Xeon E5-2603 vs i3-2120

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2307	2165
Place by popularity	98	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.14	0.29
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Power efficiency	1.79	1.73
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Sandy Bridge-EP (2012)
Release date	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)	6 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$95	$207

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-2603 has 107% better value for money than i3-2120.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	1.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	1.8 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	6.4 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	10240 KB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	131 mm2	294 mm2
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	70 °C
Number of transistors	504 million	1,270 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603 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	2
Socket	FCLGA1155	FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	80 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603. 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
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	+
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603 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 Xeon E5-2603 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	384 GB
Max memory channels	2	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	34.1 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

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

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	40

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	1.23	1.46
Recency	20 February 2011	6 March 2012
Physical cores	2	4
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	80 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Xeon E5-2603, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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