Core i5-4330M vs Core i5-6260U

Both the Core i5-4330M and Core i5-6260U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Core i5-4330M versus 2.9 GHz on the Core i5-6260U — a 18.8% clock advantage for the Core i5-4330M (base: 2.8 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i5-4330M uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i5-6260U uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-4330M scores 3,202 against the Core i5-6260U's 3,200 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i5-4330M. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-4330M vs 4 MB on the Core i5-6260U.

The Core i5-4330M uses the PGA946 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-6260U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3L-1600 on the Core i5-4330M versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i5-6260U — the Core i5-6260U 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 i5-4330M) vs 12 (Core i5-6260U) — the Core i5-4330M offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-4330M) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-6260U). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 4600 (Core i5-4330M) and Iris Graphics 540 (Core i5-6260U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-4330M targets Mobile, Core i5-6260U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-6260U rivals A12-9720P.