The Intel Core i3-3217U is another Ivy Bridge ultra low voltage processor from the biggest computer processor manufacturer, Intel. It is an ultra low voltage processor (ULV) released in the 2nd quarter of 2012. This ULV processor, Intel Core i3-3217U, runs at the base clock speed of 1.8 GHz (1800 MHz). This processor does not support Turbo Boost technology but it does support Hyper-Threading to be able to handle up to four threads in parallel for additional processing power.
The Intel Core i3-3217U is a dual core processor that offers 3 MB L3 Cache, 512 kB level 2 cache and 128 kB level 1 cache. This Intel Core i3-3217U dual core processor is part of the family of the Ivy Bridge architecture so it is also produced using 22 nm technology and uses 3D transistors for better energy efficiency. In terms of performance, this almost as powerful as AMD A6-6310 with a Passmark score of 2499 and AMD A8-6410 with a rating of 2534 but less powerful compared to Intel Core i5-4210U with a score of 3521 and Core i5-4310U which has a rating of 4147 points.
This dual core processor, Intel Core i3-3217U, also features integrated PCI Express 3.0, DDR3(L)-1600 support and other features such as Hyper-Threading, Virtualization VT-x, Intel 64, Anti-Theft, My WiFi, Idle States, Enhanced SpeedStep, Thermal Monitorin, Execute Disable Bit and more.
This dual core processor, Intel Core i3-3217U has an integrated graphics controller (GPU) dubbed Intel HD Graphics 4000 that offers 16 Execution Units (EUs) that is clocked at around 350 MHz up to 1150 MHz because of Turbo Boost in the GPU side, providing a performance comparable with entry level discreet class GPUs.
This ultra-low voltage Intel Core i3-3217U processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of about 17 watts which makes it appropriate for small and ultraportable laptop PCs that measure 11 inches and above.
