Intel Pentium 2020M vs Core i3 3120M |
Released September, 2012
Intel Pentium 2020M
- 2.4 GHz
- Dual core
6.3 Out of 10
Reasons to buy the Intel Pentium 2020M
 | Slightly better performance per dollar 0.94 pt/$ |
VS
Released September, 2012
Intel Core i3 3120M
- 2.5 GHz
- Dual core
6.4 Out of 10
Reasons to buy the Core i3 3120M
| | More l3 cache 3 MB | | More threads 4 |
| | Slightly higher clock speed 2.5 GHz | | Better geekbench 2 (64-bit) score 4,075 |
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 among laptop CPUs (over 15W)
Performance | |
Benchmark performance using all cores | |
| PCMark 8 Home 3.0 Accelerated, PassMark and 1 more | |
Single-core Performance | |
Individual core benchmark performance | |
| PassMark (Single Core), Geekbench 3 Single Core and 1 more | |
Integrated Graphics | |
Integrated GPU performance for graphics | |
| Sky Diver and Cloud Gate | |
Integrated Graphics (OpenCL) | |
Integrated GPU performance for parallel computing | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Bitcoin mining and 4 more | |
Performance per Watt | |
How efficiently does the processor use electricity? | |
| Sky Diver, Cloud Gate, CompuBench 1.5 Bitcoin mining and 11 more | |
Value | |
Are you paying a premium for performance? | |
| Sky Diver, Cloud Gate, CompuBench 1.5 Bitcoin mining and 11 more | |
No winner declared
Too close to call
Cast your vote Do you agree or disagree with CPUBoss?
VS
| |  | Intel Core i3 3120MCPUBoss Winner |
Differences What are the advantages of each
| |||||||
| Slightly better performance per dollar | 0.94 pt/$ | vs | 0.78 pt/$ | More than 20% better performance per dollar | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| 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 | |||
| Slightly higher clock speed | 2.5 GHz | vs | 2.4 GHz | Around 5% higher clock speed | |||
| Better geekbench 2 (64-bit) score | 4,075 | vs | 3,291 | Around 25% better geekbench 2 (64-bit) score | |||
| Better CompuBench 1.5 face detection score | 7.49 mPixels/s | vs | 3.56 mPixels/s | More than 2x better CompuBench 1.5 face detection score | |||
| Better geekbench 2 (32-bit) score | 3,978 | vs | 3,156 | More than 25% better geekbench 2 (32-bit) score | |||
| Significantly more l3 cache per core | 1.5 MB/core | vs | 1 MB/core | 50% more l3 cache per core | |||
| Better 3DMark06 CPU score | 3,057 | vs | 2,449 | Around 25% better 3DMark06 CPU score | |||
| Better geekbench 3 Multi-Core score | 4,146 | vs | 3,289 | More than 25% better geekbench 3 Multi-Core score | |||
Report a correction
Benchmarks Real world tests of Pentium 2020M vs Core i3 3120M
CompuBench 1.5 (Bitcoin mining) Data courtesy CompuBench
CompuBench 1.5 (Face detection)
CompuBench 1.5 (T-Rex) Data courtesy CompuBench
GeekBench 3 (Multi-core) Data courtesy Primate Labs
GeekBench 3 (Single core) Data courtesy Primate Labs
GeekBench 3 (AES single core) Data courtesy Primate Labs
PassMark Data courtesy 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 | |||
features | |||
| Has a NX bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Supports trusted computing | No | No | |
| Has virtualization support | Yes | Yes | |
| Instruction set extensions | |||
| SSE2 | |||
| MMX | |||
| SSE4 | |||
| AVX | |||
| SSE3 | |||
| SSE | |||
| SSE4.1 | |||
| SSE4.2 | |||
| Supplemental SSE3 | |||
| Supports dynamic frequency scaling | Yes | Yes | |
power consumption | |||
| TDP | 35W | 35W | |
| Annual home energy cost | 8.43 $/year | 8.43 $/year | |
| Performance per watt | 3.62 pt/W | 5.01 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 | |
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 nm | 22 nm | |
| Max CPUs | 1 | 1 | |
| Clock multiplier | 24 | 25 | |
| Operating temperature | Unknown - 90°C | Unknown - 90°C | |
overclocking | |||
| Overclocked clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.53 GHz | |
| Overclocked clock speed (Water) | 2.4 GHz | 2.5 GHz | |
| Overclocked clock speed (Air) | 2.4 GHz | 2.53 GHz | |
integrated graphics | |||
| 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 | |||
| DDR3L-1600 | |||
| DDR3-1333 | |||
| DDR3L-1333 | |||
| DDR3RS-1600 | |||
| DDR3RS-1333 | |||
| 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 | |
 Intel Pentium 2020M  Report a correction |  Intel Core i3 3120M Report a correction |
Laptops
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- 4 laptops with the Intel Pentium 2020M, starting from $350
- 11 laptops with the Intel Core i3 3120M, starting from $360
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