Comparing Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120 processor market type [desktop or notebook], architecture, sales start time and price.
Place in performance rankingPlace by popularitynot in top-100Value for money3.510.14Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processorArchitecture codenameYorkfield [2007−2009]Sandy Bridge [2011−2013]Release dateAugust 2008 [15 years old]20 February 2011 [12 years old]Launch price [MSRP]no data$95Current price$62 $47 [0.5x MSRP]
Value for money
Performance per price, higher is better.
Core 2 Quad Q9400 has 2407% better value for money than i3-2120.
Technical specs
Core 2 Quad Q9400 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 cores4 [Quad-Core]2 [Dual-core]Threads44Base clock speed2.66 GHz3.3 GHzBoost clock speed2.67 GHz3.3 GHzL1 cache64K [per core]64 KB [per core]L2 cache6 MB [shared]256 KB [per core]L3 cache0 KB3 MB [shared]Chip lithography45 nm32 nmDie size2x 81 mm2131 mm2Maximum core temperature71 °C69 °CMaximum case temperature [TCase]71 °Cno dataNumber of transistors456 million504 million64 bit support++Windows 11 compatibility--Unlocked multiplier--VID voltage range0.85V-1.3625Vno data
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Quad Q9400 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 configuration11SocketLGA775FCLGA1155Power consumption [TDP]95 Watt65 Watt
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXAES-NI--Enhanced SpeedStep [EIST]++Enhanced SpeedStep [EIST]++Turbo Boost Technology--Hyper-Threading Technology-+Idle States++Thermal Monitoring++Flex Memory Accessno data+Demand Based Switching-no dataFDIno data+Fast Memory Accessno data+FSB parity-no data
Security technologies
Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
TXT++EDB++Identity Protectionno data+
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
Supported memory typesDDR1, DDR2, DDR3DDR3Maximum memory sizeno data32 GBMax memory channelsno data2Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 2000Quick Sync Videono data+Clear Video HDno data+Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHzInTru 3Dno data+
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.
Number of displays supportedno data2
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120.
PCIe versionno data2.0PCI Express lanesno data16
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
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.
Core 2 Quad Q9400
1.38
+7.8%
Core 2 Quad Q9400 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 8% in our combined benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 67%
Core 2 Quad Q9400 2111
+7.7%
Core 2 Quad Q9400 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 8% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 40%
Core i3-2120 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9400 by 48% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 40%
Core i3-2120 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9400 by 9% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
3DMark Fire Strike Physics
Benchmark coverage: 4%
Core 2 Quad Q9400 4280
+61.5%
Core 2 Quad Q9400 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 62% in 3DMark Fire Strike Physics.
Mining hashrates
Cryptocurrency mining performance of Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120. Usually measured in megahashes per second.
Bitcoin / BTC [SHA256] no data 2.3 Mh/s
Gaming performance
Advantages and disadvantages
Performance score 1.38 1.28 Physical cores 4 [Quad-Core] 2 [Dual-core] Boost clock speed 2666 3300 Chip lithography 45 nm 32 nm Power consumption [TDP] 95 Watt 65 Watt
We couldn't decide between Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120. The differences in performance seem too small.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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Core 2 Quad Q9400
Core i3-2120
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