i3-3120M vs i3-2120

Place in the ranking	2307	2412
Place by popularity	98	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.14	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	1.79	2.89
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)	30 September 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$95	$160

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M 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	4	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.5 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	131 mm²	118 mm²
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	90C (PGA); 105C (BGA)
Number of transistors	504 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M 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	FCLGA1155	FCBGA1023,FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M are enumerated here.

AMD-V	-	+
VT-d	-	-
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 2000	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	3
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+
SDVO	no data	+
CRT	no data	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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 1.23
+15%

i3-3120M 1.07

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
+15.3%

i3-3120M 1697

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
+24.6%

i3-3120M 399

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 1023
+24.9%

i3-3120M 819

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.23	1.07
Integrated graphics card	0.55	1.18
Recency	20 February 2011	30 September 2012
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	35 Watt

i3-2120 has a 15% higher aggregate performance score.

i3-3120M, on the other hand, has 114.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 1 year, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-2120 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-3120M in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-2120 is a desktop processor while Core i3-3120M is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Core i3-3120M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.