Athlon X4 730 vs i3-2120

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Aggregate performance score

Core i3-2120
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.24
Athlon X4 730
2012
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.44
+16.1%

Athlon X4 730 outperforms Core i3-2120 by a moderate 16% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking23052182
Place by popularity98not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.14no data
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency1.802.09
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Trinity (2012−2013)
Release date20 February 2011 (13 years ago)2 October 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$95no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730 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)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads44
Base clock speed3.3 GHz2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed3.3 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)192K
L2 cache256 KB (per core)4 MB (shared)
L3 cache3 MB (shared)no data
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size131 mm2246 mm2
Maximum core temperature69 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data74 °C
Number of transistors504 million1,303 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730 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
SocketFCLGA1155FM2
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXno data
AES-NI-+
FMA-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology-no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3-1866
Maximum memory size32 GBno data
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 2000no data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes16no data

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.

i3-2120 1.24
Athlon X4 730 1.44
+16.1%

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.

i3-2120 1956
Athlon X4 730 2278
+16.5%

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.

i3-2120 497
+34.3%
Athlon X4 730 370

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.

i3-2120 1024
Athlon X4 730 1074
+4.9%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.24 1.44
Recency 20 February 2011 2 October 2012
Physical cores 2 4

Athlon X4 730 has a 16.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 100% more physical cores.

The Athlon X4 730 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-2120 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Athlon X4 730, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i3-2120
Core i3-2120
AMD Athlon X4 730
Athlon X4 730

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Community ratings

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


3.4 1684 votes

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Questions & comments

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