Core i3-3220 vs Core m5-6Y54

Core i3-3220

2 Cores4 Thrd0 WWMax: 3.3 GHz2012

Core m5-6Y54

2 Cores4 Thrd4.5 WWMax: 2.7 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-3220

2 / 4

2,276

0.0%

Celeron 847

Core i3-530

Pentium Dual Core T2390

2,294

+0.8%

Pentium Dual Core T4400

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core i3-3220 is positioned at rank 804 and the Core m5-6Y54 is on rank 1132, so the Core i3-3220 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-3220

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

16026%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

15143%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

10995%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

3312%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2624%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

2295%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1315%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1297%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1181%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1181%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1168%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1137%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1121%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1116%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1106%

#804

Core i3-3220

MSRP: $117|Avg: $88

100%

#805

Core i7-3770T

MSRP: $278|Avg: $105

100%

#807

Core i5-7442EQ

MSRP: $250|Avg: $50

99%

#808

Pentium G620

MSRP: $64|Avg: $12

99%

#809

Pentium G645T

MSRP: $64|Avg: $15

99%

#812

Core i3-3250T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $15

99%

#813

Core i5-5575R

MSRP: $265|Avg: $50

98%

#815

Core i3-3210

MSRP: $117|Avg: $25

98%

#816

Celeron G3900E

MSRP: $107|Avg: $35

98%

#817

Athlon II X3 435

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

97%

#818

Core i7-6822EQ

MSRP: $294|Avg: $190

97%

#819

Athlon II X4 645

MSRP: $126|Avg: $20

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core m5-6Y54

#1120

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3596%

#1121

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3543%

#1122

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3252%

#1123

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3238%

#1124

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3208%

#1126

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3098%

#1127

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2971%

#1128

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2966%

#1129

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2886%

#1132

Core m5-6Y54

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

100%

#1134

Core i3-2330E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $10

99%

#1135

Core i5-4288U

MSRP: $342|Avg: N/A

95%

#1136

Core m3-6Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1137

Core i3-2340UE

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

95%

#1138

Core i7-2820QM

MSRP: $568|Avg: N/A

94%

#1139

Core i5-520M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

94%

#1141

Celeron 807

MSRP: $70|Avg: $10

94%

#1142

Pentium B950

MSRP: $134|Avg: $35

94%

#1143

Celeron 220

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

93%

#1144

Pentium B960

MSRP: $134|Avg: $15

93%

#1146

Pentium 957

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

93%

#1147

Core 2 Duo SL9400

MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core m5-6Y54 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i3-3220 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.8% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i3-3220	Core m5-6Y54
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($88)	⚠️ Higher cost ($281)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Skylake-Y (2015) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Core i3-3220 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $88 (vs $281), it costs 69% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 217% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core m5-6Y54.

Insight	Core i3-3220	Core m5-6Y54
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+217%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($88)	⚠️ Higher cost ($281)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i3-3220 Benchmark Check

Core m5-6Y54 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-3220 and Core m5-6Y54

Core i3-3220

The Core i3-3220 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,276 points. Launch price was $117.

Core m5-6Y54

The Core m5-6Y54 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake-Y (2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1515. Thermal design power (TDP): 4.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,294 points. Launch price was $281.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i3-3220 and Core m5-6Y54 share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i3-3220 versus 2.7 GHz on the Core m5-6Y54 — a 20% clock advantage for the Core i3-3220 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 1.1 GHz). The Core i3-3220 uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Core m5-6Y54 uses Skylake-Y (2015) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-3220 scores 2,276 against the Core m5-6Y54's 2,294 — a 0.8% lead for the Core m5-6Y54. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 503 vs 875, a 54% lead for the Core m5-6Y54 that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-3220 vs 4 MB (total) on the Core m5-6Y54.

Feature	Core i3-3220	Core m5-6Y54
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz+22%	2.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+200%	1.1 GHz
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	4 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Skylake-Y (2015)
PassMark	2,276	2,294
Geekbench 6 Single	503	875+74%
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,648

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-3220 uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core m5-6Y54 uses FCBGA1515 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1600 memory speed. The Core i3-3220 supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-3220) vs 10 (Core m5-6Y54) — the Core i3-3220 offers 6 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-Y (Core m5-6Y54).

Feature	Core i3-3220	Core m5-6Y54
Socket	LGA1155	FCBGA1515
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	LPDDR3-1866
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB+100%	16 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	16+60%	10

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, EPT (Core i3-3220) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core m5-6Y54). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 2500 (Core i3-3220) and HD Graphics 515 (Core m5-6Y54) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-3220 targets Budget Desktop, Core m5-6Y54 targets Enthusiast. Direct competitor: Core i3-3220 rivals FX-4300; Core m5-6Y54 rivals Pentium Gold 4415Y.

Feature	Core i3-3220	Core m5-6Y54
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	HD Graphics 2500	HD Graphics 515
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, EPT	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Budget Desktop	Enthusiast

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i3-3220 launched at $117 MSRP, while the Core m5-6Y54 debuted at $281. At current prices ($88 vs $281), the Core i3-3220 is $193 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i3-3220 delivers 25.9 pts/$ vs 8.2 pts/$ for the Core m5-6Y54 — making the Core i3-3220 the 104% better value option.