i3-8120 vs i7-3770K
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1411 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.71 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7 (Desktop) | Intel Core i3 |
| Power efficiency | 5.00 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) |
| Release date | 29 April 2012 (12 years ago) | 1 September 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $294 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120 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) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 35 | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 8 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 160 mm2 | 126 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 67 °C | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,400 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120 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 | 1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 77 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120. 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 |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| FDI | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120 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 i7-3770K and Core i3-8120 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | - | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120. 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 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 38.397 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 4000 | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.15 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Integrated graphics card | 1.18 | 3.09 |
| Recency | 29 April 2012 | 1 September 2018 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 77 Watt | 65 Watt |
i7-3770K has 100% more threads.
i3-8120, on the other hand, has 161.9% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 6 years, a 57.1% more advanced lithography process, and 18.5% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120. We've got no test results to judge.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3770K and Core i3-8120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
