Core i3-2120 vs Core 2 Duo E8300

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2767	2305
Place by popularity	not in top-100	98
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	0.14
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Power efficiency	0.91	1.80
Architecture codename	Wolfdale (2008−2010)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	April 2008 (16 years ago)	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$95

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo E8300 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 cores	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	2	4
Base clock speed	2.83 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.83 GHz	3.3 GHz
Bus rate	1333 MHz	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	6 MB (shared)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	0 KB	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	45 nm	32 nm
Die size	107 mm2	131 mm2
Maximum core temperature	no data	69 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	410 million	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
VID voltage range	0.85V-1.3625V	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo E8300 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 configuration	1	1
Socket	LGA775	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
FSB parity	-	no data

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	-	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	-
VT-x	+	+
EPT	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR1, DDR2, DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	no data	32 GB
Max memory channels	no data	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	no data	21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120.

PCIe version	no data	2.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	0.64	1.26
Threads	2	4
Chip lithography	45 nm	32 nm

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo E8300 and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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