A present for thrifty overclocking enthusiasts. Review and testing of the Intel Pentium G3258 processor. Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡

Pentium G3420 processor, the price of a new one on amazon and ebay is 8,710 rubles, which is equal to $ 150. It is marked by the manufacturer as: BX80646G3420.

The number of cores is 2, manufactured by 22 nm process technology, Haswell architecture.

The base frequency of the Pentium G3420 cores is 3.2 GHz. Please note that the Intel Pentium G3420 cooler must cool processors with a TDP of at least 53 W at nominal frequencies. When overclocked, the requirements increase.

Motherboard for Intel Pentium G3420 must be with FCLGA1150 socket. The power system must be capable of handling at least 53W processors.

With the built-in Intel® HD Graphics, the computer can run without a discrete graphics card as the monitor is connected to the video output on the motherboard.

Price in Russia

Want to buy a cheap Pentium G3420? Check out the list of stores that already sell the processor in your city.

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Intel Pentium G3420 test

The data is obtained from tests of users who have tested their systems with and without overclocking. Thus, you see the average values \u200b\u200bcorresponding to the processor.

Speed \u200b\u200bof numeric operations

Different tasks require different CPU strengths. A system with a low number of fast cores is great for gaming, but will outperform a system with a large number of slow cores in a rendering scenario.

We believe a processor with at least 4 cores / 4 threads is suitable for a budget gaming computer. At the same time, individual games can load it by 100% and slow down, and performing any tasks in the background will lead to a FPS drawdown.

Ideally, the buyer should aim for a minimum of 6/6 or 6/12, but keep in mind that systems with more than 16 threads are currently only applicable for professional tasks.

The data was obtained from tests of users who tested their systems both in overclocking (maximum value in the table) and without (minimum). The typical result is shown in the middle, the color bar indicates the position among all tested systems.

Components

motherboards

• Dell G3 3579
• Compaq-presario NC696AA-ABA SR5710Y
• HP 510-p114
• MSI X79A-GD45 Plus
• Dell Adamo 13
• MSI X58 Pro-E
• Asrock H310M-HDV / M.2

Video cards

• There is no data

RAM

• There is no data

SSD

• There is no data

We have compiled a list of components that users most often choose when assembling a computer based on the Pentium G3420. Also, with these components, the best test results and stable operation are achieved.

Most popular config: motherboard for Intel Pentium G3420 - Dell G3 3579.

Specifications

The main

Manufacturer	Intel
Description Information about the processor, taken from the official website of the manufacturer.	Intel® Pentium® Processor G3420 (3M Cache, 3.20 GHz)
Architecture Microarchitecture generation code name.	Haswell
Date of issue Month and year when the processor appeared on sale.	12-2013
Model Official name.	G3420
Nucleus The number of physical cores.	2
Streams Number of threads. The number of logical processor cores that the operating system sees.	2
Base frequency Guaranteed frequency of all processor cores at maximum load. The performance in single-threaded and multi-threaded applications and games depends on it. It is important to remember that speed and frequency are not directly related. For example, a new processor at a lower frequency may be faster than an old processor at a higher frequency.	3.2 GHz
L3 cache size The L3 cache works as a buffer between the computer's RAM and the processor's L2 cache. It is used by all cores, the speed of information processing depends on the volume.	3 MB
Instructions	64-bit
Instructions They allow you to speed up calculations, processing and performing certain operations. Also, some games require instructional support.	SSE4.1 / 4.2
Embedded Options Available Two body versions. Standard and designed for mobile devices. In the second version, the processor can be soldered to the motherboard.	Yes
Technical process Manufacturing process, measured in nanometers. The smaller the technical process, the more perfect the technology, the lower the heat generation and energy consumption.	22 nm
Bus frequency The speed of data exchange with the system.	5 GT / s DMI2
Maximum TDP Thermal Design Power is an indicator that determines the maximum heat dissipation. The cooler or water cooling system must be sized equal to or greater. Remember that overclocking increases the TDP significantly.	53 Watt
Cooling system specifications	PCG 2013C

Video core

Integrated graphics core Allows you to use a computer without a discrete graphics card. The monitor is connected to the video output on the motherboard. If earlier the integrated graphics made it possible to simply work at the computer, today it can replace budget video accelerators and makes it possible to play most games at low settings.	Intel® HD Graphics
GPU base frequency Frequency of operation in 2D and idle mode.	350 MHz
GPU base frequency Frequency of operation in 3D mode under maximum load.	1150 MHz
Supported monitors The maximum number of monitors that can be simultaneously connected to the integrated video core.	3

RAM

Maximum RAM The amount of RAM that can be installed on a motherboard with this processor.	32 GB
Supported RAM type The type of RAM depends on its frequency and timings (performance), availability, price.	DDR3-1333 / 1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
RAM channels The multi-channel memory architecture increases the data transfer rate. On desktop platforms, two-channel, three-channel, and four-channel modes are available.	2
RAM bandwidth	25.6 GB / s
ECC memory Error-correcting memory support applied on servers. Usually more expensive than usual and requires more expensive server components. Nevertheless, used server processors, Chinese motherboards and ECC memory strips, which are sold relatively cheaply in China, have become widespread.	Yes

Introduction Despite the fact that the release of the new Intel desktop platform LGA 1150 has caused a lot of criticism associated, first of all, with its insufficiently innovative nature, the process of its implementation cannot be stopped. Intel plans to change the form factors of processors, their microarchitecture and production technologies for years to come, and so far the usual "tick-tock" cycle does not even think of breaking. And this means that the Haswell microarchitecture announced at the beginning of summer, within two or three quarters from the moment of its appearance, should be included in the full set of processors belonging to both the upper price segments and the number of budget models. Actually, it is precisely this transition process, when LGA 1150 systems acquire the status of mass systems and replace their LGA 1155 predecessors, that we are currently observing.

