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Intel Pentium G620T

Intel Pentium G620T: Review and PC Build Guide for 2025

Sandy Bridge Architecture, 32nm, 35W – Is It Worth Buying in 2025?

1. Key Specifications: What's Inside?

Sandy Bridge Architecture

The Intel Pentium G620T, released in 2011, is based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. This is the second generation of Intel Core processors, which at the time delivered a 10-15% improvement in IPC (instructions per clock) compared to the previous generation. However, in 2025, Sandy Bridge is history. For comparison, modern Intel processors from the 14th generation (Meteor Lake) boast performance 3-4 times higher with a similar number of cores.

32nm Process Technology

The 32nm process technology looks outdated in 2025. For instance, current budget Intel chips (like Alder Lake-N) are produced using 7nm technology. This means that the Pentium G620T is less energy-efficient, even with a TDP of 35W.

Performance

- Geekbench 6: 289 (Single-Core), 423 (Multi-Core).

For perspective: the modern budget Intel Celeron G6900 (2023) scores around 1500 in Single-Core. Even the Raspberry Pi 5 (2023) with an ARM architecture demonstrates similar results (280/500).

- 2 cores / 2 threads: multitasking is limited. Running a browser with 10 tabs and an office suite may cause stuttering.

Key Features

- Support for Intel HD Graphics (basic graphics for outputting images).

- Power-saving technologies: Enhanced SpeedStep, Thermal Monitoring.

2. Compatible Motherboards

LGA 1155 Socket

The processor uses the LGA 1155 socket, which has not been supported since 2013. No new motherboards are being produced for it. In 2025, a new motherboard might be found only in the warehouses of Chinese retailers (price: $80-120), but used options are more commonly available ($20-40).

Chipsets

- H61, B65, Q67: basic models supporting SATA II and USB 2.0.

- Z68, P67: for overclocking (though the G620T has a locked multiplier).

Selection Tips

- Look for boards with USB 3.0 (such as the ASUS P8H61-M/USB3) — this will ease the connection of external drives.

- Check for UEFI support: some old boards only work with Legacy BIOS, complicating the installation of Windows 11.

3. Supported Memory: Only DDR3

The Pentium G620T operates with DDR3-1066/1333 MHz memory. The maximum capacity is theoretically 32GB, but H61 chipsets limit it to 16GB.

- Example Configuration: 2x4GB DDR3-1333 (~$25 for used set).

- DDR4/DDR5 are not supported — this is critical for modern tasks requiring high bandwidth.

4. Power Supply: How Many Watts Are Needed?

With a TDP of 35W, the processor is extremely undemanding. However, it's important to consider other components:

- Without a discrete graphics card: a 300W PSU is sufficient (e.g., Be Quiet! System Power 10, $40).

- With a graphics card: for example, a GTX 1050 Ti (TDP 75W) requires a PSU of 400-450W (Corsair CX450, $55).

Important! Older PSUs with 20+4 pin and 4-pin CPU connectors will fit most LGA 1155 boards.

5. Pros and Cons

Pros

- Low power consumption: suitable for a 24/7 PC (e.g., a home server).

- Affordability: a used processor costs $5-10, a new one (if found) — $30-50.

- Quiet operation: the stock cooler works silently.

Cons

- Weak performance: even 1080p60 YouTube may stutter without VP9 hardware decoding.

- No support for modern interfaces: PCIe 2.0, SATA II, no NVMe (only through adapters).

- Limited compatibility with OS: Windows 11 is officially unsupported.

6. Use Cases

Office Tasks

- Working with documents, email, and a browser (but no more than 5-7 tabs).

- Example: a build based on the G620T + 8GB DDR3 + 240GB SSD — suitable for Word/Excel, but not for Teams with video backgrounds.

Multimedia

- Video viewing: 1080p via VLC with caching.

- Streaming from YouTube/Twitch: not feasible due to lack of power.

Gaming

- Older titles: Half-Life 2, CS:GO on low settings (30-40 FPS).

- Indie games: Stardew Valley, Terraria — run without issues.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Athlon II X2 270 (2011)

- Similar performance, but higher TDP (65W). By 2025, both processors are comparable for basic tasks.

Intel Celeron G5905 (2020)

- A modern alternative: 2 cores / 2 threads, based on the Comet Lake architecture.

- Geekbench 6: ~1000 (Single), ~1800 (Multi).

- Price of a new one: $50-60.

Conclusion: The G620T lags behind even budget newcomers from the 2020s but beats them in second-hand market pricing.

8. Build Tips

1. SSD is essential: installing a Kingston A400 (240GB, $25) will eliminate lag during OS boot.

2. Don't skimp on RAM: 8GB DDR3 is the minimum for Windows 10.

3. Add a graphics card: NVIDIA GT 1030 ($90) will enhance graphic performance.

4. Check BIOS: update to the latest version for support of larger SSDs.

9. Final Verdict: Who is the Pentium G620T Suitable For?

This processor is suitable for:

- Retro PC enthusiasts: building a system with old components for nostalgia.

- Office "workhorses": if you need a maximum budget PC for text entry.

- Home servers: due to low TDP, it's suitable for 24/7 operation (e.g., file storage).

Alternative for 2025: If your budget allows $100-150, consider the Intel N100 (4 cores, 6W TDP, DDR5 support) — it is 5 times faster and more modern.

The Pentium G620T is not for gamers or professionals, but as an artifact of the Sandy Bridge era, it can still serve in niche scenarios.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

May 2011

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

G620T

Code Name

Sandy Bridge

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.20 GHz

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1155

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

32 nm

TDP

35 W

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

2.0

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR3 1066

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

32 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

5 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

17 GB/s

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® Processors

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

650 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.10 GHz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Instruction Set Extensions

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

3 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

289

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

423

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

414

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

725

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

961

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

896

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Pentium Silver J5005

376 +30.1%

Xeon E5-2450L

340 +17.6%

Pentium G620T

289

Core i3-2367M

237 -18%

Atom E3827

132 -54.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Celeron 3865U

693 +63.8%

Pentium B980

601 +42.1%

Core i3-2377M

500 +18.2%

Pentium G620T

423

Xeon E7-4809 v2

58 -86.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

A12-9800E

454 +9.7%

Celeron 3867U

436 +5.3%

Pentium G620T

414

Opteron 6276

377 -8.9%

Pentium 2117U

346 -16.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i3-3130M

876 +20.8%

A4 PRO-7350B

812 +12%

Pentium G620T

725

A4-5300

622 -14.2%

Atom Z3740

507 -30.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E5-2418L

1078 +12.2%

Celeron 3755U

1022 +6.3%

Pentium G620T

961

Core i3-2312M

894 -7%

Celeron 2955U

779 -18.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Pentium N3700

1242 +38.6%

Celeron 1005M

1104 +23.2%

Pentium G620T

896

Celeron 877

675 -24.7%

Atom D2700

467 -47.9%