Intel Core i5-3610ME socket: Socket G2

What the Core i5-3610ME is

Intel Core i5-3610ME is a dual core Ivy Bridge embedded processor that Intel released in June 2012 for carriers with socketed boards. It runs at 2.7 GHz base with turbo to 3.3 GHz, with 3 MB Intel Smart Cache and Hyper-Threading for 4 threads. Power is rated at 35 W on a 22 nm process. The ME suffix marks mobile embedded use with a long lifecycle and a 16 GB carrier memory ceiling.

Graphics are Intel HD Graphics 4000 at 650 MHz to 950 MHz, a lower ceiling than mobile M twins that favors stable embedded display work. The block covers control monitors and video without a card. The controller takes DDR3 and DDR3L at 1333 or 1600 MT/s, and the chip adds VT-x, VT-d and AES for managed images.

Socketed embedded boards allow service where the carrier permits access, unlike the soldered twin. Carriers pair it with HM76 or HM77 class boards, SODIMMs and fixed firmware. The How to find your CPU socket type guide shows how to confirm the package before ordering a carrier.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Core i5-3610ME fits Socket G2 as an FCPGA988 part at 37.5 × 37.5 mm. It also ships soldered on BGA 1023 at 31 by 24 mm, and Intel lists both packages on the specification page. The sSpec on the lid decides which carrier fits, since PGA and BGA boards never interchange. Check the carrier CPU support list for the exact 3610ME string.

Boards are embedded Socket G2 carriers with mobile 7 series chipsets, most often HM76 and HM77. The BIOS must carry Ivy Bridge microcode and the exact model entry. At 35 W any Socket G2 thermal design covers it. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide explains why the carrier list outranks the chipset name.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory support is DDR3 and DDR3L at 1333 or 1600 MT/s, two channels, up to 16 GB on embedded carriers. Two matched modules give the rated bandwidth that cores and shared graphics split. Capacity follows the carrier, which can sit below the mobile 32 GB ceiling.

PCI Express is 16 lanes from the CPU at PCIe 3.0, split by the carrier for I/O, storage and expansion. Embedded boards favor reliable capture and control cards over gaming graphics. ECC is not supported on this ME SKU.

Cooling is board specific for 35 W with a 105 C junction class. A carrier heatsink with directed airflow holds the 3.3 GHz single core peak. The PGA lid allows a careful repaste during service, unlike the soldered twin.

Upgrade paths

On Socket G2 the Core i5-3610ME can move to another embedded or mobile M part where the carrier allows access and the BIOS lists the target, staying inside 35 W. Memory and storage carry over in most swaps. The soldered twin on BGA 1023 is never an upgrade target, since packages never interchange.

A carrier change means a new embedded board with fresh firmware qualification. Later embedded platforms moved to BGA packages with DDR4 memory. A socketed mobile comparison is Intel Core i5-3320M, which shares the 35 W class with faster turbo.