AMD Athlon II X2 250 vs Intel Core i3-530

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

AMD Athlon II X2 250 or AMD Athlon II X2 250 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The AMD Athlon II X2 250 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2009 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X2 250, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
The Intel Core i3-530 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2010 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Intel Core i3 series.
To use the Intel Core i3-530, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1156 socket.
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Name Intel Core i3-530
AMD Athlon II X2 (Propus) Group Intel Core i3 500
1 Generation 1
AMD Athlon II Family Intel Core i3
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Athlon II X2 250 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X2 250 is 3.0 GHz
The Intel Core i3-530 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-530 is 2.93 GHz
No Hyperthreading Yes
2 CPU Cores 2
3.0 GHz Frequency 2.93 GHz
normal Core architecture normal
No Overclocking No
2x Cores 2x
2 Threads 4
 
 

Internal Graphics

The AMD Athlon II X2 250 does not have integrated graphics.
The Intel Core i3-530 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i3-530 uses the Intel HD Graphics (Westmere), which has 24 texture shaders
and 12 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
-- Direct X 10.1
-- Execution units 12
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
-- Release date Q1/2010
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.73 GHz
-- Shaders 24
GPU name Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
-- Generation 5
-- GPU frequency 0.5 GHz
-- Technology 32 nm
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

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.
-- VP8 No
-- AVC Decode
-- h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
-- AV1 No
-- VC-1 No
-- h264 Decode
-- VP9 No
-- h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
-- JPEG No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 21.0 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
DDR3-1333 Memory type DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
-- Bandwidth 21.0 GB/s
No ECC Yes
2 Memory channels 2
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI No
16.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 65 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 73 W watts.
-- Tjunction max --
65 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 73 W
 
 

Technical details

The AMD Athlon II X2 250 is manufactured using a 45 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i3-530 is manufactured using a 32 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
-- Chip design Monolithic
0 bytes L3-Cache 4.0 MB
AM3 Socket LGA 1156
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
2.0 MB L2-Cache 512.0 KB
Q2/2009 Release date Q1/2010
Propus Architecture Clarkdale
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- Release price 117 $
SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow! ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
AMD-V Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT
-- Part Number --
45 nm Technology 32 nm