Turion II M520 vs Core i3-4120U

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Turion II M520

2 / 2

1,955

+0.4%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i3-4120U

2 / 4

1,948

0.0%

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 Turion II M520 is positioned at rank 303 and the Core i3-4120U is on rank 129, 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 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 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 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	Turion II M520	Core i3-4120U
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Turion II M520	Core i3-4120U
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.

Turion II M520 Benchmark Check

Core i3-4120U Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

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

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.

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.

⚡

Processing Power

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

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

🧠

Memory & Platform

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

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

🔧

Advanced Features

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