i3-7120T vs i5-2550K

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1719	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.65	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	2.59	no data
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
Release date	January 2012 (12 years ago)	17 July 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$189	$117

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T 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	4 (Quad-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.4 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.6 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	5 GT/s	8 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	35
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	6144 KB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	216 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	65 °C
Number of transistors	1160 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1155,LGA1155	1151
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	no data
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	-	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	38.397 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel HD Graphics 630
Quick Sync Video	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	16

Pros & cons summary

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Physical cores	4	2
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	35 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2550K and Core i3-7120T, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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