Intel Pentium G3450 socket: LGA 1150

What the Pentium G3450 is

The Pentium G3450 is a higher clocked Haswell Pentium for budget desktops on LGA 1150. Intel set two cores and two threads at 3.4 GHz with 3 MB of Smart Cache. Power is 53 W on 22 nm from May 2014. It leads the G3440 by 100 MHz in the same power and board class.

At 3.4 GHz single thread office work feels brisk for a dual core of its year. Web apps and documents respond well with an SSD. The larger cache versus Celeron helps bigger files. Parallel exports still wait on thread count, so buyers with video work should look at Core i3 instead.

Intel HD Graphics for 4th Generation handles office displays with three output support. DDR3 memory over two channels to 32 GB feeds the part. The chip is a simple socketed Haswell for fleets that want the fastest Pentium clocks without tuning.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The G3450 fits LGA 1150 on 8 series boards such as H81, B85, H87 and Z87, and on 9 series boards such as H97 and Z97. Haswell is native on both series, so boards accept it with standard firmware in most cases. Check the maker CPU support page for the exact board revision.

Mounting is 75 × 75 mm for wide cooler choice. The CPU cooler compatibility by socket guide shows stock and low profile fits. Chips for LGA 1155 or LGA 1151 do not fit. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide explains chipset tiers.

H81 remains the value host, while B85 adds connectivity for offices. Either runs the G3450 at full 3.4 GHz without tuning.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR3-1333 and 1600 across two channels to 32 GB is the memory envelope. Eight gigabytes suits office use. Dual channel helps integrated graphics in calls. Board specs list DDR3L voltage support for low power cases.

Sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes from the CPU serve one x16 slot. Most G3450 builds use integrated graphics and keep the slot free or add I/O cards. Extra lanes for SATA and USB come from the chipset. Wiring details sit in the board manual.

The boxed 53 W cooler covers 3.4 GHz in towers. Slim cases want a low profile 53 W unit with open exhaust. The 37.5 × 37.5 mm package follows standard LGA 1150 mounting.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket the Intel Pentium G3460 at 3.5 GHz is the next clock step on identical boards. The Intel Core i3-4360 at 3.7 GHz with four threads and HD Graphics 4600 adds threads and stronger graphics for multitasking. Both reuse DDR3 memory.

A DDR4 platform needs a new socket and board. The G3450 holds budget desks where fast dual core clocks are enough.