Core i3-2120 vs A10-7870K

Primary details

Comparing A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1728	2182
Place by popularity	not in top-100	89
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.74	0.14
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Godaveri (2014−2018)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	28 May 2015 (8 years ago)	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$120	$95
Current price	$85 (0.7x MSRP)	$76 (0.8x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

A10-7870K has 1857% better value for money than i3-2120.

Detailed specifications

A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 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	3.9 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.1 GHz	3.3 GHz
L1 cache	256 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	4096 KB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	0 KB	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	28 nm	32 nm
Die size	246 mm2	131 mm2
Maximum core temperature	72 °C	69 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	74 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,178 million	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 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
Socket	FM2+	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI	1	-
FMA	FMA4	no data
AVX	AVX	no data
FRTC	1	no data
FreeSync	1	no data
PowerTune	+	no data
DualGraphics	1	no data
TrueAudio	+	no data
PowerNow	+	no data
PowerGating	+	no data
Out-of-band client management	+	no data
VirusProtect	+	no data
RAID	-	no data
HSA	1	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	no data	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	no data	+
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
Status	no data	Discontinued

Security technologies

A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	no data
VT-d	no data	-
VT-x	no data	+
EPT	no data	+
IOMMU 2.0	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-2133	DDR3
Maximum memory size	no data	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	no data	21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	AMD Radeon R7 Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 2000
iGPU core count	8	no data
Number of pipelines	512	no data
Quick Sync Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Enduro	+	no data
Switchable graphics	1	no data
UVD	+	no data
VCE	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	no data	2
DisplayPort	+	no data
HDMI	+	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	DirectX® 12	no data
Vulkan	1	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by A10-7870K and Core i3-2120.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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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.

A10-7870K outperforms Core i3-2120 by 76% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.22	1.26
Recency	28 May 2015	20 February 2011
Physical cores	4	2
Cost	$120	$95
Chip lithography	28 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between A10-7870K and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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