Core i3-2120 vs Core i3-2125

Place in performance ranking	2130	2179
Place by popularity	not in top-100	89
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.14	0.14
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	4 September 2011 (12 years ago)	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$170	$95
Current price	$119 (0.7x MSRP)	$76 (0.8x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i3-2125 and i3-2120 have a nearly equal value for money.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2125 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	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.3 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	131 mm²	131 mm²
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	69 °C
Number of transistors	504 million	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2125 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	FCLGA1155	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2125 and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI	-	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	+
FDI	+	+
Fast Memory Access	+	+
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i3-2125 and Core i3-2120 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 i3-2125 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

VT-d	-	-
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2125 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2125 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2125 and Core i3-2120.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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.

i3-2125 1.35
+7.1%

i3-2120 1.26

Core i3-2125 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 7% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 68%

i3-2125 2083
+6.7%

i3-2120 1953

Core i3-2125 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 7% in Passmark.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i3-2125 463

i3-2120 499
+7.8%

Core i3-2120 outperforms Core i3-2125 by 8% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i3-2125 956

i3-2120 1030
+7.7%

Core i3-2120 outperforms Core i3-2125 by 8% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.