Core i3-2120 vs Pentium Gold G5420

Primary details

Comparing Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1695	2204
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	13.14	0.14
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Pentium Gold	no data
Architecture codename	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	23 April 2019 (5 years ago)	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$64	$95
Current price	$34 (0.5x MSRP)	$56 (0.6x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Pentium Gold G5420 has 9286% better value for money than i3-2120.

Detailed specifications

Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 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	3.8 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.3 GHz
Bus support	4 × 8 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	126 mm2	131 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	69 °C
Number of transistors	no data	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 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	FCLGA1151	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	54 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
SIPP	-	no data
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	+
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2400	DDR3
Maximum memory size	64 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	21 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel UHD Graphics 610	Intel HD Graphics 2000
Max video memory	64 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.05 GHz	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

3

2

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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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.

Pentium Gold G5420 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 90% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.40	1.26
Recency	23 April 2019	20 February 2011
Cost	$64	$95
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	54 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Pentium Gold G5420 and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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