Core i3-2120 vs Xeon E5-2690

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	985	2183
Place by popularity	not in top-100	89
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	5.29	0.14
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge-EP (2012)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	March 2012 (12 years ago)	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$397	$95
Current price	$49 (0.1x MSRP)	$76 (0.8x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-2690 has 3679% better value for money than i3-2120.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2690 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	8 (Octa-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	16	4
Base clock speed	2.9 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.3 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	20480 KB (shared)	3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	435 mm2	131 mm2
Maximum core temperature	72 °C	69 °C
Number of transistors	2270 million	504 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2690 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	2	1
Socket	FCLGA2011	FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)	135 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	-	+
Demand Based Switching	+	no data
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	-	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	384 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	4	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.2 GB/s	21 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.1 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	40	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.

Xeon E5-2690 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 400% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	6.30	1.26
Physical cores	8	2
Threads	16	4
Cost	$397	$95
Power consumption (TDP)	135 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2690 and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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