Released among the first modifications of Haswell processors for desktop computers, which became available to customers in the summer, refer to the Core i7 and Core i5 series, have four computing cores at their disposal and are aimed at expensive and productive systems. Dual-core media of this processor design, which are intended for simpler computers, began to appear on sale only a few months later - from the beginning of autumn. First of all, these are the mid-range processors of the Core i3 series, which we have already met in one of our previous reviews. However, in addition to the Core i3, Intel has other series of budget CPUs with two processing cores. These are Pentium and Celeron, which should eventually also receive the new microarchitecture at their disposal. And the process of updating them, in fact, is in full swing. Pentium based on Haswell design is already being offered by vendors with might and main, and Celeron processors under new connector LGA 1150 is expected in the very near future: the other day the corresponding offers appeared in the official price list, but before retail stores they haven't arrived yet.

Therefore, in this article, continuing our acquaintance with various configuration options for the new LGA 1150 platform, we will only discuss the new Pentiums with the Haswell microarchitecture. These processors, which inherited their name from their predecessors released more than twenty years ago, have long been transferred to modern technological rails, but at the same time they have been cut in terms of their capabilities in such a way as to be able to be positioned as inexpensive options for computers of a level slightly below average. Formally speaking, a typical Pentium is a dual-core processor, lacking support for Hyper-Threading technology, slightly limited in clock speeds and, moreover, lacking Turbo Boost auto-overclocking technology. Besides, Intel often deprives the Pentium of some other specific properties.

Quite naturally, after such a characteristic of the Pentium family, the processors sold under this brand cause skepticism among many buyers. But in vain. Two cores based on modern versions of Intel's microarchitecture can provide a very good level of performance, since its current versions have a very high specific performance of individual cores per cycle. And this makes the Pentium quite an acceptable option for modern mainstream computers. Of course, they cannot compete with four-core Pentiums, but for most applications typical for home or office machines, their resources are quite enough. The only weak point of the Pentium is the integrated graphics, but not everyone cares about its speed.

However, if you do not believe in our general reasoning, then in this review we have carried out a practical substantiation of the consumer qualities of modern Pentium. In it we will look at what the Haswell generation dual-core processors sold under this brand are capable of, and compare them with their predecessors, competitors, and those proposals that belong to a higher class.

Pentium generation Haswell: details

Despite the fact that modern Pentiums have their own marketing name, in their properties they are not that much different from the Core i3. This is well illustrated by the fact that the processors of these families are based on a similar semiconductor core with Haswell microarchitecture, produced according to a 22-nm process technology, where differences can be found only in the graphics part. You can even say that Pentiums relate to Core i3 in about the same way as Core i5 to Core i7: in either case, Hyper-Threading technology is the defining characteristic.

Roughly speaking, Pentium can be described as Core i3 without virtual multithreading. Processors of this family are visible in operating system as primordially dual-core, which mainly determines their somewhat lower performance. However, the differences between the series are not limited to the absence of Hyper-Threading alone.

In addition, Pentiums operate at lower clock speeds than representatives of the older family. For example, today the maximum frequency of the Core i3 has reached 3.6 GHz, and the maximum frequency of the Haswell Pentium generation is 3.3 GHz. There are also limitations in the size of the L3 cache. The older Core i3 generations of Haswell have 4 MB cache, while the Pentium's L3 cache does not exceed 3 MB.

There is one more, very important for some, nuance. In the budget Pentium family, the manufacturer disables all new instruction sets that have appeared in the latest Intel processors. As a result, even those Pentiums based on the Haswell microarchitecture do not support the AVX and AVX 2.0 vector instruction systems, as well as the AES cryptographic instructions.

One last thing: the Pentium graphics core is the smallest possible option - GT1. Such a core, which received the marketing name HD Graphics without any numerical index, has only six executive devices (this is more than three times less than that of core processors i3), and thus offers only a rudimentary level of 3D performance that puts an end to any Pentium gaming application. In addition, these processors lack the technology of fast hardware-accelerated transcoding of video content Quick Sync. Therefore, the graphics built into the Pentium can be used, perhaps, only in office computers or systems assembled for primitive Internet activity. In all other cases, it is more logical to equip LGA 1150 configurations based on these processors with a discrete video accelerator.

Considering that semiconductor crystals for Haswell processors exist in eight different versions, a suitable one was found for the Pentium - with an area of \u200b\u200babout 100 square meters. mm. This crystal initially has two processing cores, graphics level GT1 and 3 MB cache, which leads to its smaller area than the Core i3. Savings reach about 25 percent, which ultimately allows Intel to sell Pentium about one and a half times cheaper than the older processor family, and still remain profitable.

The specifications of the latest Pentium models are shown in the table:

Let's take a closer look at the properties of these models.

