Pentium 3825U vs i3-3120M

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-3120M
2012
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.07
+21.6%
Pentium 3825U
2015
2 cores / 4 threads, 15 Watt
0.88

Core i3-3120M outperforms Pentium 3825U by a significant 22% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking24122547
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i3Intel Pentium
Power efficiency2.895.55
Architecture codenameIvy Bridge (2012−2013)Broadwell-U (2015)
Release date30 September 2012 (12 years ago)1 March 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$160$161

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U 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)
Threads44
Base clock speed2.5 GHz1.9 GHz
Boost clock speed2.5 GHz1.9 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/s5 GT/s
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache3 MB (shared)2 MB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nm14 nm
Die size118 mm282 mm2
Maximum core temperature90C (PGA); 105C (BGA)105 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data105 °C
Number of transistorsno data1300 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U 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,FCPGA988FCBGA1168
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI-+
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology--
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access++
Smart Responseno data-
Demand Based Switching-no data
FDI++
Fast Memory Access++

Security technologies

Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT--
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection++
OS Guardno data-
Anti-Theft+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U are enumerated here.

AMD-V++
VT-d-+
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB16 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 4000Intel® HD Graphics for 5th Generation Intel® Processors
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Videono data+
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHz850 MHz
InTru 3D++

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported33
eDP++
DisplayPort++
HDMI++
SDVO+no data
CRT+no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data11.2/12

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes1612

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
+21.6%
Pentium 3825U 0.88

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
+21.3%
Pentium 3825U 1399

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
+18.4%
Pentium 3825U 337

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
+19.6%
Pentium 3825U 685

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i3-3120M 3428
+16.2%
Pentium 3825U 2951

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i3-3120M 6867
+5%
Pentium 3825U 6537

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i3-3120M 3057
+17.8%
Pentium 3825U 2594

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i3-3120M 22.02
+15.4%
Pentium 3825U 25.41

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i3-3120M 2
+15%
Pentium 3825U 2

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i3-3120M 0.96
+6.7%
Pentium 3825U 0.9

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i3-3120M 0.3
+19%
Pentium 3825U 0.2

Geekbench 2

i3-3120M 5113
+27.9%
Pentium 3825U 3998

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.07 0.88
Recency 30 September 2012 1 March 2015
Chip lithography 22 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 15 Watt

i3-3120M has a 21.6% higher aggregate performance score.

Pentium 3825U, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 57.1% more advanced lithography process, and 133.3% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-3120M is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium 3825U in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3120M and Pentium 3825U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i3-3120M
Core i3-3120M
Intel Pentium 3825U
Pentium 3825U

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