Core i5-460M vs A6-3420M

The Core i5-460M packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the A6-3420M offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A6-3420M has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Core i5-460M versus 2.4 GHz on the A6-3420M — a 15.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-460M (base: 2.53 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Core i5-460M uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the A6-3420M uses Llano (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-460M scores 1,321 against the A6-3420M's 1,310 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-460M. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 343 vs 234, a 37.8% lead for the Core i5-460M that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-460M vs 0 kB on the A6-3420M.

The Core i5-460M uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the A6-3420M uses FS1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 1066 on the Core i5-460M versus DDR3-1333 on the A6-3420M — the Core i5-460M supports 198.9% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 8 of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: true (Core i5-460M) vs AMD-V (A6-3420M). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics (Ironlake) (Core i5-460M) and Radeon HD 6520G (A6-3420M) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A6-3420M targets Budget Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-460M rivals AMD Turion II M620; A6-3420M rivals Core i3-2330M.