Pentium G3430. The older modification of the Pentium processor, based on the Haswell microarchitecture, has a clock frequency of 3.3 GHz. It turns out that in comparison with the previous generation Pentium Ivy Bridge, the maximum frequency of the family has not increased - Pentium G2140 operates at the same nominal frequency. The size of the cache has not changed either. In other words, the change of generations does not greatly affect the family of dual-core Pentium, if we do not take into account the deep microarchitectural improvements, which, as we know, give a performance increase of 5-15 percent.

However, there are still positive changes, and they cannot be called insignificant. First, the new Haswell Pentiums have support for the PCI Express x16 3.0 graphics bus - previously, the Pentium used only the second version of this specification. Secondly, the memory controller of fresh CPUs got operability with higher-frequency memory modes than DDR3-1600. Frequencies up to DDR3-2400 are now supported.

As for the thermal package, then, as in the case of the Core i3, the introduction of the new processor design had little effect on it. The calculated heat dissipation has decreased by only 1 W.

Pentium G3420. This processor can be described as the younger brother of the Pentium G3430, practically indistinguishable from it in terms of capabilities. Actually, these two processors are similar in terms of price: it differs only by $ 11. This is the amount Intel estimated the 100MHz lag in the clock frequency, which is set at 3.2GHz for the Pentium G3420.

In all other respects, all characteristics of Pentium G3430 and Pentium G3420 are the same. This applies to L3 cache, compatible memory, and sets of supported instructions, and the integrated Intel HD Graphics with six execution units.

Pentium G3220. The youngest processor among the Haswell-based Pentium processors has a clock speed of 3.0 GHz and appears to be an entry-level model, which is emphasized by its relatively low model number, which has a difference with older modifications already in the second digit. So Intel emphasizes that Pentium G3220 has other differences from the rest of the lineup models.

However, these differences are not as striking as one might expect initially. In fact, we are talking only about the memory controller, which in the Pentium G3220 lacks official support for DDR3-1600. But in fact, with such a memory, this processor is quite efficient, as it allows the installation of faster DDR3 types, up to DDR3-2400.

Concluding the descriptive part of our article, it should be recalled that Pentium processors for LGA 1150 systems, just like their predecessors, are not among the proposals for enthusiasts. This means that they have a fixed multiplication factor and are not subject to overclocking procedures. However, it is still allowed to increase the frequency of memory and graphics core above the nominal values \u200b\u200bin systems with Pentium Haswell generation.

How we tested

The main heroes of this test are the new 22nm Pentium processors built on the latest Haswell microarchitecture. Their subset includes three models: Pentium G3430, G3420 and G3220 - and all three of them were at our disposal. We compared these processors with an older representative of the same series, based on the previous Ivy Bridge design - Pentium G2140, as well as with processors of a higher weight category - Core i3. Among them, we chose two junior models: the Core i3-4130 based on the Haswell microarchitecture and the Core i3-3220 based on the Ivy Bridge design.

In addition, processors from a competitor, AMD, took part in the performance study. The average APUs of this company for the Socket FM2 platform are in the same price niche as the Pentium, as a result of which you can find the performance indicators of the A8-6600K and A6-6400K on the diagrams.

As a result, the composition of the test systems included the following software and hardware components:

Processors:

AMD A8-6600K (Richland, 4 cores, 3.9-4.2 GHz, 2x2 MB L2);
AMD A6-6400K (Richland, 2 cores, 3.9-4.1 GHz, 1 MB L2);
Intel Core i3-4130 (Haswell, 2 cores + HT, 3.4 GHz, 2x256 KB L2, 3 MB L3);
Intel Core i3-3220 (Ivy Bridge, 2 cores + HT, 3.3 GHz, 2x256 KB L2, 3 MB L3);
Intel Pentium G3430 (Haswell, 2 cores, 3.3 GHz, 2x256 KB L2, 3 MB L3);
Intel Pentium G3420 (Haswell, 2 cores, 3.2 GHz, 2x256 KB L2, 3 MB L3);
Intel Pentium G3220 (Haswell, 2 cores, 3.0 GHz, 2x256 KB L2, 3 MB L3);
Intel Pentium G2140 (Ivy Bridge, 2 cores, 3.3 GHz, 2x256 KB L2, 3 MB L3).

CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U14S.
Motherboards:

ASUS F2A85-V Pro (Socket FM2, AMD A85);
ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe (LGA 1155, Intel Z77 Express);
Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H (LGA 1150, Intel Z87 Express).

Memory: 2 x 8 GB DDR3-2133 SDRAM, 9-11-11-31 (G.Skill F3-2133C9D-16GTX).
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (3 GB / 384-bit GDDR5, 876-928 / 7000 MHz).
Disk subsystem: Intel SSD 520 240 GB (SSDSC2CW240A3K5).
PSU: Corsair AX760i (80 Plus Platinum, 760W)
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise x64;
Drivers:

AMD Chipset Drivers 13.9;
Intel Chipset Driver 9.4.0.1027;
Intel Management Engine Driver 9.0.2.1345;
Intel Rapid Storage Technology 12.8.0.1016;
NVIDIA GeForce 331.82 Driver.

In this testing, we refused to use the graphics cores built into the processors. The speed of HD Graphics, built into representatives of the Pentium family, is at an unsatisfactory low level (in 3D), and its use instead of a discrete video accelerator in general systems is meaningless. However, no one bothers to use the graphics built into the Pentium in non-3D applications. However, in this case, the type of graphics accelerator used does not matter at all. In order to be able to fully assess the gaming computing performance of the host CPUs in testing without loss of generality, our test systems used a discrete flagship video accelerator NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti.

