A8-3530MX vs i3-4120U

Place in the ranking	2314	2449
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	AMD A-Series
Power efficiency	7.76	2.12
Architecture codename	Haswell (2013−2015)	Llano (2011−2012)
Release date	14 April 2014 (10 years ago)	14 June 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$281	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX 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	2 GHz	1.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	2 GHz	2.6 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB	1 MB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB	0 KB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	no data	228 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	1,178 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX 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	FCBGA1168	FS1
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	3DNow!, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a, Radeon HD 6620G
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
GPIO	+	no data
Smart Connect	+	no data
FDI	-	no data
AMT	9.5	no data
Matrix Storage	-	no data
HD Audio	+	no data
RST	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX 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 i3-4120U and A8-3530MX. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	16 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4400	AMD Radeon HD 6620G
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	no data
OpenGL	4.3	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	12	no data
PCI support	-	no data
USB revision	3.0	no data
Total number of SATA ports	4	no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	4	no data
Integrated IDE	-	no data
Number of USB ports	4	no data
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.

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.

i3-4120U 1.23
+21.8%

A8-3530MX 1.01

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.

i3-4120U 1948
+21.1%

A8-3530MX 1608

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.23	1.01
Integrated graphics card	1.35	0.88
Recency	14 April 2014	14 June 2011
Physical cores	2	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	45 Watt

i3-4120U has a 21.8% higher aggregate performance score, 53.4% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 2 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 200% lower power consumption.

A8-3530MX, on the other hand, has 100% more physical cores.

The Core i3-4120U is our recommended choice as it beats the A8-3530MX in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-4120U and A8-3530MX, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.