Celeron N3450 vs Core i3-2120

The Celeron N3450 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i3-2120 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Celeron N3450 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Celeron N3450 versus 3.3 GHz on the Core i3-2120 — a 40% clock advantage for the Core i3-2120 (base: 1.1 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Celeron N3450 uses the Apollo Lake (2014−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i3-2120 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron N3450 scores 1,981 against the Core i3-2120's 1,979 — a 0.1% lead for the Celeron N3450. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Celeron N3450 vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-2120.

The Celeron N3450 uses the FCBGA1296 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-2120 uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 2400 on the Celeron N3450 versus DDR3-1333 on the Core i3-2120 — the Celeron N3450 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i3-2120 supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 8 — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 6 (Celeron N3450) vs 16 (Core i3-2120) — the Core i3-2120 offers 10 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: FCBGA1296 (Celeron N3450) and H61,H67,P67,Z68,Q65,Q67,B75,H77,Q75,Q77,Z75,Z77 (Core i3-2120).

Virtualization support: true (Celeron N3450) vs Yes (Core i3-2120). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics 500 (Celeron N3450) and Intel HD Graphics 2000 (Core i3-2120) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Celeron N3450 rivals AMD A4-9120.