Core i3 (2nd Generation) vs Core i3 (3rd Generation) for Laptop

Well the difference between these two generations of processors is not much but here I am listing down the major points that differs these two types of processors, so that anyone who wants to buy a core i3 equipped laptop does not have to land into any confusion.

Main Differences Between Core i3 2nd Generation and Core i3 3rd Generation Processors

Features	Core i3 (2nd Generation)	Core i3 (3rd Generation)
Lithography / Fabrication	32 nm	22nm
No. of Cores	2	2
No. of Threads	4	4
Cache	3 MB	3 MB
Memory Types	DDR3 – 1066/1333	DDR3/L/-RS 1333/1600
Processor Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 3000	Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Graphics Base Frequency	650MHz	650MHz
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency	1.15 GHz	1 GHz
No. of Displays Supported	2	3
Maximum Operating Temperature	85°C	105°C

So in all there is not much difference besides a higher FSB of 1666 MHz, new and improved graphics engine which is Intel HD Graphics 4000 and much higher operating temperature of 105°C. Core i3 3^rd generation processors has about 5% to 8% improvement in performance over 2^nd generation core i3 CPU’s. So if the price difference in the laptops is not much then you can go for 3^rd generation processors otherwise 2^nd generations are also as good as the third generation ones.