i3-8120 vs Apple M2
Primary details
Comparing M2 and Core i3-8120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 814 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple Apple M-Series | Intel Core i3 |
| Power efficiency | 44.48 | no data |
| Architecture codename | no data | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) |
| Release date | 10 June 2022 (2 years ago) | 1 September 2018 (6 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
M2 and Core i3-8120 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 cores | 8 (Octa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.424 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.48 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 2 MB | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 20 MB | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | no data | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 126 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 20000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
Compatibility
Information on M2 and Core i3-8120 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 configuration | no data | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | no data | 1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 20 Watt | 51 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M2 and Core i3-8120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M2 and Core i3-8120 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M2 and Core i3-8120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 64 GB |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 38.397 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M2 10-Core GPU ( - 1398 MHz) | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M2 and Core i3-8120.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 10 June 2022 | 1 September 2018 |
| Physical cores | 8 | 4 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 20 Watt | 51 Watt |
Apple M2 has an age advantage of 3 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, a 180% more advanced lithography process, and 155% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between M2 and Core i3-8120. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Apple M2 is a notebook processor while Core i3-8120 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M2 and Core i3-8120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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