Intel Core i5-3230M vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i5-3230M CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
Intel Core i5-3230M Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2

CPU comparison

Intel Core i5-3230M or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i5-3230M has 2 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. Up to 32 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i5-3230M was released in Q1/2013.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.15 GHz. The CPU supports up to 32 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 was released in Q4/2018.
Intel Core i5 (331) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (102)
Intel Core i 3000M (29) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx (2)
3 Generation 2
Ivy Bridge H Architecture Kryo 495
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i5-3230M is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.15 GHz.

Intel Core i5-3230M Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
2 Cores 8
4 Threads 8
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) A-Core 3.15 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Gold
-- B-Core 1.80 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Silver

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i5-3230M Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
-- AI hardware Qualcomm AI engine
-- AI specifications Hexagon 690 @ 7 TOPS

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 690
0.65 GHz GPU frequency 0.25 GHz
1.10 GHz GPU (Turbo) 0.59 GHz
7 GPU Generation 6
22 nm Technology 7 nm
3 Max. displays 0
16 Compute units --
128 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
11.0 DirectX Version 12.0

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 690
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode
No Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i5-3230M supports a maximum of 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 can connect up to 32 GB of memory in 8 memory channels.

Intel Core i5-3230M Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
DDR3-1600 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
32 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
3.00 MB L3 Cache 2.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version --
16 PCIe lanes --
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Core i5-3230M has a TDP of 35 W, that of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 is 7 W.

Intel Core i5-3230M Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
35 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 7 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i5-3230M has a 3.00 MB cache, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 cache has a total of 2.00 MB.

Intel Core i5-3230M Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
22 nm Technology 7 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions --
BGA 1023 Socket --
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Android, Windows 10 (ARM)
Q1/2013 Release date Q4/2018
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i5-3230M to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.5 stars (2 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.0 stars (2 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i5-3230M (88%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i5-3230M (50%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz
672 (88%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
760 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
1432 (50%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
2855 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz
565 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
1128 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
Intel HD Graphics 4000 @ 1.10 GHz
282 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
Qualcomm Adreno 690 @ 0.59 GHz
0 (0%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
2531 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
254 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
735 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz
106 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
258 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
Intel Core i5-3230M Intel Core i5-3230M
2C 4T @ 2.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
7 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i5-3230M Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2
Unknown Lenovo Flex 5G
Lenovo Yoga C 5G
Samsung Galaxy Book S

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