Core i3-4120U vs Turion II M520

CPU

GPU

Core i3-4120U

2 Cores4 Thrd512 WWMax: 2 GHz2014

Turion II M520

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-4120U

2 / 4

1,948

0.0%

1,955

+0.4%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core i3-4120U is positioned at rank 129 and the Turion II M520 is on rank 303, so the Core i3-4120U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-4120U

#36

Core i5-11500B

MSRP: $185|Avg: $185

95%

#117

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

301%

#118

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

297%

#119

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

272%

#120

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

271%

#121

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

269%

#123

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

260%

#124

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

249%

#125

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

248%

#126

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

242%

#129

Core i3-4120U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#137

N200

MSRP: $193|Avg: N/A

97%

#138

Core 2 Duo SP9600

MSRP: $316|Avg: N/A

97%

#140

Core 2 Duo P8700

MSRP: $241|Avg: $85

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Turion II M520

#291

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

450%

#292

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

444%

#293

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

407%

#294

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

405%

#295

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

402%

#297

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

388%

#298

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

372%

#299

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

371%

#300

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

361%

#303

Turion II M520

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Turion II M520 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i3-4120U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i3-4120U	Turion II M520
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core i3-4120U	Turion II M520
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i3-4120U Benchmark Check

Turion II M520 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-4120U and Turion II M520

Core i3-4120U

The Core i3-4120U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 April 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,948 points. Launch price was $281.

Turion II M520

The Turion II M520 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Caspian (2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.3 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g3. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 1,955 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-4120U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Turion II M520's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Core i3-4120U versus 2.3 GHz on the Turion II M520 — a 14% clock advantage for the Turion II M520. The Core i3-4120U uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Turion II M520 uses Caspian (2009) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-4120U scores 1,948 against the Turion II M520's 1,955 — a 0.4% lead for the Turion II M520.

Feature	Core i3-4120U	Turion II M520
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2 GHz	2.3 GHz+15%
Base Clock	2 GHz	—
L3 Cache	3 MB	—
L2 Cache	512 kB	1 MB+100%
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Caspian (2009)
PassMark	1,948	1,955
Geekbench 6 Single	462	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,071	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-4120U uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Turion II M520 uses S1g3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i3-4120U	Turion II M520
Socket	FCBGA1168	S1g3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	12	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Core i3-4120U) / not specified (Turion II M520). The Core i3-4120U includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4400), while the Turion II M520 requires a dedicated GPU.