Pentium N3540 vs i3-2120T

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Aggregate performance score

Core i3-2120T
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
0.97
+27.6%
Pentium N3540
2014
4 cores / 4 threads, 7 Watt
0.76

Core i3-2120T outperforms Pentium N3540 by a significant 28% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking24992661
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.15no data
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
Seriesno dataIntel Pentium
Power efficiency2.629.59
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)
Release date4 September 2011 (13 years ago)22 May 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$50$251

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 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 speed2.6 GHz2.16 GHz
Boost clock speed2.6 GHz2.66 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)224 KB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)2 MB
L3 cache3 MB (shared)2 MB L2 Cache
Chip lithography32 nm22 nm
Die size131 mm2no data
Maximum core temperature65 °C100 °C
Number of transistors504 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 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
SocketFCLGA1155FCBGA1170
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt7.5 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection+-
Anti-Theftno data-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3L-1333
Maximum memory size32 GB8 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s21.32 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 2000Intel HD Graphics for Intel Atom Processor Z3700 Series
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHz896 MHz
InTru 3D+-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported22

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data11.2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes164
USB revisionno data3.0 and 2.0
Total number of SATA portsno data2
Number of USB portsno data5

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.

i3-2120T 0.97
+27.6%
Pentium N3540 0.76

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.

i3-2120T 1533
+27.6%
Pentium N3540 1201

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.

i3-2120T 398
+107%
Pentium N3540 192

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.

i3-2120T 749
+36.4%
Pentium N3540 549

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.97 0.76
Integrated graphics card 0.55 0.77
Recency 4 September 2011 22 May 2014
Physical cores 2 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 7 Watt

i3-2120T has a 27.6% higher aggregate performance score.

Pentium N3540, on the other hand, has 40% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 2 years, 100% more physical cores, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 400% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-2120T is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium N3540 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-2120T is a desktop processor while Pentium N3540 is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120T and Pentium N3540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i3-2120T
Core i3-2120T
Intel Pentium N3540
Pentium N3540

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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