Core i3-2120 vs Core 2 Duo E6700

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Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Duo E6700
2006
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.62
Core i3-2120
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.23
+98.4%

Core i3-2120 outperforms Core 2 Duo E6700 by an impressive 98% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking27892322
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.14
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore 2 Duo (Desktop)no data
Power efficiency0.901.79
Architecture codenameConroe (2006−2007)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release dateno data20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$95

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 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 cores2 (Dual-core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads24
Base clock speedno data3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed2.66 GHz3.3 GHz
Bus rate1066 MHz5 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache4 MB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache0 KB3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography65 nm32 nm
Die size143 mm2131 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data69 °C
Number of transistors291 million504 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 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
Socket775FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 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
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
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

Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 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 Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

VT-dno data-
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1, DDR2, DDR3DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6700 and Core i3-2120.

PCIe versionno data2.0
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.

Core 2 Duo E6700 0.62
i3-2120 1.23
+98.4%

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.

Core 2 Duo E6700 990
i3-2120 1956
+97.6%

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.

Core 2 Duo E6700 304
i3-2120 497
+63.5%

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.

Core 2 Duo E6700 513
i3-2120 1023
+99.4%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.62 1.23
Threads 2 4
Chip lithography 65 nm 32 nm

i3-2120 has a 98.4% higher aggregate performance score, 100% more threads, and a 103.1% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i3-2120 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E6700 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo E6700 and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core 2 Duo E6700
Core 2 Duo E6700
Intel Core i3-2120
Core i3-2120

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.2 82 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Duo E6700 or Core i3-2120, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.