i3-2120T vs i3-3220

Place in the ranking	2203	2499
Place by popularity	57	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.21	0.15
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i3 (Desktop)	no data
Power efficiency	2.46	2.62
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	3 September 2012 (12 years ago)	4 September 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$117	$50

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i3-3220 has 40% better value for money than i3-2120T.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T 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	2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.6 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	5 GT/s
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	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	94 mm²	131 mm²
Maximum core temperature	67 °C	65 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	65 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T 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)	55 Watt	35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T. 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
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
FDI	+	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T. 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	25.6 GB/s	21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 2500	Intel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	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.

i3-3220 1.43
+47.4%

i3-2120T 0.97

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.

i3-3220 2268
+47.5%

i3-2120T 1538

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.

i3-3220 529
+32.9%

i3-2120T 398

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.

i3-3220 1087
+45.1%

i3-2120T 749

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.43	0.97
Integrated graphics card	0.69	0.55
Recency	3 September 2012	4 September 2011
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	35 Watt

i3-3220 has a 47.4% higher aggregate performance score, 25.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 11 months, and a 45.5% more advanced lithography process.

i3-2120T, on the other hand, has 57.1% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-3220 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-2120T in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3220 and Core i3-2120T, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.