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Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Core i3-2120


Mini Review

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 advantages



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is not
available

  • None


Intel Core i3-2120 advantages



Intel Core i3-2120

  • The CPU performs 31% faster when running single-threaded tasks.
  • The Intel i3-2120 processor performs 62% better in multi-threaded applications.
  • Memory performance of the CPU is better.
  • The i3-2120 includes SSE4.2 instructions.
  • The Core i3-2120 CPU has AVX instructions, that were introduced in modern CPUs not too far ago. Even though these extensions are not extensively used in programs yet, their support should improve in future apps.
  • Besides 2 CPU cores, this CPU has integrated HD 2000 GPU. This Graphics Processing Unit can be used for casual gaming and 3D applications.


E8400 vs i3-2120 performance comparison

The charts in the table below illustrate performance of Core 2 Duo E8400 and Core i3-2120 CPUs in several different types of applications. The results in the charts are calculated from a number of benchmarks, that you can see in the "Benchmarks" tab. Consequentally, the displayed results may differ from results, that you may receive in individual tests. The 'Overall performance' shows an average of all-around performance benchmarks, and benchmarks, specific to each type of task.

Single-threaded performance
2
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4
0		  
 
1
  
1.31
  
 
Higher is better
Multi-threaded performance
2
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4
0		  
 
1
  
1.62
  
 
Higher is better
Memory-intensive applications
2
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4
0		  
 
1
  
1.74
  
 
Higher is better
Overall performance
2
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4
0		  
 
1
  
1.54
  
 
Higher is better

  - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400       - Intel Core i3-2120

Please see the "Benchmarks" tab for complete list of benchmarks, demonstrating difference in performance between Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 and Core i3-2120 in various types of applications.



E8400 vs i3-2120 power consumption comparison

Thermal Design Power
80
64
48
32
16
0		  
 
65W
  
65W
  
 
Lower is better
  

Detailed side by side comparison of Intel E8400 vs Intel i3-2120 specs can be found in the "Specifications" tab. Much more detailed comparison of internal features of both microprocessors you will find in the "CPUIDs" tab.



Pros and Cons summary

 
Core 2 Duo E8400Core i3-2120

General recommendations:
None
General recommendations:
Performs significantly faster in all kinds of tasks,
Features SSE4.2 / AVX instructions,
Has on-chip HD 2000 GPU

Drawbacks:
Poor overall performance,
Lacks some instructions,
Comes without integrated graphics
Drawbacks:
None


Similar processors

 
Core 2 Duo E8400Core i3-2120

Similar processors use the same socket and architecture as E8400 and Core i3-2120.



Where to buy


These microprocessors are obsolete. For this reason the best place to look for them is eBay. Marketplace vendors at Amazon may also carry them.

Specifications

 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400Intel Core i3-2120
 Basic details
Market segmentDesktop
ManufacturerIntel
FamilyIntel Core 2 DuoIntel Core i3
Model numberE8400i3-2120
CPU part numberAT80570PJ0806M
EU80570PJ0806M		CM8062301044204
Box part numberBX80570E8400
BXC80570E8400
BX80570E8400A		BX80623I32120
BXC80623I32120
Introduction dateJanuary 7, 2008February 20, 2011
Current official price $117 (as of Jan 2013)
 
 CPU features
Core nameWolfdaleSandy Bridge
MicroarchitectureCoreSandy Bridge
Technology (micron)0.0450.032
Data width (bits)64
SocketSocket 775Socket 1155
Frequency (MHz)30003300
Bus speed (MHz)1333 
Clock Multiplier933
L1 cache64 KB (code) / 64 KB (data)
L2 cache (KB)6144512
L3 cache (KB) 3072
Max temperature (°C)72.469.1
TDP (Watt)65
Max power dissipation (Watt)100.31 
Core voltage (V)0.85 - 1.3625 
Cores2
Threads24
Multiprocessing1
 
 Instruction set extensions
AMD64 / EM64T 64-bit technology+
AVX / Advanced Vector Extensions-+
MMX+
SSE+
SSE2+
SSE3+
SSE4.1+
SSE4.2-+
SSSE3 / Supplemental SSE3+
 
 Supported technologies
Hyper-Threading-+
PowerNow! / Enhanced SpeedStep+
Trusted Execution+-
Virtualization+
Virus Protection / Execute Disable bit+
 
 Integrated Graphics
GPU TypeNoneHD 2000
 
 Integrated Memory Controller(s)
The number of controllers01

Notes:

Rows with different specifications or features are highlighted.

