Intel Core i3-3120ME vs AMD FX-4100

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i3-3120ME CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD FX-4100
Intel Core i3-3120ME AMD FX-4100

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i3-3120ME and the AMD FX-4100 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i3-3120ME 2 core processor released in Q3/2012 with the AMD FX-4100 which has 4 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2011.
Intel Core i3 (202) Family AMD FX (30)
Intel Core i 3000M (29) CPU group AMD FX-4100/4200 (5)
3 Generation 1
Ivy Bridge H Architecture Zambezi (Bulldozer)
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-3120ME is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.40 GHz. The processor can compute 4 threads at the same time. The AMD FX-4100 clocks with 3.60 GHz (3.80 GHz), has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i3-3120ME Characteristic AMD FX-4100
2 Cores 4
4 Threads 4
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? Yes
2.40 GHz Frequency 3.60 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.80 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.80 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i3-3120ME Characteristic AMD FX-4100
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU no iGPU
0.65 GHz GPU frequency --
0.90 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
7 GPU Generation --
22 nm Technology
3 Max. displays
16 Compute units --
128 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
11.0 DirectX Version --

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.

Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to 16 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i3-3120ME, while the AMD FX-4100 supports a maximum of GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of -- enabled.

Intel Core i3-3120ME Characteristic AMD FX-4100
DDR3-1600 Memory DDR3-1866
16 GB Max. Memory
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth --
Yes ECC Yes
-- L2 Cache --
3.00 MB L3 Cache 8.00 MB
2.0 PCIe version --
16 PCIe lanes --
8.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i3-3120ME has a TDP of 35 W. The TDP of the AMD FX-4100 is 95 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i3-3120ME Characteristic AMD FX-4100
35 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 95 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
105 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-3120ME has 3.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 22 nm. The cache of AMD FX-4100 is at 8.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 32 nm.

Intel Core i3-3120ME Characteristic AMD FX-4100
22 nm Technology 32 nm
Monolithic Chip design Unknown
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
BGA 1023 Socket AM3+
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization AMD-V
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q3/2012 Release date Q4/2011
-- Release price 90 $
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
462 (99%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.80 GHz
469 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
1055 (82%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.80 GHz
1294 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
1629 (40%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.80 GHz
4051 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
424 (100%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
846 (100%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
Intel HD Graphics 4000 @ 0.90 GHz
230 (100%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.80 GHz
1776.4 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i3-3120ME Intel Core i3-3120ME
2C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD FX-4100 AMD FX-4100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
636 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i3-3120ME AMD FX-4100
Unknown Unknown

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