Intel Pentium G2020: Ivy Bridge with very low power consumption

Even though I had already reviewed Intel Pentium G860 3GHz and it would be only logical to order Pentium G2120 from the Ivy Bridge family (which is clocked the same as G860) for our next test, I chose G2020. Not only is it 600 CZK (or almost one-third) cheaper than its colleague (which is clocked at only 100MHz more), but it also costs less than G2010 2.8GHz. From the previous generation of Sandy Bridge processors, Pentium G630 is the closest one in terms of price. But that one is clocked at 200MHz less, while we know that Ivy Bridge has better clock-by-clock performance in comparison (usually up to 4%).
In terms of package and cooler size, lower Sandy Bridge is virtually the same as Ivy Bridge; when it comes to processors, there is no difference in functionality. They both support the same instruction sets; some users will be discontented because they also share the ones that they don't support (AES-NI, VT-d, AVX).
Some progress was made with regard to GPU. Although it still has the same name "Intel HD (no number)" it is a GPU of a new generation. It can support up to three monitors and we know that, when used in similar circumstances, it is more efficient than its predecessors. So even though G2020 HD Graphics clocked at 650 to 1,050MHz (dynamically) might look slower than G860 HD with a frequency range of 850 to 1,100MHz, it is the other way round. The difference is not that big, but it is there.
You won't find a test of this particular GPU on our server yet because methodology for IGP and cheap discrete graphic cards is changing at the moment, but this review can serve as a taste of what it can do. And even though you can't really overclock G2020 from its nominal value of 2.9GHz (the best you can do is usually 29 x 3 to 4MHz, in other words, some 116MHz), an integrated HD Graphics with the right motherboard can go up to 1.3GHz.
Parameters of the chosen processors compared
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Series | Pentium | Pentium | Core i3 | Core i5 | Core i5 | Core i7 |
| Model | G860 | G2020 | 3220 | 3350P | 3570K | 3770K |
| Clock speed | 3.0GHz | 2.9GHz | 3.3GHz | 3.1GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.5GHz |
| Turbo clock speed | – | – | – | 3.3GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.9GHz |
| Number of cores | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Number of threads | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Codename | Sandy Bridge | Ivy Bridge | Ivy Bridge | Ivy Bridge | Ivy Bridge | Ivy Bridge |
| L1 cache | 2× 64 kB | 2× 64 kB | 2× 64 kB | 4× 64 kB | 4× 64 kB | 4× 64 kB |
| L2 cache | 2× 256 kB | 2× 256 kB | 2× 256 kB | 4× 256 kB | 4× 256 kB | 4× 256 kB |
| L3 cache | 3072 kB | 3072 kB | 3072 kB | 6144 kB | 6144 kB | 8192 kB |
| Memory type | DDR3-1333 | DDR3-1333 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1600 |
| Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum RAM capacity | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Bus | 5GT/s (DMI) | 5GT/s (DMI) | 5GT/s (DMI) | 5GT/s (DMI) | 5GT/s (DMI) | 5GT/s (DMI) |
| BCLK | 100MHz | 100MHz | 100MHz | 100MHz | 100MHz | 100MHz |
| Clock multiplier | 30 | 29 | 34 | 31 | 34 | 35 |
| Manufacturing process | 32 nm high-k | 22 nm high-k | 22 nm high-k | 22 nm high-k | 22 nm high-k | 22 nm high-k |
| Core size | 131 mm2 | 160 mm2 | 160 mm2 | 160 mm2 | 160 mm2 | 160 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 504 million | 1.4 billion | 1.4 billion | 1.4 billion. | 1.4 billion | 1.4 billion |
| TDP | 65W | 55W | 55W | 69W | 77W | 77W |
| Instruction sets | SSE4.1/4.2 | SSE4.1/4.2 | SSE4.1/4.2, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX |
| Virtualization | VT-x | VT-x | VT-x | VT-x, VT-d | VT-x | VT-x |
| Integrated graphic card | HD | HD | HD 2500 | – | HD 4000 | HD 4000 |
| PCI Express | 2.0, 16× | 2.0, 16× | 2.0, 16× | 3.0, 16× | 3.0, 16× | 3.0, 16× |
| Socket | 1155 | 1155 | 1155 | 1155 | 1155 | 1155 |
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD | AMD | AMD | AMD | AMD |
| Series | A10 | FX | FX | FX | FX | FX |
| Model | 5800K | 6100 | 8120 | 4300 | 6300 | 8350 |
| Clock speed | 3.8GHz | 3.3 GHz | 3.1GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.5GHz | 4.0GHz |
| Turbo clock speed | 4.2GHz | 3.6–3.9 GHz | 3.4–4.0 GHz | 3.9–4.0GHz | 3.8–4.1GHz | 4.1–4.2GHz |
| Number of cores | 4 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Number of threads | 4 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Codename | Trinity | Zambezi | Zambezi | Vishera | Vishera | Vishera |
| L1 cache | 4× 16 + 2× 64 kB | 6× 16 + 3× 64 kB | 8× 16 + 4× 64 kB | 4× 16 + 2× 64 kB | 6× 16 + 3× 64 kB | 8× 16 + 4× 64 kB |
| L2 cache | 2× 2048 kB | 3× 2048 kB | 4× 2048 kB | 2× 2048 kB | 3× 2048 kB | 4× 2048 kB |
| L3 cache | – | 8192 kB | 8192 kB | 8192 kB | 8192 kB | 8192 kB |
| Memory type | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1866 |
| Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum RAM capacity | 64 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Bus | 5GT/s (UMI) | 5.2GT/s (HT) | 5.2GT/s (HT) | 5.2GT/s (HT) | 5.2GT/s (HT) | 5.2GT/s (HT) |
| BCLK | 100MHz | 200MHz | 200MHz | 200MHz | 200MHz | 200MHz |
| Clock multiplier | 30 | 16.5 | 18 | 19 | 17.5 | 20 |
| Manufacturing process | 32 nm | 32 nm | 32 nm | 32 nm | 32 nm | 32 nm |
| Core size | 224 mm2 | 319 mm2 | 319 mm2 | 319 mm2 | 319 mm2 | 319 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 1.18 billion | approx. 1.6 billion | approx. 1.6 billion | approx. 1.6 billion | approx. 1.6 billion | approx. 1.6 billion |
| TDP | 100W | 95W | 125W | 95W | 95W | 125W |
| Instruction sets | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX | SSE4.1/4.2, AES-NI, AVX |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | AMD-V | AMD-V | AMD-V | AMD-V | AMD-V |
| Integrated graphic card | HD 7660D | – | – | – | – | – |
| PCI Express | 2.0, 20× | – | – | – | – | – |
| Socket | FM2 | AM3+ | AM3+ | AM3+ | AM3+ | AM3+ |
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Comments
Ivy Bridge G2020
This review is even better than Tom's Hardware! Excellent! G2020 beats FX6100 and equals FX6300, amazing.
This is an awesome review.
This is an awesome review. Been scouring for a review like this because I'm going to have my first gaming PC. Hahahaha. I'm so poor.
cpu
btw a fx 6300 destroy any pentium i3 offer from intel in gaming.....
with my 7950 bf4 at ultra 50fps + with direct x and with mantle 60-120 fps
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