Intel Core i5-2415M vs Intel Core i5-2430M

Intel Core i5-2415M

Intel Core i5-2430M

The Intel Core i5-2430M is a fast dual core processor at the time of introduction in Q3 2011. It is based on the Sandy Bridge architecture and offers Hyperthreading to handle 4 threads at once (for a better usage of the pipeline). Compared to the faster Core i7, the i5 offers a smaller last level cache of 3MB. The base clock speed is 2.4 GHz but due to Turbo Boost it can reach 2.7 GHz (2 cores active) and 3 GHz (1 core active). Compared to the 2510M, the 2430M does not support VT-d and Trusted Execution functions.

Sandy Bridge is the evolutionary successor of the Arrandale architecture. The most noteable improvements is the improved Turbo 2.0 and the integration of the graphics card into the 32nm CPU core. 

The i5-2430M offers an integrated graphics card (Intel HD Graphics 3000) which is clearly faster then the older Intel HD Graphics in the Arrandale CPUs. As the new GPU is included in the CPU, it is also manufactured in 32nm and shares the fast level 3 cache with the CPU cores (using a new ring bus). In the 2430M it is clocked from  650-1200MHz (with Turbo Boost). The faster Sandy Bridge CPUs are clocked up to 1300 MHz (like the i5-2520M or the otherwise nearly similar i5-2435M).

Furthermore, an improved dual-channel DDR3 memory controller is included on the CPU die that is used by the CPU and GPU part.

Due to the improved architecture and the new Turbo Boost 2.0, the average performance of the Core i5-2430M is higher than a similar clocked Arrandale Core i5. In our benchmarks, the 2430M was able to beat the fast Intel Core i5-560M with 2.7-3.2GHz and is therefore suited for even demanding tasks.

The 35W TDP rating includes the integrated GPU and memory controller.