Core i3-3220 vs Core i3-6006U

Both the Core i3-3220 and Core i3-6006U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i3-3220 versus 2 GHz on the Core i3-6006U — a 49.1% clock advantage for the Core i3-3220 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i3-3220 uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i3-6006U uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-3220 scores 2,276 against the Core i3-6006U's 2,273 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i3-3220. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 503 vs 630, a 22.4% lead for the Core i3-6006U that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-3220 vs 3 MB on the Core i3-6006U.

The Core i3-3220 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-6006U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core i3-3220 versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i3-6006U — the Core i3-6006U supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-3220) vs 12 (Core i3-6006U) — the Core i3-3220 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: B75,Z75,Z77,H77,Q75,Q77,H61,H67,P67,Z68 (Core i3-3220) and Skylake-U (Core i3-6006U).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, EPT (Core i3-3220) vs Yes (Core i3-6006U). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 2500 (Core i3-3220) and HD Graphics 520 (Core i3-6006U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-3220 targets Budget Desktop, Core i3-6006U targets Mobile. Direct competitor: Core i3-3220 rivals FX-4300.