Performance

Overall performance

To assess the performance of processors in common tasks, we traditionally use the Bapco SYSmark 2012 test, which simulates the user's work in common modern office programs and applications for creating and processing digital content. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe test is very simple: it produces a single metric that characterizes the weighted average computer speed. FROM windows exit 8 benchmark SYSmark 2012 has been updated to version 1.5, and we now use this adapted version.

The gap between the results of the Core i3 and Pentium processor families based on the same design seems to be very significant. For example, the Core i3-4130 is more than 20 percent ahead of the Pentium G3430. And this means that the dual-core Pentiums really should be regarded as lower class processors than the Core i3. Wishing to make Pentium a budget solution, Intel got rid of many useful features of modern microarchitectures, as a result of which it is very difficult to put dual-core Core i3 and Pentium side by side.

However, the Haswell microarchitecture itself, in comparison with Ivy Bridge, brought a rather noticeable increase in specific performance, which made the new Pentiums noticeably faster than before. Thus, Pentium G3430 is more than 10 percent ahead of Pentium G2140 operating at the same clock speed. And the youngest of the new budget dual-core processors, Pentium G3220, turns out to be able to compete with the older Pentium of the Ivy Bridge generation. Moreover, Pentium G3430 almost reaches the level of its performance to the low-end Core i3 for LGA 1155 systems, which clearly indicates the progressiveness of the new generation of inexpensive CPUs for the LGA 1150 platform.

I must say that Pentiums based on Haswell design look quite confident against the background of competing CPUs. So, all Pentiums in the LGA 1150 version are faster than the four-core AMD A8-6600K (and, therefore, faster than all Athlon X4 for Socket FM2 systems). However, do not forget that at the beginning of next year the AMD processor family will be replenished with new models based on the Kaveri design, so we will return to the question “Pentium vs. A8” later.

A deeper understanding of the SYSmark 2012 results can provide insight into the performance scores obtained in various system use cases. The Office Productivity script simulates a typical office work: preparing texts, processing spreadsheets, working with by email and visiting Internet sites. The script uses the following set of applications: ABBYY FineReader Pro 10.0, Adobe Acrobat Pro 9, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Microsoft Excel 2010, Microsoft Internet Explorer 10, Microsoft Outlook 2010, Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, Microsoft Word 2010 and WinZip Pro 14.5.

The Media Creation scenario simulates the creation of a commercial using pre-shot digital images and video. For this purpose, popular packages from Adobe are used: Photoshop CS5 Extended, Premiere Pro CS5 and After Effects CS5.

Web Development is a scenario within which the creation of a website is modeled. Applications used: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, Adobe Dreamweaver CS5, Mozilla Firefox 3.6.8 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 10.

The Data / Financial Analysis scenario is dedicated to statistical analysis and forecasting of market trends that are performed in Microsoft Excel 2010.

The 3D Modeling script is all about creating 3D objects and rendering static and dynamic scenes with using Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended, Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, Autodesk AutoCAD 2011, and Google SketchUp Pro 8.

The last script, System Management, performs backups and installation software and updates. Several different versions of Mozilla Firefox Installer and WinZip Pro 14.5 are involved here.

In general, the situation with different types of load can be described in two sentences. In those scenarios in which applications that can effectively parallelize the load take part, Pentium processors are quite seriously inferior to the more advanced Core i3 family. Where the load is predominantly one- and two-stream, the gap between the results dual core processors Intel turns out to be less visible. Moreover, in this case, the older Pentiums in the LGA 1150 version get the opportunity to overtake the younger representatives of the Core i3 series belonging to the Ivy Bridge generation. At the same time, the older Pentium for the LGA 1155 platform is always inferior to the younger Pentium for the LGA 1150, regardless of the nature of the load.

It should also be noted that AMD's quad-core processor, A8-6600K, is quite capable of competing with the Pentium. However, the speed of this model is highly dependent on optimizing applications for multithreading, so that a decent level of performance is characteristic of it only in certain scenarios: 3D Modeling and Data / Financial Analysis.

In other words, Pentium processors are well suited to work in a typical office or home environment. However, if we are talking about creating and processing multimedia content, or about calculating tasks, then it is more rational to choose processors with a large number of cores or at least dual-core Core i3, enhanced by the far from useless Hyper-Threading technology.

Next, we will look at how inexpensive dual-core processors from the Haswell family perform in individual applications, but let's start, by tradition, with 3D games.

Gaming performance

As you know, the performance of platforms equipped with current processors in the vast majority of modern games is determined by the power graphics subsystem... That is why, when testing processors, we select the most processor-dependent games, and we measure the number of frames twice. In the first pass, the tests are carried out without enabling anti-aliasing and with setting far from the highest resolutions. These settings allow you to assess how well processors perform with a gaming load in principle, which means they allow you to make guesses about how the tested computing platforms will behave in the future when faster versions of graphics accelerators appear on the market. The second pass is performed with realistic settings - when choosing FullHD-resolution and the maximum level of full-screen anti-aliasing. In our opinion, such results are no less interesting, since they answer the frequently asked question about what level of gaming performance processors can provide right now - in modern conditions.

We slightly reduced the number of games used in testing, since Pentium processors are not very frequent guests in gaming configurations. But the test results show that it is quite acceptable to use them for this purpose. Systems built on these inexpensive CPUs handle the gaming load well and provide ample frames per second for comfortable gaming.

