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Intel Pentium G2140

Intel Pentium G2140: Overview and Relevance in 2025

Architecture, Compatibility, and Use Cases of the Budget Processor

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Pentium G2140, released in 2013, belongs to the Ivy Bridge line (3rd generation Intel Core). Despite its age, it retains niche popularity due to its low power consumption and ease of integration into older systems.

Architecture and Manufacturing Process

- Codename: Ivy Bridge (22 nm).

- Cores/Threads: 2/2 (no Hyper-Threading support).

- Base Frequency: 3.3 GHz (no Turbo Boost).

- Cache: 3 MB L3.

- TDP: 55 W.

Performance

According to Geekbench 6 benchmarks (2025):

- Single-Core: 551 points.

- Multi-Core: 917 points.

In comparison, the modern Pentium Gold G7505 (2024) scores around ~1200/2400 points. The G2140 is suitable for basic tasks but falls behind in multi-threaded scenarios.

Key Features

- Support for SSE4.2 and AVX instructions.

- Integrated Intel HD graphics (not relevant for gaming).

- Low heat output — suitable for compact PCs.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket: LGA 1155.

Chipsets: H61, B75, H77, Z75, Z77.

Selection Features

- New boards: Not produced since 2015. In 2025, only used options are available (price: $20–50).

- Recommendations:

- For office tasks: H61 (minimum cost).

- For overclocking (if the processor is unlocked): Z77.

- Check for USB 3.0 support (available in B75/H77/Z77).

Example: ASUS P8B75-M LX Plus (used) — a reliable option for $30.

3. Supported Memory

Memory Type: DDR3-1333/1600 MHz.

Maximum Capacity: 32 GB (depends on the motherboard).

Limitations:

- No support for DDR4/DDR5 — critical for modern applications.

- It is recommended to use two modules for dual-channel mode (e.g., 2x4 GB DDR3-1600).

Tip: If building a system from scratch, look for motherboards with 4 DDR3 slots.

4. Power Supply Recommendations

With a TDP of 55 W, even a modest PSU will suffice, but it's important to consider other components:

- Without a discrete graphics card: A 300 W PSU is sufficient (e.g., be quiet! SFX Power 3, $45).

- With a graphics card like NVIDIA GT 1030: Choose a PSU rated between 400–450 W (Corsair CX450, $55).

Important: Don't skimp on the PSU. Cheap models (<$30) can damage components.

5. Pros and Cons of the Pentium G2140

Pros:

- Energy Efficiency: Ideal for low-power builds.

- Price: Used processors cost $10–20.

- Compatibility: Easy to find spare parts on the secondary market.

Cons:

- Outdated Architecture: No support for DirectX 12, PCIe 3.0.

- Limited Multitasking: 2 cores struggle with rendering or streaming.

- DDR3: Slower than DDR4/DDR5 by 30–50%.

6. Use Cases

Office and Web Surfing

- Working with documents, email, Zoom.

- Example: A system with G2140 + 8 GB DDR3 + 240 GB SSD boots Windows 10 in 15 seconds.

Multimedia

- Playing Full HD video through VLC or Kodi.

- Problem: 4K is not supported by the integrated graphics.

Light Gaming

- Minecraft (40–60 FPS on low settings).

- CS:GO (30–40 FPS at 720p).

What to Avoid:

- Video editing, 3D modeling, modern games (Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring).

7. Comparison with Competitors

1. Intel Pentium Gold G7505 (2024):

- 2 cores/4 threads, DDR4-3200.

- Geekbench 6: 1200/2400.

- Price: $75 (new).

2. AMD Athlon 3000G (2025):

- 2 cores/4 threads, Vega 3 GPU.

- Support for DDR4.

- Price: $60 (new).

Conclusion: The G2140 lags in performance but is more affordable on the secondary market.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

1. Choosing an SSD: Kingston A400 240 GB ($25) will speed up the system.

2. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider the Deepcool GAMMAXX 200T ($15).

3. Upgrade: Add a GTX 1650 graphics card (used, $80) for gaming.

4. OS: Use Linux (Lubuntu) or Windows 10 LTSC to save resources.

Example Build:

- Processor: G2140 ($15 used).

- Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M ($25 used).

- Memory: 8 GB DDR3 ($20 used).

- Storage: 240 GB SSD ($25).

- PSU: 450 W ($55).

- Total: ~$140 (without graphics card).

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is the Pentium G2140 Suitable For?

This processor is a choice for:

- Enthusiasts on a tight budget building PCs from used components.

- Office systems where minimal cost is crucial.

- Media centers for Full HD content playback.

Why not buy it in 2025?

- Modern Pentium Gold and Athlon offer double the performance for $60–80.

- The lack of support for DDR4 and new interfaces (USB 3.2, NVMe) makes it outdated.

Conclusion: The G2140 is a temporary solution for specific tasks. For long-term use, it's better to choose a new budget CPU.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2013

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.

G2140

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

3.30 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

551

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

917

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

559

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1070

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1842

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2092

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon D-1528

629 +14.2%

Core i5-L16G7

590 +7.1%

Pentium G2140

551

Xeon E5-2650

512 -7.1%

Xeon E5-2630 v2

478 -13.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

A10-5800K

1114 +21.5%

Core i7-3667U

1008 +9.9%

Pentium G2140

917

Xeon E7-2890 v2

761 -17%

Core i3-2328M

662 -27.8%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core m3-7Y30

596 +6.6%

Xeon E7-4830 v4

577 +3.2%

Pentium G2140

559

Pentium G645

538 -3.8%

Xeon E5-2658A v3

523 -6.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-2710QE

1231 +15%

Pentium G3250

1146 +7.1%

Pentium G2140

1070

Pentium G3260T

993 -7.2%

Athlon II X4 631

891 -16.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-4770T

1912 +3.8%

Xeon Gold 6252

1883 +2.2%

Pentium G2140

1842

Core i5-4430

1806 -2%

Core i7-3540M

1783 -3.2%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Celeron 7305

2378 +13.7%

Athlon II X4 638

2250 +7.6%

Pentium G2140

2092

Xeon E5603

1935 -7.5%

Core i3-5015U

1842 -12%