Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Core i7-3820

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Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3820
2012
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
3.63
+397%
Core 2 Duo E8400
2008
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.73

Core i7-3820 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by a whopping 397% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking15022685
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation2.32no data
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency2.641.06
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)Wolfdale (2008−2010)
Release dateFebruary 2012 (12 years ago)1 January 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$400no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads82
Base clock speed3.6 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed3.8 GHz3 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/s1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)6 MB (shared)
L3 cache10240 KB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size294 mm2104 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)67 °C72 °C
Number of transistors1270 million410 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage rangeno data0.85V-1.3625V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400 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
SocketFCLGA2011LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXno data
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching--
FSB parityno data-

Security technologies

Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB++
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size64.23 GBno data
Max memory channels4no data
Maximum memory bandwidth51.2 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes40no 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.

i7-3820 3.63
+397%
Core 2 Duo E8400 0.73

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.

i7-3820 5773
+396%
Core 2 Duo E8400 1165

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.

i7-3820 622
+68.1%
Core 2 Duo E8400 370

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.

i7-3820 2289
+279%
Core 2 Duo E8400 604

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-3820 6240
+163%
Core 2 Duo E8400 2370

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.63 0.73
Physical cores 4 2
Threads 8 2
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 65 Watt

i7-3820 has a 397.3% higher aggregate performance score, 100% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

Core 2 Duo E8400, on the other hand, has 100% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-3820 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8400 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3820 and Core 2 Duo E8400, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-3820
Core i7-3820
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Core 2 Duo E8400

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Community ratings

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


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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-3820 or Core 2 Duo E8400, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.