However, if we are talking not about absolute, but about relative gaming performance, then in this case there is absolutely nothing to praise Pentium for. The higher-end Core i3 processors can offer noticeably faster performance in modern games. Still, the Hyper-Threading technology, which is not found in Pentium processors, is a very significant help in the case of dual-core processors. As a result, even the older Pentium based on the Haswell microarchitecture, endowed with the model number G3430, lags behind the younger Core i3 generation Ivy Bridge by more than 20 percent. And if you compare the new Pentium with the new Core i3 variants aimed at LGA 1150 systems, the average gap reaches 35 percent.

Testing in real games is completed by the results of the popular synthetic benchmark Futuremark 3DMark.

3DMark sums up everything we've said so far about gaming performance. According to the performance in this test, it is clearly noticeable that the new Pentiums based on the Haswell microarchitecture are noticeably faster than the Pentium of the previous generation, but the observed gain is clearly not enough to bring them closer in gaming performance to the higher-end Core i3 processors. And by the way, the 3DMark benchmark, effectively optimized for multi-core processor designs, puts the quad-core AMD A8-6600K above the Pentium. This is a rather alarming symptom indicating that dual-core processors may soon turn out to be morally outdated solutiondespite the relatively high specific performance of individual cores achieved by Intel.

In-app tests

We used the Cinebench R15 benchmark to measure the speed of photorealistic 3D rendering. Maxon recently updated its benchmark, and now it again allows you to evaluate the performance of various platforms when rendering in the latest versions of the animation package Cinema 4D.

It is hardly worth reminding that the tasks of the final rendering are well parallelized, and therefore measuring the performance when solving them is an explicit multi-threaded test. Accordingly, no one expected high results from Pentium here, CPUs of this class are noticeably inferior to both the Core i3 generations of Haswell and Ivy Bridge, and the quad-core AMD A8-6600K. At the same time, the advantage of the new microarchitecture is not too noticeable. Pentium G3430 is ahead of Pentium G2140 operating at the same clock speed by only 9 percent.

Audio files transcoding speed testing is carried out using dBpoweramp Music Converter R14.4. This measures the speed at which converting FLAC files to MP3 format with maximum compression quality. The diagram shows the performance in terms of the ratio of transcoding speed to playback speed.

dBpoweramp Music Converter is characterized by the fact that, despite the use of a single-stream Lame encoder, it can convert several audio files simultaneously, which allows you to fully use the potential inherent in modern multi-core systems. As a result, in the diagram with the results, we get about the same picture as in the final rendering. Pentium processors with only two processing cores and lacking Hyper-Threading technology look extremely dull against the background of older models. This once again confirms our thesis that for computers that are supposed to be used to process multimedia content, it is better to choose more powerful processor models with a large number of real or at least virtual computing cores.

We evaluated the high-definition video transcoding speed using the popular free utility Freemake Video Converter 4.1.1. It should be noted that this utility uses the FFmpeg library, that is, it ultimately relies on the x264 encoder, but it does some specific optimizations. During testing, we used the widely available DXVA technology to hardware accelerate the transcoding process, but to create just the processor load, the CUDA technology was disabled.

Although video transcoding is also one of the effectively parallelizable tasks, the results of the new Pentiums here are not as bad as in the previous tests. For example, Pentium G3430 almost reaches the speed of Core i3-3220 based on the previous version of the Ivy Bridge microarchitecture. However, the older Pentium of the new generation still lags behind its sister younger Core i3 by 16 percent.

Considering that inexpensive Pentium-based systems are often used as Internet terminals, special attention was paid to the performance of the Internet Explorer 11 web browser. Testing was carried out using a specialized Google Octane 2.0 Benchmark, which implements in JavaScript the ones actually used on the Internet. -Application algorithms.

Here you can see the triumph of the Pentium processors. Which, in general, is quite natural. Browsers remain single-threaded applications, so no multi-core architectures are needed for internet activity. The Haswell Pentium is an excellent option for a machine whose main task is to work with Internet applications.

We measure performance in the new Adobe Photoshop CC using our own benchmark, which is a creatively reworked Retouch Artists Photoshop Speed \u200b\u200bTest that includes typical processing of four 24-megapixel digital camera images.

Pentium processors behave quite well during processing graphic images in a popular graphics editor. In particular, the previous generation Core i3-3220 is defeated here not only by the older Haswell-based Pentium, model G3430, but even by the slightly cheaper Pentium G3420 processor. At the same time, the superiority of the Core i3-4130 over the older Pentium with the same Haswell microarchitecture is only 5-6 percent, which emphasizes the low value of Hyper-Threading technology when working in Photoshop CC.

In addition to the above, it is worth noting the unpleasantly low performance indicators of AMD processors - they really are not very good in graphics processing. AMD is trying to solve this problem through the heterogeneity of its offerings, but when using a discrete video accelerator, the graphics core built into the processor cannot be used.

To measure the speed of processors when compressing information, we use the WinRAR 5.0 archiver, with which we archive a folder with various files with a total volume of 1.7 GB with the maximum compression ratio.

The results of measuring performance during archiving only confirm all of the above. Pentium processors are quite applicable for everyday use in general-use systems, but they fall behind a serious load, significantly lagging behind representatives of the Core i3 family. So, for example, when compressing in WinRAR, the older Haswell-based Pentium lags behind the younger Core i3 with the Ivy Bridge design by 32 percent, and from the younger Core i3 with the new version of the microarchitecture - by 35 percent. Of course, the new Pentiums in the LGA 1150 version are clearly faster than their predecessors, but they cannot move to a higher weight category: microarchitectural changes alone are not enough for this.

