Intel Core i3-3120M Benchmark, Test and specs

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CPU lineage

The Intel Core i3-3120M features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently. It was released in Q3/2012 and belongs to the 3 generation of the Intel Core i3 series. To use the Intel Core i3-3120M, you'll need a motherboard with a PGA 988 socket.
Name: Intel Core i3-3120M
Family: Intel Core i3
Group: Intel Core i 3000M
Segment: Mobile
Generation: 3

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-3120M has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-3120M is 2.5 GHz
CPU Cores: 2
Threads: 4
Cores: 2x
Core architecture: normal
Hyperthreading: Yes
Overclocking: No
Frequency: 2.5 GHz

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i3-3120M has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. Specifically, the Intel Core i3-3120M uses the Intel HD Graphics 4000, which has 128 texture shaders and 16 execution units. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
GPU name: Intel HD Graphics 4000
GPU frequency: 0.65 GHz
GPU (Turbo): 1.1 GHz
Execution units: 16
Shaders: 128
Max. GPU Memory: 2.0 GB
Max. displays: --
Generation: 7
Direct X: 11.0
Technology: 22 nm
Release date: Q1/2011

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
h265 / HEVC (8 bit): No
h265 / HEVC (10 bit): No
h264: Decode / Encode
VP8: No
VP9: No
AV1: No
AVC: Decode / Encode
VC-1: Decode
JPEG: Decode

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 32.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
Memory type: DDR3-1600
Max. Memory: 32.0 GB
Memory channels: 2
Bandwidth: 25.6 GB/s
ECC: No
PCIe: pci
AES-NI: Yes

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 35 W watts. TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
TDP (PL1 / PBP): 35 W
TDP (PL2): None
TDP up: None
TDP down: None
Tjunction max: 105 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-3120M is manufactured using a 22 nm process. A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU. In total, this processor boasts a generous 3.0 MB cache. A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
Technology: 22 nm
Chip design: Monolithic
Socket: PGA 988
L2-Cache: 0 bytes
L3-Cache: 3.0 MB
Architecture: Ivy Bridge H
Operating systems: Windows 10, Linux
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-x EPT
Instruction set (ISA): x86-64 (64 bit)
ISA extensions: SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
Release date: Q3/2012
Release price: --
Part Number: --
Documents: Technical data sheet
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Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Celeron G1830
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
1694
1694
Intel Core i7-2617M
2C 4T @ 1.5 GHz
1685
1685
Intel Core i3-3120M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
1682
1682
AMD Athlon II X3 435
3C 3T @ 2.9 GHz
1670
1670
AMD A6-7000
2C 2T @ 2.2 GHz
1667
1667

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Pentium G3240T
2C 2T @ 2.7 GHz
1136
1136
Samsung Exynos 8890
NoneC NoneT @ --
1136
1136
Intel Core i3-3120M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
1136
1136
Samsung Exynos 8890
NoneC NoneT @ --
1136
1136
Intel Pentium G3240T
2C 2T @ 2.7 GHz
1136
1136

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Intel Pentium G3440T
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
929
929
Intel Pentium G3250T
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
929
929
Intel Core i3-3120M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
927
927
Intel Celeron G1850
2C 2T @ 2.9 GHz
920
920
Intel Core i3-4010Y
2C 4T @ 1.3 GHz
920
920

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

Intel Celeron G3930
2C 2T @ 2.9 GHz
627
627
Intel Celeron G3900
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
614
614
Intel Core i3-3120M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
613
613
Intel Core2 Duo E6750
2C 2T @ 2.66 GHz
601
601
Intel Celeron G1840
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
585
585

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Pentium G2030T
2C 2T @ 2.6 GHz
508
508
Intel Xeon E5-2640 v2
8C 16T @ 2.0 GHz
508
508
Intel Core i3-3120M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
508
508
Intel Xeon E5-2640 v2
8C 16T @ 2.0 GHz
508
508
Intel Pentium G2030T
2C 2T @ 2.6 GHz
508
508

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i7-860S
4C 8T @ 2.53 GHz
451
451
Intel Core i3-4010Y
2C 4T @ 1.3 GHz
439
439
Intel Core i3-3120M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
439
439
Intel Core i3-4010Y
2C 4T @ 1.3 GHz
439
439
Intel Core i3-530
2C 4T @ 2.93 GHz
430
430