Athlon II X4 631 vs i3-3120M

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Core i3-3110M Core i3-3120M Core i3-3217U Core i5-3210M Core i5-3230M Core i5-3320M Core i5-3337U Core i7-3520M Core i7-3610QM Core i7-3630QM Core i7-3632QM Pentium 2020M
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A4-3300 A4-3400 A6-3500 A6-3600 A6-3650 A8-3800 A8-3850 A8-3870K Athlon II X4 631 Athlon II X4 641 Athlon II X4 651 E2-3200

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-3120M
2012
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.07
Athlon II X4 631
2011
4 cores / 4 threads, 100 Watt
1.34
+25.2%

Athlon II X4 631 outperforms Core i3-3120M by a significant 25% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

i3-3120M i3-3120M
Athlon II X4 631 Athlon II X4 631

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-3120M and Athlon II X4 631 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking24122246
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i3no data
Power efficiency2.891.27
Architecture codenameIvy Bridge (2012−2013)Llano (2011−2012)
Release date30 September 2012 (12 years ago)17 August 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$160no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3120M and Athlon II X4 631 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 speed2.5 GHz2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed2.5 GHz2.6 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64K (per core)128 KB (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)1 MB (per core)
L3 cache3 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography22 nm32 nm
Die size118 mm2228 mm2
Maximum core temperature90C (PGA); 105C (BGA)no data
Number of transistorsno data1,178 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3120M and Athlon II X4 631 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
SocketFCBGA1023,FCPGA988FM1
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt100 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3120M and Athlon II X4 631. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXno 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 II X4 631 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 II X4 631 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 II X4 631. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GBno data
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 4000no data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3120M and Athlon II X4 631 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3no 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 II X4 631.

PCIe version2.0no data
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.

i3-3120M 1.07
Athlon II X4 631 1.34
+25.2%

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.

i3-3120M 1697
Athlon II X4 631 2122
+25%

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.

i3-3120M 399
+43.5%
Athlon II X4 631 278

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.

i3-3120M 819
Athlon II X4 631 866
+5.7%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 1.07 1.34
Recency 30 September 2012 17 August 2011
Physical cores 2 4
Chip lithography 22 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 100 Watt

i3-3120M has an age advantage of 1 year, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 185.7% lower power consumption.

Athlon II X4 631, on the other hand, has a 25.2% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.

The Athlon II X4 631 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-3120M in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i3-3120M is a notebook processor while Athlon II X4 631 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3120M and Athlon II X4 631, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

Intel Core i3-3120M
Core i3-3120M
AMD Athlon II X4 631
Athlon II X4 631
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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.

3.5 438 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i3-3120M or Athlon II X4 631, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.