CPU Comparison
Intel Core i5-3550S vs Intel Core i5-3570S
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core i5-3550S is a 65W quad-core Ivy Bridge desktop processor with a 3.0 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz turbo, offering slightly higher clocks than the i5-3470S for power-efficient desktop systems.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
The 3.7 GHz turbo provides marginally better performance than the i5-3470S, but the difference is barely noticeable in real-world use.
Handles office suites and multitasking well enough for basic use.
Gaming
The slightly higher clocks provide a marginal improvement over the i5-3470S but the same fundamental limitations apply — four threads without HT bottleneck modern gaming.
Quad cores are okay for old games, but single-thread speed is too low today.
Virtualization
Same four-core, four-thread design limits virtualization capability as other S-series i5 processors.
Can run a basic VM, but lacks Hyper-Threading.
Efficiency
The 65W TDP with slightly higher clocks is well-optimized for the 22nm process, though modern chips deliver far more performance per watt.
Good efficiency for a 22nm desktop chip.
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- No AI acceleration hardware
- Not applicable for this processor generation
- Insufficient compute for AI workloads
- No AI hardware
- Too slow for modern inference
Content Creation
Gaming
- 3.7 GHz turbo is the highest among 65W Ivy Bridge i5 models
- Still limited by four threads without Hyper-Threading
- HD 2500 graphics insufficient for gaming
- Modern titles will be CPU-bottlenecked even with a discrete GPU
- Needs a dedicated GPU
- Low single-thread performance by modern standards
- Not recommended for modern AAA games
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Highest turbo (3.7 GHz) among 65W Ivy Bridge i5 models
- 100 MHz higher base and turbo than i5-3470S
- 65W TDP for cooler operation
- Full 6MB L3 cache
- PCIe 3.0 support
Cons
- Only marginally faster than i5-3470S
- No Hyper-Threading limits multi-threaded performance
- HD 2500 integrated graphics are weak
- End-of-life LGA 1155 platform
- No Windows 11 support
- DDR3 memory is obsolete
Pros
- Good 65W TDP
- True 4 physical cores
- Reliable for basic office tasks
- Socketed design
Cons
- Low clock speeds compared to modern chips
- Obsolete DDR3 memory
- No Hyper-Threading
- Weak integrated graphics
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core i5-3550S
- AMD FX-6300Rival
Desktop Mainstream
- AMD A10-5700Rival
Desktop Low Power
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-3470SRival
Desktop Low Power
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-3570Rival
Desktop Mainstream
- AMD A8-5500Rival
Desktop Budget
Haswell successor with AVX2, better IPC, and the same 65W TDP.
Compare head-to-headModern 6-core, 65W processor with dramatically better performance.
Compare head-to-head- AMD Ryzen 5 5600GEAlt
Efficient 6-core, 12-thread modern processor for SFF builds.
Modern low-power 4-thread processor with vastly superior IPC.
Compare head-to-head- AMD Ryzen 3 4300GEAlt
Budget quad-core with modern Vega integrated graphics and DDR4.
Intel Core i5-3570S
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-3570Rival
Desktop
- Intel Core i5-3450SRival
Desktop
- AMD FX-4300Rival
Desktop
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-2500SRival
Desktop
- AMD A10-5700Rival
Desktop
Vastly superior single-core and modern platform.
Compare head-to-head- AMD Ryzen 5 4500Alt
Cheap 6-core processor for budget builds.
- Intel Core i5-12400Alt
Modern 6-core with excellent price/performance.
- AMD Ryzen 3 4100Alt
Budget quad-core alternative.
- Intel Pentium G7400Alt
Modern dual-core for basic needs.
Our Verdict on Each
The i5-3550S offers slightly better clocks than the i5-3470S within the same 65W envelope, but its outdated platform makes it unsuitable for modern use.
Best for: Maintaining an existing SFF desktop that already uses this processor
Read the full reviewA well-balanced 65W quad-core that was a staple in pre-built office PCs, but is too slow for modern demanding workloads.
Best for: For modern users, the Core i5-3570S holds very little value outside of maintaining an older system. If you have a functioning LGA 1155 motherboard and need a cheap processor to keep an office machine or media center running, this chip is adequate. Its quad-core design still handles basic web browsing and document editing reasonably well. However, it struggles significantly with modern gaming and heavy multitasking. It should never be purchased for a new build, as its platform lacks support for modern I/O like NVMe booting (on most older boards), USB 3.1 Gen 2, and DDR4 memory. If you find one used for a few dollars, it might be worth it to revive an old PC. Otherwise, save your money for a modern entry-level processor.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Intel Core i5-3550S or Intel Core i5-3570S?
Based on our editorial ratings, the Intel Core i5-3570S comes out ahead with a score of 6/10. That said, the best choice depends on your workload — check the spec and performance breakdown above for gaming, productivity and efficiency differences.
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Core i5-3550S or Intel Core i5-3570S?
For gaming, the Intel Core i5-3570S leads with a gaming performance score of 35/100 among Intel Core i5-3550S and Intel Core i5-3570S.
Do Intel Core i5-3550S and Intel Core i5-3570S use the same socket?
No. They use different sockets (Intel Core i5-3550S: LGA 1155, Intel Core i5-3570S: Intel Socket 1155 (LGA1155)), so each needs a compatible motherboard.
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Core i5-3550S posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Core i5-3550S (6,950), Intel Core i5-3570S (6,100). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.