315, and the R23 multi-core score is 3133. Single-core scores are 185 (R20) and 442 (R23). The multi-core scores are consistently higher than the single-core scores, confirming that the processor scales well across its four physical cores. The 30th percentile ranking suggests that while it is not a high-end part, it sits above the bottom third of the database. The average score of 1078 is a useful summary metric, but the Cinebench results show a balanced quad-core processor for its era, with performance that is competitive with the listed rivals within a fraction of a percent. The deltas to the nearest rivals are all under 0.3%, meaning that the i5-2320's position in the database is tightly grouped with these parts, and any performance differences are negligible in real-world terms.