Intel Core i5-3470 Pro Reviews

The FX-8350 provided a slight performance improvement over the FX-8150. However, we can’t tell if this improvement was caused by the use of the new “Piledriver” architecture, by the use of a higher clock rate, or a combination of both. While AMD has the lead on the USD 100 price segment, it is way behind Intel on the USD 200 price segment. Also, the company doesn’t have any product to compete against the Core i7 at the high-end segment. Costing the same and providing up to 30% performance advantage over the FX-8350, the Core i5-3470 is a far better choice. We simply can’t recommend the new FX-8350. For games, the performance is dictated mostly by the video card, not by the CPU. Therefore, some could claim that for games it doesn’t matter which CPU you choose. However, you will use the computer for other tasks, and the CPU from Intel will be faster for those. The only scenario where the FX-8350 was faster was on 3D rendering with Cinebench. This could mean that the FX-8350 is a better choice for professionals rendering 3D images. However, we believe this kind of user will prefer to buy a Core i7 processor instead.

Intel's Core i5-3470 is a good base for a system equipped with a discrete GPU. You don't get the heavily threaded performance of the quad-core, eight-thread Core i7 but you're also saving nearly $100. For a gaming machine or anything else that's not going to be doing a lot of thread heavy work (e.g. non-QuickSync video transcode, offline 3D rendering, etc...) the 3470 is definitely good enough. Your overclocking options are significantly limited as the 3470 is a partially unlocked CPU, but you can pretty much count on getting an extra 400MHz across the board, regardless of number of active cores.

The big news about the first Ivy Bridge processors was the improved graphics, but with this second tier iGPU, can the Core i5 3470 match the pace of its technological compatriots? With the i5 tag, it's a non-Hyperthreaded chip of the straight quad-core ilk, and sitting beneath the Intel Core i5 3570K means it comes with a lower starting clockspeed of 3.2GHz. The missing 'K' from its name shows up the lack of overclocking potential from the Ivy Bridge architecture. That's a shame, as the other IvB chips we've played with have overclocked as well as their Sandy Bridge elders. But if overclocking's not your bag then grabbing a cheaper quad-core with the latest Intel architecture should be the sensible choice. Right?

The current processor lineup is kind of interesting with both Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge CPUs sitting comfortably with each other and no real signs that the 2nd generation of Core processors running out anytime soon. The only real drawback to the Core i5-3470 is that it isn't unlocked and users that were looking to do some overclocking will be limited by the (locked) multipliers rather than by the CPU itself. For about the same amount of money you could get the Sandy Bridge based Core i5-2500K that is also a quad-core non-HyperThreaded part, but with unlocked multipliers; and you can still use the same array of Z77 motherboards.

The third-generation Core i5-3470 offers a slight performance increase over and a lower power draw than the Sandy Bridge chips, but the improvements here are pretty slight compared to the more dramatic speed jumps introduced with last year’s Sandy Bridge chips. That’s particularly true given the poor performance of the chip’s integrated HD 2500 graphics, which are barely any faster than the sluggish HD 2000 graphics found in last-generation chips. The improvements are small enough here that owners of Sandy Bridge systems shouldn’t feel any need to upgrade without also stepping up to a higher class of chip. Jumping from a Sandy Core i3 to this chip would make a difference; from a Sandy Core i5 to this one, well, not so much. If you’re using a 2010-or-earlier Intel Core-based system, however, last year’s Sandy Bridge chips brought a significant performance boost over the previous generation, and the third-gen Core i5-3470 builds on that incrementally. With excellent performance at an under-$200 price, the Core i5-3470 is a good value pick if you're upgrading or replacing an older PC.

The Intel Core i5-3470 is a mainstream Ivy Bridge CPU that delivers solid performance with very few surprises (and limited overclocking opportunities).