Intel Pentium G3240 2-core LGA 1150

The G3240's 1887 multi-core PassMark score lands in the 25th percentile, which is rough. Its single-core 1669 score keeps basic tasks tolerable, and the 53W TDP means it runs cool. Only worth buying at the lowest prices, like CAD 40, to keep an old LGA 1150 board alive.

The G3240 runs at 3.1GHz across two cores with no turbo and no hyperthreading. That's a fixed ceiling, and it shows in the 1887 multi-core PassMark score. For context, that's below what a single modern mid-range core can pull off in some workloads. The 1669 single-core score is more respectable for its era, sitting around the 40th percentile, which means it handles basic tasks without feeling completely sluggish.

The integrated Intel HD Graphics are there, but they're not doing you any favors. This is a chip you pair with a discrete GPU if you plan to game at all. One reviewer ran Skyrim at 720p with a GT 720 and got 25-60fps, which is playable but not exactly a flex. The 3MB L3 cache and DDR3 memory support cap the platform's ceiling, and the lack of hyperthreading means background tasks will fight for those two threads.

Stacked against something like the AMD Ryzen 5 7600, the G3240 looks like a museum piece. The Ryzen 5 has six cores, twelve threads, and a multi-core PassMark score that's roughly ten times higher. Even the Dell Xeon E5-2637 V2, another older chip, outclasses the G3240 in multi-threaded work thanks to its higher core count and server-grade architecture. The be quiet! Ryzen 3 Dark Rock Pro 5 and Thermal Grizzly Ryzen 7 CSF-AM5 aren't direct competitors, they're coolers, but they highlight the ecosystem difference: modern AMD platforms have upgrade paths and cooling headroom, while the G3240 is a dead end on LGA 1150. The Expert X6AIR is a different product category entirely, so it's not a fair fight. If you need any kind of modern performance, every competitor here beats the G3240. The only reason to pick it is price and socket compatibility.

Pricing on this chip is all over the map. In Canada, you'll see it listed anywhere from CAD 40 to CAD 155 across three vendors, which is a wild spread for a processor this old. The CAD 40 listing is the one to grab if you just need a working chip for an LGA 1150 board. In Europe, prices range from EUR 75 to EUR 183 across two listings, and again, the lower end is the only sensible option. The USD 126 listing and GBP 257 listing are frankly absurd for what you're getting. At the right price, this is a fine way to revive an old system. At the wrong price, you're paying modern money for decade-old performance.

The Intel Pentium G3240 is a Haswell-era dual-core that still shows up in budget builds and refurb listings. Its PassMark numbers tell the story: 1887 multi-core and 1669 single-core. That single-core score lands around the 40th percentile, which means it's about average for older chips but nowhere near modern territory. The multi-core score drops to the 25th percentile, and that's where the two cores and two threads really show their age.

At 53W TDP on the 22nm process, this chip sips power by old standards but doesn't do much with it. The 3MB L3 cache and 3.1GHz base clock are fine for web browsing, office work, and light retro gaming. But the efficiency score of 33/100 and gaming score of 32.7/100 should tell you this isn't a chip you buy for anything demanding. It's a cheap way to keep an LGA 1150 board alive, and that's about it.

Skip this chip if you need any kind of modern multi-threaded performance. The 1887 multi-core PassMark score in the 25th percentile means video editing, streaming, or running multiple demanding apps will be a frustrating experience. The efficiency score of 33/100 is also a red flag, this chip isn't doing much with its 53W. And if you're paying anywhere near the USD 126 or GBP 257 listings, you're getting fleeced. Anyone building a new system should look at modern budget options instead of sinking money into a dead LGA 1150 platform.

The Intel Pentium G3240 is a chip you buy for one reason: you have an LGA 1150 board and you need it to boot. At CAD 40 or EUR 75, it's a reasonable stopgap for a basic office PC or a retro gaming box. The single-core performance keeps it from feeling completely unusable, and the 53W TDP means it runs cool and quiet. But the multi-core score in the 25th percentile and the 32.7/100 gaming rating mean you're not doing anything ambitious here. If you're building new, spend your money elsewhere. If you're rescuing an old system, grab the cheapest listing you can find and call it a day.