Athlon II X3 420e vs i3-2120
Aggregate performance score
Core i3-2120 outperforms Athlon II X3 420e by a significant 25% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2302 | 2468 |
| Place by popularity | 97 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.14 | 0.05 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 1.80 | 2.07 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Rana (2009−2011) |
| Release date | 20 February 2011 (13 years ago) | 21 September 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $95 | $116 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i3-2120 has 180% better value for money than Athlon II X3 420e.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e 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 | 2 (Dual-core) | 3 (Tri-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 3 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 3 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 131 mm2 | 169 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 69 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 504 million | 300 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e 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 | FCLGA1155 | AM3 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 45 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e. 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 |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e 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 i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e 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 i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel HD Graphics 2000 | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.1 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no 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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.28 | 1.02 |
| Recency | 20 February 2011 | 21 September 2010 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 3 |
| Threads | 4 | 3 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 45 Watt |
i3-2120 has a 25.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 months, 33.3% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
Athlon II X3 420e, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores, and 44.4% lower power consumption.
The Core i3-2120 is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X3 420e in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Athlon II X3 420e, 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.