Energy consumption

Pentium processors are often used in compact systems due to their relatively low heat dissipation and power consumption. And although Intel has set the thermal package of the new Pentiums at the same 54W as for the Haswell Core i3 generation, it is clear that they should be more economical due to lower clock speeds and lack of Hyper-Threading support. Moreover, energy efficiency should also play into the hands of the fact that the new Pentiums are based on a special 22-nm semiconductor crystal, which has a smaller area than in the case of Core i3.

However, before opting for Pentium processors, remember that they have not only significantly lower performance than Core i3 in multi-threaded and gaming applications. Their disadvantages are that the built-in HD Graphics core has a very narrow scope of applicability: its 3D performance does not stand up to criticism, and, moreover, it lacks the very useful Quick Sync technology.

Nevertheless, having received a full line of Pentium for LGA 1150 systems at our disposal, we paid special attention to measuring power consumption. The following graphs, unless otherwise specified, show the total system consumption (without monitor) measured at the outlet from the outlet where the test system's power supply is connected, and is the sum of the energy consumption of all components involved in the system. The total figure automatically includes the efficiency of the power supply itself, however, given that the power supply model we use, Corsair AX760i, is certified 80 Plus Platinum, its effect should be minimal. During the measurements, the load on the processors was created by the 64-bit version of the LinX 0.6.4 utility with support for the AVX and FMA instructions. In addition, to correctly estimate idle power consumption, we activated turbo mode and all available energy-saving technologies: C1E, C6, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep and Cool "n" Quiet.

We have already said more than once that no modern CPU can match Haswell in terms of minimum idle consumption. The diagram below is another confirmation of this. Intel has honed its energy-saving technologies to glory. However, at the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that low-end AMD processors at rest are approaching the power consumption of the new Pentium.

Under single-threaded workload, Haswell-based Pentiums remain the leader in energy efficiency. Moreover, in comparison with the related Core i3, their consumption is about 5-7 W lower. They slightly outperform the previous generation Pentium in terms of consumption.

Full processor load places even stronger emphasis on the Pentium's economy. However, it should be borne in mind that Pentium, unlike Core i3, can execute only two computational threads simultaneously, and therefore, in terms of performance and power consumption ratio, it does not outperform its older brothers. However, in terms of absolute performance, the Pentium has a 15-20W advantage over the Haswell-generation Core i3. As a result, the maximum power consumption of a full LGA 1150 system with a Pentium processor (no 3D load) does not exceed 75W.

This means that new Pentiums can be installed in compact Mini-ITX cases with an integrated power supply without any doubts. Such systems can be interesting as office solutions, Internet terminals, thin clients, or home computers for unassuming users who are alien to the world of 3D games.

conclusions

Testing of Pentium processors based on the fresh Haswell microarchitecture did not bring any surprises. CPUs of this class are among the fairly cheap dual-core processors with a cost significantly below $ 100. Their differences from the more expensive dual-core Core i3 processors are quite typical. The Pentium has lower clock speeds, no Hyper-Threading Technology, and the new AVX and AVX2 instruction sets are disabled. As a result, the new Pentiums are expected to lag behind the Core i3 in performance, and their weakness is most pronounced in applications optimized for multithreading. The introduction of the Haswell microarchitecture and the LGA 1150 platform did not change anything in this regard: the new Pentium in the LGA 1150 version, just like their LGA 1155 predecessors, can only be suitable for use in systems aimed at consuming content, and not producing it. ...

However, one should not think that Pentium is low-performance processors by modern standards. In fact, their speed is more than enough for comfortable work in most common applications. And in games, when using external graphics, they behave very well, freely providing a comfortable fps level. In other words, the majority of users can be quite satisfied with the high-speed performance provided by the Pentium, especially since their transfer to the new version of the microarchitecture increased the operating speed by 10-15 percent.

At the same time, power consumption has decreased slightly, and this opens up wide opportunities for the Haswell-based Pentium for implementation in ultra-compact systems. However, it should be borne in mind that the graphics core built into these processors is not suitable for 3D use, and besides, they do not have Quick Sync technology, which is very useful for multimedia machines.

Meanwhile, Pentium has one more important trump card - a favorable price. They are about 75 percent cheaper than representatives of the Core i3 family, which ultimately allows you to assemble platforms that are very attractive in terms of cost, because minimum price budget LGA 1150 motherboards have already dropped to $ 50 by now. And it is from the point of view of the price-performance ratio that the Pentium has every reason to become a very popular proposal. In the end, the two full-fledged cores with the modern Haswell microarchitecture that are part of the Pentium do not and cannot have any unsolvable problems.

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Options, Consumables and Accessories for INTEL Pentium Processor G3420

Reviews

We tried to make the description as good as possible, so that your choice was error-free and deliberate. we may not have exploited this product, but only touched it from all sides, and after you buy it, try it in operation, your review can make this world better, if your review is really useful, then we will publish it and give it you have the opportunity to make your next purchase from us on the 2nd column.

