i3-2120 vs A10-7870K

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Aggregate performance score

A10-7870K
2015
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
2.19
+78%
Core i3-2120
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.23

A10-7870K outperforms Core i3-2120 by an impressive 78% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking18522322
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.490.14
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency2.181.79
Architecture codenameGodaveri (2014−2016)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date28 May 2015 (9 years ago)20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$120$95

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

A10-7870K has 250% better value for money than i3-2120.

Detailed specifications

A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads44
Base clock speed3.9 GHz3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed4.1 GHz3.3 GHz
Bus rateno data5 GT/s
L1 cache256 KB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache4096 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache0 KB3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography28 nm32 nm
Die size246 mm2131 mm2
Maximum core temperature72 °C69 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)74 °Cno data
Number of transistors1,178 million504 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketFM2+FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI+-
FMAFMA4-
AVXAVX-
FRTC+-
FreeSync+-
PowerTune+-
DualGraphics+-
TrueAudio+-
PowerNow+-
PowerGating+-
Out-of-band client management+-
VirusProtect+-
HSA+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data-
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Identity Protection-+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-dno data-
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+
IOMMU 2.0+-

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3-2133DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
AMD Radeon R7 GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 2000
iGPU core count8no data
จำนวนพาธไลน์512no data
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Enduro+-
Switchable graphics+-
UVD+-
VCE+-
Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXDirectX® 12no data
Vulkan+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

A10-7870K 2.19
+78%
i3-2120 1.23

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

A10-7870K 3471
+77.5%
i3-2120 1956

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

A10-7870K 475
i3-2120 497
+4.6%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

A10-7870K 1218
+19.2%
i3-2120 1022

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

A10-7870K 4180
+57.7%
i3-2120 2650

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.19 1.23
Recency 28 May 2015 20 February 2011
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 28 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 65 Watt

A10-7870K has a 78% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, 100% more physical cores, and a 14.3% more advanced lithography process.

i3-2120, on the other hand, has 46.2% lower power consumption.

The A10-7870K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-2120 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between A10-7870K and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD A10-7870K
A10-7870K
Intel Core i3-2120
Core i3-2120

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about A10-7870K or Core i3-2120, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.