Intel Pentium 2020M vs Core i3 3120M |
Released September, 2012
Intel Pentium 2020M
- 2.4 GHz
- Dual core
6.5 Out of 10
Reasons to buy the Intel Pentium 2020M
 | Better performance per dollar 2.64 pt/$ |
VS
Released September, 2012
Intel Core i3 3120M
- 2.5 GHz
- Dual core
6.8 Out of 10
Reasons to buy the Core i3 3120M
| | Is hyperthreaded Yes | | More l3 cache 3 MB |
| | More threads 4 | | More l3 cache per core 1.5 MB/core |
The Intel Pentium 2020M versus the Intel Core i3 3120M is an interesting comparison between entry level laptop processors. They share a few things in common: dual core, 22nms manufacturing process, and TDP at 35W.
Looking further at the spec sheet however, the 3120M is faster overall. It has a higher clock speed of 2.5GHz which is hyperthreaded, which means that each processor core is better utilized. It also has two more threads than the 2020M, which results to more efficiency in running programs with multiple processes. On the graphics side, the 3120M has a built-in HD 4000 GPU which gives off decent integrated graphics output. Looking at the performance tests, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the 3120M is faster than the 2020M in all benchmarks.
On the other hand, the 2020M’s advantage is that it’s significantly cheaper than the competition. Therefore, for powerful mobile computing where performance is necessary, choose the Intel Core i3 3120M. For portable performance that won’t break the bank, consider the Intel Pentium 2020M.
CPUBoss Review Our evaluation of 2020M vs 3120M
Performance | |
Benchmark performance using all cores | |
| 3DMark06 (CPU), Passmark and GeekBench (32-bit) | |
Single-core Performance | |
Individual core benchmark performance | |
| Passmark (Single Core) | |
Power Consumption | |
How much power does the processor require? | |
| TDP | |
Features | |
How does CPUBoss rank the features of each product? | |
| Features and specifications that differ between products | |
No winner declared
Too close to call
Cast your vote Do you agree or disagree with CPUBoss?
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Differences What are the advantages of each
| |||||||
| Better performance per dollar | 2.64 pt/$ | vs | 2.04 pt/$ | Around 30% better performance per dollar | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Is hyperthreaded | Yes | vs | No | Somewhat common; Maximizes usage of each CPU core | |||
| More l3 cache | 3 MB | vs | 2 MB | 50% more l3 cache; more data can be stored in the l3 cache for quick access later | |||
| More threads | 4 | vs | 2 | Twice as many threads | |||
| More l3 cache per core | 1.5 MB/core | vs | 1 MB/core | 50% more l3 cache per core | |||
| Better PassMark score | 3,342 | vs | 2,314 | Around 45% better PassMark score | |||
| Better 3DMark06 CPU score | 3,057 | vs | 2,449 | Around 25% better 3DMark06 CPU score | |||
| Slightly better geekbench (32-bit) score | 4,001 | vs | 3,109 | Around 30% better geekbench (32-bit) score | |||
Report a correction
Benchmarks Real world tests of Pentium 2020M vs Core i3 3120M
GeekBench (32-bit)
GeekBench
3D Mark 06 (CPU)
Passmark
Passmark (Single Core)
Specifications Full list of technical specs
summary | Pentium 2020M | vs | Core i3 3120M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.5 GHz | |
| Cores | Dual core | Dual core | |
| Socket type | |||
| rPGA 988B | |||
| Is hyperthreaded | No | Yes | |
features | |||
| Has a NX bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Supports trusted computing | No | No | |
| Has vitualization support | Yes | Yes | |
| Instruction-set-extensions | |||
| MMX | |||
| SSE | |||
| SSE4.2 | |||
| AVX | |||
| SSE3 | |||
| SSE2 | |||
| Supplemental SSE3 | |||
| SSE4.1 | |||
| Supports dynamic frequency scaling | Yes | Yes | |
gpu | |||
| GPU | GPU | GPU | |
| Label | HD Graphics | Intel® HD Graphics 4000 | |
| Number of displays supported | 3 | 3 | |
| GPU clock speed | 650 MHz | 650 MHz | |
| Turbo clock speed | 1,100 MHz | 1,100 MHz | |
memory controller | |||
| Memory controller | Built-in | Built-in | |
| Memory type | |||
| DDR3-1600 | |||
| DDR3-1333 | |||
| DDR3L-1600 | |||
| DDR3RS-1333 | |||
| DDR3L-1333 | |||
| DDR3RS-1600 | |||
| Channels | Dual Channel | Dual Channel | |
| Supports ECC | No | No | |
| Maximum bandwidth | 25,600 MB/s | 25,600 MB/s | |
| Maximum memory size | 32,768 MB | 32,768 MB | |
details | Pentium 2020M | vs | Core i3 3120M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | x86-64 | x86-64 | |
| Threads | 2 | 4 | |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 1 MB | |
| L2 cache per core | 0.5 MB/core | 0.5 MB/core | |
| L3 cache | 2 MB | 3 MB | |
| L3 cache per core | 1 MB/core | 1.5 MB/core | |
| Manufacture process | 22 nms | 22 nms | |
| Max CPUs | 1 | 1 | |
| Clock multiplier | 24 | 25 | |
| Operating temperature | Unknown - 90°C | Unknown - 90°C | |
overclocking | |||
| Overclocked clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.54 GHz | |
| Overclocked clock speed (Water) | 2.4 GHz | 2.5 GHz | |
| Overclocked clock speed (Air) | 2.4 GHz | 2.54 GHz | |
power consumption | |||
| TDP | 35W | 35W | |
| Annual home energy cost | 8.43 $/year | 8.43 $/year | |
| Performance per watt | 10.11 pt/W | 13.09 pt/W | |
| Typical power consumption | 28.44W | 28.44W | |
bus | |||
| Architecture | DMI | DMI | |
| Number of links | 1 | 1 | |
| Transfer rate | 5,000 MT/s | 5,000 MT/s | |
 Intel Pentium 2020M  Report a correction |  Intel Core i3 3120M Report a correction |
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