Core i5-4302Y vs Core i3-2120T

Both the Core i5-4302Y and Core i3-2120T share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.3 GHz on the Core i5-4302Y versus 2.6 GHz on the Core i3-2120T — a 12.2% clock advantage for the Core i3-2120T (base: 1.6 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Core i5-4302Y uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i3-2120T uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-4302Y scores 1,580 against the Core i3-2120T's 1,570 — a 0.6% lead for the Core i5-4302Y. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 676 vs 403, a 50.6% lead for the Core i5-4302Y that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 3 MB on the Core i5-4302Y vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-2120T.

The Core i5-4302Y uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-2120T uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3L-1600 / LPDDR3-1600 memory speed. The Core i3-2120T supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 12 (Core i5-4302Y) vs 16 (Core i3-2120T) — the Core i3-2120T offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM86,HM87 (Core i5-4302Y) and H61,B65,Q65,Q67,H67,P67,Z68,B75,Q75,Q77,H77,Z75,Z77 (Core i3-2120T).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x / VT-d / EPT (Core i5-4302Y) vs VT-x, EPT (Core i3-2120T). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics 4200 (Core i5-4302Y) and HD Graphics 2000 (Core i3-2120T) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-4302Y targets Productivity, Core i3-2120T targets Budget Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i3-2120T rivals A6-3500.