AMD FX-4300 vs Core i3-2120

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The AMD FX-4300 and the Core i3-2120 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The AMD FX-4300 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i3-2120 has 2 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the AMD FX-4300 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.8 GHz and 3.3 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD FX-4300 uses the AM3+ socket and the Core i3-2120 uses LGA1155, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 95 W for the first and 65 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the AMD FX-4300 cost $122 and the Core i3-2120 $138, which gives 9.8 and 8.7 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the AMD FX-4300 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 980 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i3-2120 reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the AMD FX-4300 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core i3-2120 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.