Core i5-2405S vs Core i7-880

The Core i5-2405S packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core i7-880's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-2405S versus 3.73 GHz on the Core i7-880 — a 12.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-880 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.06 GHz). The Core i5-2405S uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i7-880 uses Lynnfield (2009−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-2405S scores 3,397 against the Core i7-880's 3,429 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i7-880. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 557 vs 507, a 9.4% lead for the Core i5-2405S that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,480 vs 1,478 (0.1% advantage for the Core i5-2405S). L3 cache: 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-2405S vs 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-880.

The Core i5-2405S uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i7-880 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Core i5-2405S 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. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H61,B65,Q65,H67,P67,Z68,B75,Z77 (Core i5-2405S) and P55,H55,H57,Q57 (Core i7-880).

Virtualization support: VT-x / EPT (Core i5-2405S) vs Yes (Core i7-880). The Core i5-2405S includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 3000), while the Core i7-880 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-2405S targets Budget.

The Core i5-2405S launched at $309 MSRP, while the Core i7-880 debuted at $583. At current prices ($120 vs $40), the Core i7-880 is $80 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-2405S delivers 28.3 pts/$ vs 85.7 pts/$ for the Core i7-880 — making the Core i7-880 the 100.7% better value option.