Core i5-3475S vs Core i5-6350HQ

Both the Core i5-3475S and Core i5-6350HQ share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Core i5-3475S versus 3.2 GHz on the Core i5-6350HQ — a 11.8% clock advantage for the Core i5-3475S (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Core i5-3475S uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i5-6350HQ uses Skylake-H (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-3475S scores 4,315 against the Core i5-6350HQ's 4,255 — a 1.4% lead for the Core i5-3475S. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 705 vs 803, a 13% lead for the Core i5-6350HQ that directly translates to higher frame rates. Both processors carry 6 MB (total) of L3 cache.

The Core i5-3475S uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-6350HQ uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core i5-3475S versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i5-6350HQ — the Core i5-6350HQ supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-6350HQ supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H61,B75,H77,Z75,Z77 (Core i5-3475S) and Skylake-H (Core i5-6350HQ).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 4000 (Core i5-3475S) and Iris Pro Graphics 580 (Core i5-6350HQ) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-3475S targets Budget, Core i5-6350HQ targets High Performance Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-3475S rivals FX-6300; Core i5-6350HQ rivals FX-9830P.