Pentium N3520 vs i3-2120

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2322	2702
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 Pentium
Power efficiency	1.79	9.09
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)
Release date	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 December 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$95	$161

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.17 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.42 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	224 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	2 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	2 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	131 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	504 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520 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	7.5 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520. 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)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Connect	no data	+
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
RST	no data	-

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3L-1333
Maximum memory size	32 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 2000	Intel HD Graphics for Intel Atom Processor Z3700 Series
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	854 MHz
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	4
USB revision	no data	3.0 and 2.0
Total number of SATA ports	no data	2
Number of USB ports	no data	5

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.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	1.23	0.72
Integrated graphics card	0.55	0.77
Recency	20 February 2011	1 December 2013
Physical cores	2	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	7 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Pentium N3520, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---