Celeron N3000 vs Core i3-2120

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2204	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.14	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Celeron
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Braswell (2015−2016)
Release date	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 April 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$95	$107
Current price	$76 (0.8x MSRP)	$334 (3.1x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	2
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	1.04 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.08 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	2 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	131 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	90 °C
Number of transistors	504 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 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	FCBGA1170
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	4 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000. 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	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
SIPP	no data	-
Smart Response	no data	-
GPIO	no data	+
Smart Connect	no data	-
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued
HD Audio	no data	+
RST	no data	-

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Boot	no data	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	+	+
OS Guard	no data	-
Anti-Theft	no data	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	no data	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 2000	Intel® HD Graphics for Intel® Celeron® Processor N3000 Series
Max video memory	no data	8 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	600 MHz
Execution Units	no data	12
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	3
eDP	no data	+
DisplayPort	no data	+
HDMI	no data	+

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	+
OpenGL	no data	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	4
USB revision	no data	2.0/3.0
Total number of SATA ports	no data	2
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	no data	2
Number of USB ports	no data	5
Integrated LAN	no data	-
UART	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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Recency	20 February 2011	1 April 2015
Threads	4	2
Cost	$95	$107
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	4 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Celeron N3000, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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