i7-870 vs FX-8120

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Aggregate performance score

FX-8120
2011
8 cores / 8 threads, 125 Watt
4.15
+110%
Core i7-870
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
1.98

FX-8120 outperforms Core i7-870 by a whopping 110% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing FX-8120 and Core i7-870 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking13951942
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.24
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.141.97
Architecture codenameZambezi (2011−2012)Lynnfield (2009−2010)
Release date12 October 2011 (13 years ago)8 September 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$305

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

FX-8120 and Core i7-870 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads88
Base clock speed3.1 GHz2.93 GHz
Boost clock speed4 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus rateno data2.5 GT/s
L1 cache384 KB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache8192 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache8192 KB8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size315 mm2296 mm2
Maximum core temperature61 °C73 °C
Number of transistors1,200 million774 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-
P0 Vcore voltageMin: 1.0125 V - Max: 1.4125 Vno data

Compatibility

Information on FX-8120 and Core i7-870 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 configuration11
SocketAM3+FCLGA1156,LGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)125 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by FX-8120 and Core i7-870. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
FMA+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data1.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
PAEno data36 Bit

Security technologies

FX-8120 and Core i7-870 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by FX-8120 and Core i7-870 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by FX-8120 and Core i7-870. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data16 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataN/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by FX-8120 and Core i7-870.

PCIe versionn/a2.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

FX-8120 4.15
+110%
i7-870 1.98

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.

FX-8120 6594
+110%
i7-870 3140

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.

FX-8120 412
i7-870 475
+15.3%

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.

FX-8120 1527
i7-870 1554
+1.8%

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

FX-8120 5380
+17.2%
i7-870 4590

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.15 1.98
Recency 12 October 2011 8 September 2009
Physical cores 8 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 125 Watt 95 Watt

FX-8120 has a 109.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, 100% more physical cores, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

i7-870, on the other hand, has 31.6% lower power consumption.

The FX-8120 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-870 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between FX-8120 and Core i7-870, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD FX-8120
FX-8120
Intel Core i7-870
Core i7-870

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about FX-8120 or Core i7-870, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.