INTEL Pentium Processor G3260 - Required minimum

3 Parkhomenko Sergey Alexandrovich 18-08-2017

INTEL Pentium Processor G3260
Advantages:
The required minimum for productive systems, putting the CPU dead is just to mock the system engineer.
Disadvantages:
I would like a more decent price / performance ratio.

chasing if you know how

5 Mamakin Vitaly 29-03-2016

Device Owner Review: INTEL Pentium Processor G3258
Advantages:
you can raise the frequency and get a very fast processor, the main thing is to read right away that this is needed, which mother's chipset and on which mothers it is provided.
Disadvantages:
did not find

INTEL Pentium Processor G3250 - The most budgetary working processor in the office, for the minimum money

5 Potapov Maxim Viktorovich 18-11-2015

Device Owner Review: INTEL Pentium Processor G3250
Advantages:
A good horse for an office PC for the money. Good frequency, fast with Windows 8.1
Disadvantages:
It pays for its money

INTEL Pentium Processor G3220 - Super for your money

5 Pavel Potekhin 11-07-2015

Device Owner Review: INTEL Pentium Processor G3220
Advantages:
was packed in a cardboard box with rubber bands from under the money neatly
Disadvantages:
have not found

INTEL Pentium Processor G3258 - highest performance per single core

5 Alexey 16-05-2015

Disadvantages: I take BOX all the time because of the extended warranty, I never needed standard cooling, I would prefer a kit without it, but with the same warranty.

Performance comparison and test results

So that you can evaluate the performance of the selected product (which has not yet been in our test lab, but we are working on it), the diagram shows the test results for 10 products that are similar in price to the selected one. Percentage rates indicate approaching the highest recorded result.

Only products that are currently in stock are used for comparisons.

Product release date.

Lithography

Lithography indicates the semiconductor technology used to manufacture the integrated chipsets and the report is shown in nanometer (nm), which indicates the size of the features built into the semiconductor.

Terms of Use

The conditions of use are environmental factors and performance characteristicsappropriate for the proper use of the system.
For SKU-specific terms of use, see the PRQ report.
Please refer to Intel UC (Non-Disclosure Agreement Site) * for current terms of use.

Number of Cores

Core count is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die).

Number of threads

A thread or thread of execution is a software term for a basic ordered sequence of instructions that can be transmitted or processed by a single CPU core.

CPU base clock speed

Processor base frequency is the open / close speed of the processor transistors. The processor base frequency is the operating point where the TDP is set. Frequency is measured in gigahertz (GHz) or billions of computational cycles per second.

Cache memory

The processor cache is an area of \u200b\u200bhigh-speed memory located within the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share last-level cache access.

System bus frequency

A bus is a subsystem that transfers data between components of a computer or between computers. An example is the system bus (FSB), through which data is exchanged between the processor and the memory controller unit; DMI, which is a point-to-point connection between an embedded controller intel memory and an Intel I / O controller box on the motherboard; and a Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) interface between the processor and the integrated memory controller.

Design power

Thermal Design Power (TDP) refers to the average performance in watts when the processor is dissipating power (at base clock with all cores active) under a complex load as defined by Intel. Check out the requirements for thermoregulation systems in the datasheet.

Available options for embedded systems

Embedded Options Available indicates products that provide extended purchase options for smart systems and embedded solutions. Product specifications and conditions of use are presented in the Production Release Qualification (PRQ) report. Please contact your Intel representative for details.

Max. memory size (depends on memory type)

Max. memory size refers to the maximum amount of memory supported by the processor.

Memory types

Intel® processors support four different memory types: single channel, dual channel, triple channel, and Flex.

Max. number of memory channels

Application bandwidth depends on the number of memory channels.

Max. memory bandwidth

Max. memory bandwidth refers to the maximum speed at which data can be read from memory or stored in memory by the processor (in GB / s).

ECC memory support ‡

ECC memory support indicates the processor is supporting ECC memory. ECC memory is a type of memory that supports the identification and repair of common types of internal memory corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Processor Graphics ‡

The graphics processor system is a graphics processing circuit integrated into the processor, which forms the operation of the functions of the video system, computing processes, multimedia and information display. Intel® HD Graphics, Iris ™ Graphics, Iris Plus Graphics, and Iris Pro Graphics deliver advanced media conversion, high frame rates and 4K Ultra HD (UHD) video display capability. For more information see the Intel® Graphics Technology page.

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base Frequency is the rated / guaranteed graphics rendering clock (MHz).

Max. dynamic graphics frequency

Max. Graphics Dynamic Frequency is the maximum conditional rendering frequency (MHz) supported by Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency.

Max. graphics video memory

The maximum amount of memory available for the processor graphics system. The graphics system of the processor uses the same memory as the processor itself (subject to limitations for OS, driver, etc.).

Graphics Output

Graphics output defines the interfaces available to interact with device mappings.

Max. Resolution (HDMI 1.4) ‡

Maximum Resolution (HDMI) —The maximum resolution supported by the processor over HDMI (24 bits per pixel @ 60 Hz). The system resolution or screen resolution depends on several system design factors, namely, the actual system resolution may be lower.

Max. Resolution (DP) ‡

Maximum Resolution (DP) —The maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24 bits per pixel @ 60 Hz). The system resolution or screen resolution depends on several system design factors, namely, the actual system resolution may be lower.

Max. Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Maximum Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) —The maximum resolution supported by the processor for an embedded flat panel (24 bits per pixel @ 60 Hz). System resolution or screen resolution depends on several system design factors; actual resolution on device may be lower.

