Core i7-880 vs Core i5-2405S

The Core i7-880 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, matching the Core i5-2405S's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.73 GHz on the Core i7-880 versus 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-2405S — a 12.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-880 (base: 3.06 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i7-880 uses the Lynnfield (2009−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-2405S uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-880 scores 3,429 against the Core i5-2405S's 3,397 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i7-880. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 507 vs 557, a 9.4% lead for the Core i5-2405S that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,478 vs 1,480 (0.1% advantage for the Core i5-2405S). L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-880 vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-2405S.

The Core i7-880 uses the LGA1156 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-2405S uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Core i5-2405S 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 H61,B65,Q65,H67,P67,Z68,B75,Z77 (Core i5-2405S).

Virtualization support: Yes (Core i7-880) vs VT-x / EPT (Core i5-2405S). The Core i5-2405S includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 3000), while the Core i7-880 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-2405S targets Budget.

The Core i7-880 launched at $583 MSRP, while the Core i5-2405S debuted at $309. At current prices ($40 vs $120), the Core i7-880 is $80 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-880 delivers 85.7 pts/$ vs 28.3 pts/$ for the Core i5-2405S — making the Core i7-880 the 100.7% better value option.