For detailed specifications of "Intel Core 2 Duo E8400" or "Intel Core i3-2120" parts please click on the links in the table header.

Benchmarks

System setup

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 and Core i3-2120 processors were tested using different system components, that are identified by MB, RAM and VID columns in the tables below. The numbers in each of these columns correspond to one of motherboards (MB), memory configurations (RAM) or graphics adapters (VID), listed below:

MB - Motherboard(s):
1. ASUS P8P67
2. ASUS P8H61-M
3. ASROCK 4CORE1600TWINS-P35

RAM - Memory:
1. 2 GB DUAL-CHANNEL CORSAIR TR3X3G1600C9 DDR3
2. 2 GB DUAL-CHANNEL CORSAIR CM3X1024-1333C9 DDR3

VID - Video card(s):
1. MSI R6670 1GB GDDR5 (ATI RADEON)
2. INTEGRATED ON-CHIP INTEL SANDY BRIDGE GRAPHICS
3. POWERCOLOR 24PRO256M DDR2 (ATI RADEON HD2400)

All tests were performed at default frequency and voltage, using manufacturer's stock fan/heatsink. None of the components were overclocked. Motherboard BIOS options were left at default settings.

The results of all benchmarks are broken into four categories: multi-threaded, single-threaded, memory intensive and graphics / gaming.


Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Core i3-2120 single-threaded benchmarks

Single-threaded benchmarks run on a single CPU core, and do not depend on such features as the number of cores, or Hyper-Threading technology. Additionally, they do not utilize on-chip caches, dedicated to other cores.

     

    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400           Intel Core i3-2120

CINEBENCH R10 CPU score (1 core) benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
99.3%222
75.2%323

Super PI (1M) benchmark

< Shorter is betterMBRAMVID
100%111
99.5%222
76.8%323



Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Core i3-2120 multi-threaded benchmarks

Multi-threaded benchmarks utilize all CPU cores and other on-chip resources (on-chip caches, internal buffers, etc). Intel's Hyper-Threading feature also helps to improve multi-threading performance.

     

    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400           Intel Core i3-2120

CINEBENCH R10 CPU score benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
99.4%222
64.5%323

CINEBENCH R10 render time (seconds) benchmark

< Shorter is betterMBRAMVID
100%111
99.4%222
64.5%323

Euler3D benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%222
98.9%111
64.0%323

Sandra Dhrystone (MIPS) benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
99.9%222
74.1%323

Sandra MultiMedia Floating Point (it/s) benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
98.9%222
53.7%323

    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400           Intel Core i3-2120

Sandra MultiMedia Integer (it/s) benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
99.4%222
90.5%323

Sandra Whetstone (MFLOPS) benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
99.7%222
55.8%323

Sandra Whetstone SSE2 (MFLOPS) benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
99.7%222
50.8%323

wPrime v1.55 (32M) benchmark

< Shorter is betterMBRAMVID
100%111
99.7%222
55.5%323



Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Core i3-2120 graphics benchmarks

Graphics benchmarks depend on the type of integrated or discrete graphics adapter, and to less extent on the processor performance. Because these benchmarks are synthetic, they may not truly represent gaming performance. However, they still can used to estimate whether one processor will perform faster or slower in games than another CPU.

Important! The processors were tested using different types of graphics adapters, that may not be suitable for comparison.

     

    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400           Intel Core i3-2120

3DMark2001 score benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
31.2%222
22.5%323

CINEBENCH R10 OpenGL score benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%111
29.3%323
22.8%222



Core 2 Duo E8400 vs Core i3-2120 memory performance

Memory-intensive tests or programs move large amounts of data to/from memory, and they depend more on memory throughput and the size of on-chip caches, rather than on CPU integer/FP/SIMD performance.

     

    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400           Intel Core i3-2120

7Zip compressing/decompressing speed benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%323
81.7%111
81.1%222

WinRAR compressing/decompressing speed benchmark

Longer is better <MBRAMVID
100%222
99.9%111
57.4%323


CPUIDs

The table below compares two random CPUID records for Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 and Intel Core i3-2120 microprocessors, that were submitted to our CPUID database. Please note that different steppings of Intel processors, identified by S-spec numbers or CPUID, may have slightly different features. For that reason the comparison table below only applies to CPUs with specific S-Spec number / CPUID.

