Pentium G3420T vs i7-980
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-980 outperforms Pentium G3420T by a whopping 264% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1347 | 2331 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.19 | 0.11 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 3.18 | 3.24 |
| Architecture codename | Gulftown (2010−2011) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| Release date | 26 June 2011 (13 years ago) | 1 September 2013 (11 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,109 | $75 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i7-980 has 73% better value for money than Pentium G3420T.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3.33 GHz | 2.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.7 GHz |
| Bus rate | 4.8 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 | 12 MB (shared) | 3 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 239 mm2 | 177 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 69 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,170 million | 1,400 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T 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 | FCLGA1366,LGA1366 | FCLGA1150 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2 |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 1.0 | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
Security technologies
Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | - |
| EDB | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | - |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 24 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 3 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® Processors |
| Max video memory | no data | 1.7 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| DVI | no data | + |
| VGA | no data | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 1920x1080@60Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 2560x1600@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 2560x1600@60Hz |
| Max resolution over VGA | no data | 1920x1200@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 11.1/12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.3 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | Up to 3.0 |
| 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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 4.37 | 1.20 |
| Recency | 26 June 2011 | 1 September 2013 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 2 |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 35 Watt |
i7-980 has a 264.2% higher aggregate performance score, and 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads.
Pentium G3420T, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 271.4% lower power consumption.
The Core i7-980 is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium G3420T in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-980 and Pentium G3420T, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
