Intel Core i5-3570 socket: LGA 1155

What the Core i5-3570 is

Intel Core i5-3570 is a quad core Ivy Bridge desktop processor that Intel released in June 2012 as the fastest locked i5 of the generation. It runs at 3.4 GHz base with Turbo Boost 2.0 to 3.8 GHz, with 6 MB Intel Smart Cache and 4 threads. Power is rated at 77 W on a 22 nm process, the standard tower envelope.

Graphics are Intel HD Graphics 2500 at 650 MHz to 1150 MHz. The block covers office displays and video, while most buyers of this speed class added a discrete card for games or creation work. The chip includes a dual channel DDR3 controller at 1333 or 1600 MT/s, AVX and virtualization support.

High base clock is the draw. All core work runs at 3.4 GHz without waiting for turbo, while short tasks reach 3.8 GHz. Towers pair it with H77 or Z77, 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM and an SSD for a fast desk. The How to find your CPU socket type guide helps confirm the board in a second hand tower.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Core i5-3570 fits LGA 1155 in FCLGA1155 form. 7 series boards boot it with a shipping BIOS, including H77, Z77, B75 and Q77. Most 6 series H61, H67, P67 and Z68 boards accept it after a BIOS update with Ivy Bridge microcode, while B65, Q65 and Q67 stay Sandy Bridge only. Apply the update before fitting the chip where needed.

At 77 W the chip matches every desktop LGA 1155 power design, so board choice is about features. H77 covers fixed clock builds, while Z77 adds room for a later K chip. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide details the BIOS step, and Intel Core i7-2600K shows a Sandy Bridge quad on the same socket.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory support is DDR3-1333 and 1600, two channels, up to 32 GB for 25.6 GB/s. Two matched DIMMs give that peak, and the shared graphics block benefits where no card is fitted. ECC is not supported, and DDR4 needs a newer socket.

PCI Express is 16 lanes from the CPU at PCIe 3.0, set as 1x16, 2x8 or 1x8 plus 2x4. This speed class often pairs with a mid range 2012 card, which the four fast cores feed well. Office builds without a card still run two displays from HD 2500.

Cooling is the 77 W desktop standard with a 67.4 C case limit class. The boxed cooler holds stock clocks with decent airflow, while a tower cooler keeps the 3.8 GHz peaks quieter under repeated bursts. The 75 × 75 mm mount is shared across LGA generations.

Upgrade paths

On LGA 1155 the Core i5-3570 is already near the top of the locked i5 group. The remaining same socket steps are the unlocked Intel Core i5-3570K for multiplier control, or i7 parts with Hyper-Threading where the BIOS lists them. Memory, storage and the cooler carry over in those swaps.

A platform move to DDR4 boards such as LGA 1200 needs a new board, new RAM and a new mount. Keep the 3570 tower for daily duty where four Ivy cores at 3.4 GHz still carry the load.