Athlon 64 X2 3600+ vs i3-3120M

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2404	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i3	no data
Power efficiency	2.89	no data
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Manchester (2005−2006)
Release date	30 September 2012 (12 years ago)	31 May 2005 (19 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$160	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 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	2
Base clock speed	2.5 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	2.5 GHz	2 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	22 nm	90 nm
Die size	118 mm2	156 mm2
Maximum core temperature	90C (PGA); 105C (BGA)	no data
Number of transistors	no data	154 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 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	FCBGA1023,FCPGA988	939
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	89 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 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 i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR1
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4000	On certain motherboards (Chipset feature)
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 i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ integrated GPUs.

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

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no 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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Recency	30 September 2012	31 May 2005
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	22 nm	90 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	89 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3120M and Athlon 64 X2 3600+, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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