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Intel Pentium G2120

Intel Pentium G2120: Comprehensive Review of an Outdated but Reliable Solution

April 2025

Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Pentium G2120 processor, released in 2013, belongs to the Ivy Bridge generation. It is a dual-core CPU without support for hyper-threading (2 cores / 2 threads), built on a 22nm process. Its base frequency is 3.1 GHz, and its TDP is 55 watts, making it an energy-efficient solution for basic tasks.

Performance:

- In the Geekbench 6 (2025) test, the processor scores 538 points in single-core mode and 909 points in multi-core mode. For comparison, modern budget processors like the Intel Celeron G6900 (2025) show performance 2-3 times higher.

- The integrated graphics—Intel HD Graphics 2500—are only suitable for image output and simple tasks: playing 1080p videos, working with office applications.

Key Features:

- Support for SSE4.1/4.2 and AVX instructions.

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

- No Turbo Boost—fixed frequency of 3.1 GHz.

Practical Example: In 2025, such a processor can be found in offices or home PCs where high performance is not required. For example, a system based on the G2120 easily handles simultaneous web browsing (10-15 tabs) and uses of Word and Excel.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

The Pentium G2120 uses the LGA 1155 socket. Suitable chipsets include:

- H61, B75, H77, Z75, Z77.

- Motherboards that support USB 3.0 (B75 chipsets and above) are recommended for a more comfortable experience with peripherals.

Selection Considerations in 2025:

- New motherboards for LGA 1155 are no longer produced. The price for remaining new boards (e.g., ASUS P8B75-M) ranges around $70–90, but they are often found on the secondary market for $30–50.

- It's important to check for BIOS updates: some boards require flashing to work with Ivy Bridge processors.

Tip: If you're building a PC from scratch, look for "motherboard + processor" bundles at auctions. This will save you time and money.

Supported Memory Types

The processor only works with DDR3 memory:

- Officially supports frequencies of 1333 MHz and 1600 MHz.

- The maximum capacity is 32 GB (depending on the motherboard).

Recommendations:

- For everyday tasks, 8 GB (2x4 GB) is sufficient.

- Use dual-channel mode—as this will provide a performance boost of 10-15% compared to single-channel.

Important: DDR4 and DDR5 are not supported. Attempts to install them will render the system inoperable.

Power Supply Recommendations

With a TDP of 55 watts, the Pentium G2120 does not require a powerful PSU:

- For systems without a discrete graphics card, a power supply rated 300-350 watts is sufficient (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 350W, $45).

- If a GPU (e.g., GTX 1650) is planned to be installed, choose a PSU rated 400-500 watts (Corsair CX450, $55).

Tip: Don't skimp on the power supply. Even for a budget build, choose models with an 80+ Bronze certification and overload protection.

Pros and Cons of the Processor

Pros:

- Low power consumption and heat output.

- Affordable price (new processors, if still available, cost $40–50).

- Reliability: with no extreme loads, lifespan can exceed 10+ years.

Cons:

- Only 2 cores—issues with multitasking.

- Outdated architecture: no support for PCIe 3.0, NVMe, USB 3.1.

- Weak integrated GPU.

Example Problem: When simultaneously launching an antivirus scan and rendering video in a browser, the system starts to "stutter."

Usage Scenarios

1. Office tasks: Working with documents, email, video conferencing.

2. Home media center: Watching movies in 1080p, streaming via Plex.

3. Light gaming: Older titles (Half-Life 2, Minecraft) or indie games (Stardew Valley) at low settings.

Real Case: A user from Brazil built a system on the G2120 in 2024 for studying—Zoom, Google Classroom, and LibreOffice run without issues.

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD A8-5500 (2012):

- Similar price, but better performance from integrated graphics (Radeon HD 7560D).

- Downside: TDP is 65 watts and generates higher heat.

2. Intel Celeron G5905 (2020):

- A modern equivalent (10th generation), 2 cores, 2 threads.

- Geekbench 6: 620 (Single), 1150 (Multi).

- New price: $60.

Conclusion: G2120 falls short against even budget CPUs from the 2020s but has an edge in secondary market price.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. SSD Selection: Install a SATA SSD (e.g., Crucial MX500 250 GB, $35) instead of an HDD—this will speed up OS boot times by 3-4 times.

2. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider the Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 V2 ($20).

3. Upgrade: Don’t invest further into this platform. It’s better to keep components (case, PSU) for future upgrades.

Final Conclusion: Who is the Pentium G2120 Suitable For?

This processor should be considered only in two scenarios:

1. Budget Build: If you need a PC for basic tasks and your budget is limited to $150–200.

2. Upgrading an Old Computer: Replacing an outdated CPU (e.g., Pentium G860) without changing the motherboard.

Why is it a controversial choice in 2025?

- New processors (Intel 12th-14th generation, AMD Ryzen 5000/7000) offer vastly better performance for the same $100–150.

- However, the G2120 remains a niche solution for those who value minimalism and reliability.

Advice: If the budget allows, it’s better to opt for a modern Celeron or Ryzen 3—they will last longer and provide more upgrade options.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

July 2012

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.

G2120

Code Name

Ivi 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

3.10 GHz

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.

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.

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.

22 nm

TDP

55 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

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8 & 2x4

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 1333/1600

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).

25.6 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Yes

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics for 3rd Generation Intel® Processors

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.

1.05 GHz

Graphics Base Frequency

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

650 MHz

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 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

538

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

909

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

588

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1081

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1714

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

1892

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i7-2760QM

616 +14.5%

Core i5-2500S

573 +6.5%

Pentium G2120

538

Pentium 1403 V2

499 -7.2%

Opteron 3380

466 -13.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

A10-7700K

1110 +22.1%

Celeron G3900

980 +7.8%

Pentium G2120

909

A6-6420K

759 -16.5%

Xeon E5-2430L

659 -27.5%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-7130U

633 +7.7%

Xeon D-1521

611 +3.9%

Pentium G2120

588

FX-8150

568 -3.4%

Xeon E5-2690 v2

552 -6.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E5-4640

1247 +15.4%

Core i3-5010U

1163 +7.6%

Pentium G2120

1081

Celeron 5305U

1016 -6%

Celeron 6305

909 -15.9%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 2500U

1774 +3.5%

Core i5-3340S

1752 +2.2%

Pentium G2120

1714

Celeron G1850

1692 -1.3%

Core i5-5350U

1662 -3%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Celeron G3900

2172 +14.8%

A8-3800

2005 +6%

Pentium G2120

1892

Core i3-3120M

1692 -10.6%

Celeron G1620

1556 -17.8%