Core i7-880 vs Core i3-4150

The Core i7-880 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Core i3-4150 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i7-880 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.73 GHz on the Core i7-880 versus 3.5 GHz on the Core i3-4150 — a 6.4% clock advantage for the Core i7-880 (base: 3.06 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core i7-880 uses the Lynnfield (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i3-4150 uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-880 scores 3,429 against the Core i3-4150's 3,406 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i7-880. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 507 vs 1,071, a 71.5% lead for the Core i3-4150 that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-880 vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-4150.

The Core i7-880 uses the LGA1156 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i3-4150 uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Core i3-4150 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: P55,H55,H57,Q57 (Core i7-880) and H81,B85,Q85,H87,Q87,Z87,H97,Z97 (Core i3-4150).

Virtualization support: Yes (Core i7-880) vs VT-x, EPT (Core i3-4150). The Core i3-4150 includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 4400), while the Core i7-880 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-4150 targets Budget Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i3-4150 rivals FX-6300.

The Core i7-880 launched at $583 MSRP, while the Core i3-4150 debuted at $281. At current prices ($40 vs $70), the Core i7-880 is $30 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-880 delivers 85.7 pts/$ vs 48.7 pts/$ for the Core i3-4150 — making the Core i7-880 the 55.2% better value option.