  CPUID 1 CPUID 2
ManufacturerIntel
CPU FamilyCore 2 DuoCore i3
Model / Processor NumberE8400i3-2120
Frequency 3310 MHz
CWID version0.20.4
Part numberEU80570PJ0806MCM8062301044204
S-Spec / Stepping CodeSLAPLSR05Y
 
General information
VendorGenuineIntel
Processor name (BIOS)Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2120 CPU @ 3.30GHz
Cores2
Logical processors24
Processor typeOriginal OEM Processor
CPUID signature10676206A7
Family 6 (06h)
Model23 (017h)42 (02Ah)
Stepping 6 (06h) 7 (07h)
TLB/Cache details64-byte Prefetching
Data TLB: 4-KB Pages, 4-way set associative, 256 entries
Data TLB: 4-MB Pages, 4-way set associative, 32 entries
Instruction TLB: 2-MB pages, 4-way, 8 entries or 4M pages, 4-way, 4 entries
Instruction TLB: 4-KB Pages, 4-way set associative, 128 entries
L1 Data TLB: 4-KB pages, 4-way set associative, 16 entries
L1 Data TLB: 4-MB pages, 4-way set associative, 16 entries		64-byte Prefetching
Data TLB0: 2-MB or 4-MB pages, 4-way associative, 32 entries
Data TLB: 4-KB Pages, 4-way set associative, 64 entries
Instruction TLB: 4-KB pages, 4-way set associative, 64 entries
L2 TLB: 1-MB, 4-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Shared 2nd-level TLB: 4 KB pages, 4-way set associative, 512 entries
 
Cache
L1 data: Associativity8-way set associative
L1 data: Comments Direct-mapped
L1 data: Line size64 bytes
L1 data: Size32 KB2 x 32 KB
L1 instruction: Associativity8-way set associative
L1 instruction: Comments Direct-mapped
L1 instruction: Line size64 bytes
L1 instruction: Size32 KB2 x 32 KB
L2: Associativity16-way set associative8-way set associative
L2: Comments Non-inclusive|Direct-mapped
L2: Line size64 bytes
L2: Size6 MB2 x 256 KB
L3: Associativity 12-way set associative
L3: Comments Inclusive|Shared between all cores
L3: Line size 64 bytes
L3: Size 3 MB
 
Instruction set extensions
AVX-+
MMX+
SSE+
SSE2+
SSE3+
SSE4.1+
SSE4.2-+
SSSE3+
 
Additional instructions
CLFLUSH+
CMOV+
CMPXCHG16B+
CMPXCHG8B+
FXSAVE/FXRSTORE+
MONITOR/MWAIT+
PCLMULDQ-+
POPCNT-+
RDTSCP-+
SYSENTER/SYSEXIT+
XSAVE / XRESTORE states-+
 
Major features
64-bit / Intel 64+
Enhanced SpeedStep+
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Intel Trusted Execution technology+-
Intel Virtualization+
NX bit/XD-bit+
On-chip Floating Point Unit+
 
Other features
36-bit page-size extensions+
64-bit debug store+
Advanced programmable interrupt controller+
CPL qualified debug store+
Debug store+
Debugging extensions+
Digital Thermal Sensor capability+
LAHF / SAHF support in 64-bit mode+
Machine check architecture+
Machine check exception+
Memory-type range registers+
Model-specific registers+
Page attribute table+
Page global extension+
Page-size extensions (4MB pages)+
Pending break enable+
Perfmon and Debug capability+
Physical address extensions+
Power Limit Notification capability-+
Process context identifiers-+
Self-snoop+
TSC rate is ensured to be invariant across all states-+
Thermal monitor+
Thermal monitor 2+
Thermal monitor and software controlled clock facilities+
Time stamp counter+
Timestamp counter deadline-+
Virtual 8086-mode enhancements+
xTPR Update Control+

+ - feature is supported
- - feature is not supported
Features, not supported by all processors in the table, are not displayed

Compare with ...

Compare Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 with...

Other Core i3 CPU:

Any CPU:


Compare Intel Core i3-2120 with...

Other Core 2 Duo CPU:

Any CPU:


Note: To see differences with any CPU, type in any combination of the following into the "Any CPU" field: manufacturer name, full or partial family name, model number, part number, core name, socket name, operating frequency, bus speed (must have FSB suffix), and the last level cache. Here are some valid searches:

  i5-3570K
  Intel Celeron 2 GHz
  Ivy Bridge
  Pentium 4 800FSB
  AMD 3.3GHz 8MB

Comments (0)

Last modified: 11 Jun 2013
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