Pentium G840 vs i3-2120

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-2120
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.23
+51.9%
Pentium G840
2011
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.81

Core i3-2120 outperforms Pentium G840 by an impressive 52% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking23222604
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.144.61
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency1.791.18
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date20 February 2011 (13 years ago)22 May 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$95$60

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Pentium G840 has 3193% better value for money than i3-2120.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840 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)
Threads42
Base clock speed3.3 GHz2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed3.3 GHz2.8 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache3 MB (shared)3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size131 mm2131 mm2
Maximum core temperature69 °C69 °C
Number of transistors504 million504 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840 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
SocketFCLGA1155FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology--
Hyper-Threading Technology+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access++
FDI++
Fast Memory Access++

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840 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 i3-2120 and Pentium G840 are enumerated here.

VT-d--
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB32 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 2000Intel HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel Processors
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHz1.1 GHz
InTru 3D+-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported22

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840.

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 1.23
+51.9%
Pentium G840 0.81

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
+51.2%
Pentium G840 1294

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
+10%
Pentium G840 452

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 1022
+29.5%
Pentium G840 789

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.23 0.81
Integrated graphics card 0.55 0.77
Recency 20 February 2011 22 May 2011
Threads 4 2

i3-2120 has a 51.9% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.

Pentium G840, on the other hand, has 40% faster integrated GPU, and an age advantage of 3 months.

The Core i3-2120 is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium G840 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Pentium G840, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i3-2120
Core i3-2120
Intel Pentium G840
Pentium G840

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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