Phenom II X3 N870 vs i3-4120U

Core i3-4000M Core i3-4005U Core i3-4010U Core i3-4030U Core i5-4200M Core i5-4200U Core i5-4210M Core i5-4210U Core i5-4300U Core i7-4510U Core i7-4700MQ Core i7-4720HQ
VS
Athlon II P320 Athlon II P340 Athlon II P360 Phenom II X3 N830 Phenom II X4 N930 Phenom II X4 N970 Phenom II X4 P960 Turion II P520 Turion II P540 V-Series V120 V-Series V140 V-Series V160

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-4120U
2014
2 cores / 4 threads, 15 Watt
1.23
+16%
Phenom II X3 N870
2010
3 cores / 3 threads, 35 Watt
1.06

Core i3-4120U outperforms Phenom II X3 N870 by a moderate 16% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

i3-4120U i3-4120U
Phenom II X3 N870 Phenom II X3 N870

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking23142420
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i33x AMD Phenom II
Power efficiency7.762.87
Architecture codenameHaswell (2013−2015)Champlain (2010−2011)
Release date14 April 2014 (10 years ago)16 December 2010 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$281no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 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)3 (Tri-Core)
Threads43
Base clock speed2 GHzno data
Boost clock speed2 GHz2.3 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/s3600 MHz
L1 cache128 KB384 KB
L2 cache512 KB1.5 MB
L3 cache3 MBno data
Chip lithography22 nm45 nm
Maximum core temperature100 °Cno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 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 configuration1no data
SocketFCBGA1168S1 (S1g4)
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX286x MMX(+), 3DNow!(+), SSE(1,2,3,4A),-64, AMD-V
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology-no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
GPIO+no data
Smart Connect+no data
FDI-no data
AMT9.5no data
Matrix Storage-no data
HD Audio+no data
RST+no data

Security technologies

Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 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 i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size16 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 4400no data
Max video memory2 GBno data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3no data
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.43200x2000@60Hzno data
Max resolution over DisplayPort3200x2000@60Hzno data
Max resolution over VGAN/Ano data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX11.2/12no data
OpenGL4.3no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870.

PCIe version2.0no data
PCI Express lanes12no data
PCI support-no data
USB revision3.0no data
Total number of SATA ports4no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports4no data
Integrated IDE-no data
Number of USB ports4no data
Integrated LAN-no data
UART+no data

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 1.23 1.06
Recency 14 April 2014 16 December 2010
Physical cores 2 3
Threads 4 3
Chip lithography 22 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 35 Watt

i3-4120U has a 16% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 33.3% more threads, a 104.5% more advanced lithography process, and 133.3% lower power consumption.

Phenom II X3 N870, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores.

The Core i3-4120U is our recommended choice as it beats the Phenom II X3 N870 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-4120U and Phenom II X3 N870, 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 i3-4120U
Core i3-4120U
AMD Phenom II X3 N870
Phenom II X3 N870
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Community ratings

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

2 2 votes

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4.1 33 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i3-4120U or Phenom II X3 N870, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.