Intel Core i5-460M

The Intel Core i5-460M is a mobile processor from the Arrandale generation, built on Intel's 32 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.53 GHz and a boost clock of 2.80 GHz, featuring 2 cores and 4 threads. The benchmark data places this chip firmly in the entry-level segment of the historical performance spectrum, with an average benchmark score of 422 and a percentile rank of 6 against all CPUs.

Benchmark Performance

The Core i5-460M delivers a multicore score of 469 in Cinebench R20 and 112 in Cinebench R15. In the more demanding Cinebench R23 workload, it manages 1117 points in multicore and 157 points in single-core testing. Geekbench results show a multicore score of 684 and a single-core score of 347. These figures position the processor at the very low end of modern performance expectations, which is consistent with its 2010 release date and end-of-life production status.

The data reveals a significant disparity between the chip's average score and the competition. The nearest rival, the AMD Phenom II X3 700e, posts an average score of 424, which is 0.5% higher than the i5-460M. The AMD A6-3420M follows closely with a 425 average score, representing a 0.7% advantage. The AMD A8-3500M achieves 426, which is 0.8% higher, and the Intel Celeron J4025 also scores 426, putting it 1% ahead. These deltas are remarkably small, indicating that the i5-460M sits in a tightly clustered performance band where the differences between competing parts are negligible in real-world terms.

The single-core results tell a slightly different story. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the i5-460M scores 157, while its multicore score is 1117. This ratio suggests that the processor's two physical cores with Hyper-Threading provide a roughly 7x scaling in this particular workload, which is unusually high and indicates that the multicore test may be more memory-bandwidth sensitive or that the single-core test is particularly short and boost-clock dependent. The base clock of 2.53 GHz and boost clock of 2.80 GHz represent a modest 10.7% uplift under load, which limits the single-threaded ceiling.

How It Compares

The AMD Phenom II X3 700e is the closest competitor by average score, trailing the i5-460M by only 0.5%. This triple-core AMD part offers an additional physical core but operates with a different architecture, and the benchmark data shows that the Intel chip's dual-core with Hyper-Threading design essentially matches it. The delta is within measurement noise, suggesting that for mixed workloads, users would see no practical difference between these two processors.

The AMD A6-3420M sits 0.7% ahead of the i5-460M in average score. This quad-core Llano-based APU brings integrated graphics capabilities, and the benchmark results indicate it holds a slight edge in compute performance. The gap is tiny, but it does suggest that the A6-3420M can sustain marginally better throughput in multi-threaded applications, likely due to its additional physical cores.

The AMD A8-3500M posts an average score 0.8% higher than the i5-460M. This is another quad-core Llano part, and the data shows it maintaining a consistent, albeit small, advantage. The delta is so small that it would not be perceptible in everyday use, but for benchmark-driven comparisons, the A8-3500M edges out the Intel part.

The Intel Celeron J4025 is the only same-manufacturer rival in the nearest rivals list, and it outperforms the i5-460M by 1%. This is notable because the Celeron J4025 is a much newer, low-power dual-core part with a significantly different architecture. The fact that a modern entry-level Celeron can beat a 2010-era Core i5 by even 1% underscores how far mobile processor performance has come in the intervening years.

Who Should Consider It

The Core i5-460M is not suitable for modern gaming workloads. Its Geekbench multicore score of 684 and single-core score of 347 are far below what contemporary titles require, and the integrated graphics are only available on certain motherboards as a chipset feature, not a dedicated GPU. The data suggests that even light gaming would be a struggle, and users should look elsewhere.

For content creation, the picture is equally bleak. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 1117 places this processor in a range where video editing, 3D rendering, or heavy image processing would be impractically slow. The 2-core, 4-thread configuration with only 3 MB of shared L3 cache is a fundamental limitation that cannot be overcome by clock speed alone. Office productivity, however, is the one area where this chip might still be marginally usable. Simple tasks like word processing, spreadsheet work, and web browsing with a few tabs open would be within its capabilities, though the low single-core score of 157 in Cinebench R23 indicates that even these workloads would feel sluggish by modern standards.

The processor's 6th percentile ranking against all CPUs means that 94% of processors in the database are faster. This is a clear signal that the i5-460M should only be considered for legacy systems, basic troubleshooting, or educational purposes where performance is not a priority.

Platform and Compatibility

The Core i5-460M uses the Intel Socket G1, which was designed for mobile platforms. It supports DDR3 memory without ECC functionality, and the memory bus operates in a dual-channel configuration, though specific bandwidth figures are not available in the data. The processor integrates PCIe Gen 2 support, which was standard for its era.

The chip is based on the Westmere architecture with the Arrandale codename, representing Intel's 32 nm process node. The die contains 382 million transistors on an 81 mm² area, which was a significant manufacturing achievement at the time of release. The socket and platform are long obsolete, meaning there is no meaningful upgrade path within the same motherboard. Users looking to improve performance would need to replace the entire system, as the Socket G1 does not support newer Intel processors.

The integrated graphics are listed as "On certain motherboards (Chipset feature)," which means that the GPU capability is not inherent to the CPU itself but rather depends on the specific motherboard chipset paired with it. This is an important distinction for compatibility, as not all Socket G1 systems would provide video output without a discrete graphics card.

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score of the Intel Core i5-460M?

A: The average benchmark score is 422, and the processor ranks in the 6th percentile against all CPUs in the database.

Q: How does the Core i5-460M compare to the AMD Phenom II X3 700e?

A: The Phenom II X3 700e has an average score of 424, which is 0.5% higher than the i5-460M's 422. This is a negligible difference in practical terms.

Q: Does this processor support ECC memory?

A: No, ECC memory is not supported. The processor only works with standard DDR3 memory.

Q: What is the boost clock speed of the Core i5-460M?

A: The base clock is 2.53 GHz, and the boost clock reaches 2.80 GHz, providing a 10.7% increase under load.

Q: How many threads does the Core i5-460M have?

A: It has 2 physical cores and 4 threads, enabled by Hyper-Threading technology.

Q: What socket does this processor use?

A: The Core i5-460M uses the Intel Socket G1, which is specific to mobile platforms and is now end-of-life.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The split between single-thread and multi-thread performance reveals important characteristics of the Core i5-460M. In Cinebench R23, the single-core score is 157 while the multicore score is 1117, which represents a 7.1x scaling factor. This is far higher than the theoretical 2x improvement expected from two physical cores, suggesting that the multicore test benefits from additional factors such as memory access patterns or thermal headroom that allow both cores to boost simultaneously.

In Geekbench, the single-core score of 347 compares to a multicore score of 684, which is a 1.97x scaling. This is closer to the expected 2x improvement from dual-core execution, indicating that the Geekbench workload scales more linearly with core count. The discrepancy between the two tests suggests that the Cinebench R23 multicore test is particularly sensitive to the processor's architecture, possibly due to the shared 3 MB L3 cache and memory bandwidth characteristics.

The practical implication is that the i5-460M behaves differently depending on the workload type. Applications that are heavily single-threaded, such as older games or certain productivity tools, will see performance limited by the 2.80 GHz boost clock and the Westmere architecture's IPC. Multi-threaded workloads that can utilize all 4 threads will see better scaling, but the absolute performance is still constrained by the low core count and modest clock speeds.

The 35 W TDP is relatively low for a dual-core processor of this era, which means thermal throttling is less of a concern in thin-and-light laptops. However, the performance ceiling is low enough that the difference between single-thread and multi-thread behavior is unlikely to matter for most users. The data shows a processor that was entry-level at launch and has aged poorly, with the 6th percentile ranking confirming that it is now far behind even budget modern parts.