Core i3-2120 vs AMD Phenom II X6 1100T

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Core i3-2120 and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Core i3-2120 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T has 6 cores and 6 threads. The extra cores of the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.3 GHz and 3.3 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i3-2120 uses the LGA1155 socket and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T uses AM3, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 65 W for the first and 125 W for the second. That difference changes the cooler you need, and it shows up in heat and noise.

At launch the Core i3-2120 cost $138 and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T $265, which gives 8.7 and 4.5 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 Core i3-2120 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 980 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom II X6 1100T reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-2120 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.