Phenom II X3 N870 vs Core i3-3120M

Primary Details

Comparing Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2274	2282
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	3x AMD Phenom II
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Champlain (2010−2011)
Release date	30 September 2012 (11 years ago)	16 December 2010 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$160	no data
Current price	$206 (1.3x MSRP)	no data

Detailed Specifications

Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870 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	2.5 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	2.5 GHz	2.3 GHz
Bus support	no data	3600 MHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	384 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1.5 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Die size	118 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	90C (PGA); 105C (BGA)	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870 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	no data
Socket	FCBGA1023,FCPGA988	S1 (S1g4)
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	86x MMX(+), 3DNow!(+), SSE(1,2,3,4A),-64, AMD-V, DDR3-1333 memory controller
AES-NI	-	no data
AVX	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
My WiFi	+	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
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870. 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	25.6 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 4000	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
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 i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	no data
HDMI	+	no data
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
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.

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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.

Core i3-3120M outperforms Phenom II X3 N870 by 1% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & Cons Summary

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Performance score	1.08	1.07
Recency	30 September 2012	16 December 2010
Physical cores	2	3
Threads	4	3
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3120M and Phenom II X3 N870, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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