Core i5-2500K vs Core i3-1110G4

The Core i5-2500K packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i3-1110G4 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i5-2500K has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Core i5-2500K versus 3.9 GHz on the Core i3-1110G4 — a 5.3% clock advantage for the Core i3-1110G4 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i5-2500K uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i3-1110G4 uses Tiger Lake-UP4 (2020−2021) (10 nm SuperFin). In PassMark, the Core i5-2500K scores 4,141 against the Core i3-1110G4's 4,160 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i3-1110G4. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 684 vs 1,491, a 74.2% lead for the Core i3-1110G4 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Both processors carry 6 MB (total) of L3 cache.

The Core i5-2500K uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i3-1110G4 uses FCBGA1598 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1333 on the Core i5-2500K versus LPDDR4x-4267 on the Core i3-1110G4 — the Core i3-1110G4 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 i5-2500K) vs 4 (Core i3-1110G4) — the Core i5-2500K offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Only the Core i5-2500K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Core i3-1110G4 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x (Core i5-2500K) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-1110G4). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 3000 (Core i5-2500K) and UHD Graphics Xe G4 (48 EU) (Core i3-1110G4) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-2500K targets Gaming, Core i3-1110G4 targets Thin & Light Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-2500K rivals FX-6300; Core i3-1110G4 rivals Ryzen 3 4300U.