Max. Resolution (VGA) ‡

Maximum Resolution (VGA) —The maximum resolution supported by the processor through the VGA interface (24 bits per pixel @ 60 Hz). The system resolution or screen resolution depends on several system design factors, namely, the actual system resolution may be lower.

DirectX * support

DirectX indicates support for a specific version of the Microsoft Application Programming Interface (API) collection for handling multimedia computing tasks.

OpenGL * support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-platform language or cross-platform API for displaying two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) vector graphics.

Intel® Quick Sync Video

Intel Technology® Quick Sync Video provides fast video conversion for portable media players, web hosting, and video editing and creation.

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a collection of video encoding and processing technologies built into the processor's integrated graphics. These technologies make video playback more stable and graphics clearer, more vibrant and lifelike. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology delivers brighter colors and more lifelike skin through video enhancements.

PCI Express Revision

PCI Express revision is the version supported by the processor. PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed serial bus extensions for computers to connect hardware devices to it. Different versions PCI Express supports various data transfer rates.

PCI Express Configurations ‡

PCI configurations Express (PCIe) describes the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to map PCH PCIe lanes to PCIe devices.

Max. number of PCI Express lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) channel consists of two pairs of signaling channels, one for receiving and the other for transmitting data, and this channel is the basic module of the PCIe bus. PCI Express Lanes is the total number of lanes supported by the processor.

Supported connectors

A connector is a component that provides mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and the motherboard.

Cooling system specifications

Intel thermal reference specifications for the proper operation of this heading.

T CASE

The critical temperature is the maximum temperature allowed in the integrated heat spreader (IHS) of the processor.

Intel® Optane ™ Memory Support ‡

Intel® Optane ™ memory is a revolutionary new class of nonvolatile memory that works between system memory and storage devices to improve system performance and responsiveness. When combined with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver, it efficiently manages multiple storage tiers by providing one virtual disk for the needs of the OS, thereby ensuring the storage of the most frequently used information at the fastest storage level. Intel® Optane ™ memory requires dedicated hardware and software configuration... For configuration requirements, visit www.intel.com/OptaneMemory.

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor frequency to the required level by taking advantage of the difference between the nominal and maximum values \u200b\u200bof the temperature and power consumption parameters, which allows you to increase energy efficiency or "overclock" the processor when needed.

Intel® vPro ™ Platform Compliant ‡

Intel® vPro ™ Technology is a processor-based management and security suite that addresses four key areas information security: 1) Threat management, including protection against rootkits, viruses and other malware 2) Identity protection and point-to-point protection of website access 3) Protection of confidential personal and business information 4) Remote and local monitoring, patching, PC repair and workstations.

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) provides two processing threads for each physical core. Multi-threaded applications can perform more tasks in parallel, which greatly speeds up work.

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I / O (VT-x) allows a single hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. The technology improves management capabilities by reducing downtime and maintaining productivity by allocating separate partitions for compute operations.

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I / O (VT-d) ‡

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I / O complements the virtualization support in IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® (VT-i) processors with I / O virtualization. Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I / O helps users increase system security and reliability and improve I / O performance in virtual environments.

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) ‡

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables, also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) technology, accelerates memory-intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables on Intel® Virtualization Technology-enabled platforms reduce memory and power overhead and increase time autonomous work due to hardware optimization of page redirection table management.

Intel® TSX-NI

Intel® Transactional Synchronization Extensions New Instructions (Intel® TSX-NI) are a set of instructions designed to scale performance in multi-threaded environments. This technology helps to more efficiently perform concurrent operations through improved control of software locking.

Instruction set extensions

Instruction set extensions are additional instructionsthat you can use to improve performance when performing operations with multiple data objects. These include SSE (Support for SIMD Extensions) and AVX (Vector Extensions).

Idle states

Idle state (or C-state) mode is used to conserve power when the processor is idle. C0 means an operational state, that is, the CPU is currently doing useful work. C1 is the first idle state, C2 is the second idle state, and so on. The higher the numerical indicator of the C-state, the more energy-saving actions the program performs.

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology helps provide high productivityas well as meeting the requirements of mobile systems for energy conservation. Standard Intel SpeedStep® Technology enables voltage and frequency switching based on processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is built on the same architecture and uses design strategies such as decoupling voltage and frequency changes, and clock distribution and recovery.

Thermal control technologies

Thermal management technologies protect the processor case and system from overheating failure with multiple thermal management features. The Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) detects the core temperature, and thermal management functions reduce the power consumption of the processor chassis as needed, thereby lowering temperatures to ensure operation within normal operating specifications.

Intel® Stable Image Platform Program (Intel® SIPP)

Intel® Stable Image Platform Program (Intel® SIPP) can help your company find and implement standardized, stable PC platforms for at least 15 months.

Intel® AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES New Instructions) are a set of commands that enable you to quickly and securely encrypt and decrypt data. AES-NI commands can be used to solve a wide range of cryptographic tasks, for example, in applications providing bulk encryption, decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡

Intel® Trusted Execution Technology enhances secure command execution by hardware expansion of Intel® processors and chipsets. This technology provides security features such as measurable application launch and secure command execution for digital office platforms. It does this by creating an environment where applications run in isolation from other applications in the system.

Function Cancel Execute Bit ‡

The cancel execute bit is a hardware security feature that can help reduce vulnerability to viruses and malicious code and prevent malware from executing and spreading to a server or network.