Intel Core i3-8121U Benchmark, Test and specs

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CPU lineage

The Intel Core i3-8121U features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently. It was released in Q2/2018 and belongs to the 8 generation of the Intel Core i3 series. To use the Intel Core i3-8121U, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1356 socket.
Name: Intel Core i3-8121U
Family: Intel Core i3
Group: Intel Core i 8000U
Segment: Mobile
Generation: 8

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-8121U has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-8121U is 2.2 GHz and turbo frequency for one core is 3.2 GHz.
CPU Cores: 2
Threads: 4
Cores: 2x
Core architecture: normal
Hyperthreading: Yes
Overclocking: No
Frequency: 2.2 GHz
Turbo Frequency (1 core): 3.2 GHz
Turbo Frequency (all cores): 2.7 GHz

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 32.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
Memory type: DDR4-2400, LPDDR4-2400
Max. Memory: 32.0 GB
Memory channels: 2
Bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s
ECC: No
PCIe: pci
AES-NI: Yes

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 15 W watts. TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
TDP (PL1 / PBP): 15 W
TDP (PL2): None
TDP up: None
TDP down: None
Tjunction max: 105 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-8121U is manufactured using a 10 nm process. A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU. In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache. A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
Technology: 10 nm
Chip design: Monolithic
Socket: BGA 1356
L2-Cache: 0 bytes
L3-Cache: 4.0 MB
Architecture: Cannon Lake U
Operating systems: Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Instruction set (ISA): x86-64 (64 bit)
ISA extensions: SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
Release date: Q2/2018
Release price: --
Part Number: --
Documents: Technical data sheet
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Benchmarks

Geekbench 3, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-4150
2C 4T @ 3.5 GHz
7830
7830
Intel Pentium G4600
2C 4T @ 3.6 GHz
7816
7816
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
7794
7794
AMD FX-6100
6C 6T @ 3.3 GHz
7737
7737
AMD Athlon X4 835
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
7673
7673

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Core i3-6320
2C 4T @ 3.9 GHz
4400
4400
AMD FX-4200
4C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
4395
4395
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
4395
4395
AMD FX-4200
4C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
4395
4395
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
8C 8T @ 2.96 GHz
4389
4389

Geekbench 3, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Xeon E5-1680 v3
8C 16T @ 3.2 GHz
4096
4096
Intel Core i7-5775R
4C 8T @ 3.3 GHz
4083
4083
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
4078
4078
Intel Core i7-6700T
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
4060
4060
Intel Core i5-7500
4C 4T @ 3.4 GHz
4055
4055

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i7-3770
4C 8T @ 3.4 GHz
2418
2418
Intel Atom C5325
8C 8T @ 2.4 GHz
2418
2418
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
2414
2414
Intel Core i3-8140U
2C 4T @ 2.1 GHz
2403
2403
Intel Core i3-4360
2C 4T @ 3.7 GHz
2398
2398

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

AMD FX-6200
6C 6T @ 3.8 GHz
1992
1992
Intel Atom x6413E
4C 4T @ 1.5 GHz
1988
1988
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
1987
1987
Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G
NoneC NoneT @ --
1975
1975
Intel Core i3-8140U
2C 4T @ 2.1 GHz
1974
1974

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i5-4570
4C 4T @ 3.2 GHz
1114
1114
MediaTek Dimensity 1200
8C 8T @ 3.0 GHz
1114
1114
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
1114
1114
MediaTek Dimensity 1200
8C 8T @ 3.0 GHz
1114
1114
Intel Core i5-4570
4C 4T @ 3.2 GHz
1114
1114

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Core i5-3470T
2C 4T @ 2.9 GHz
811
811
Intel Core i5-2550k
4C 4T @ 3.4 GHz
810
810
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
810
810
Intel Core i5-2550k
4C 4T @ 3.4 GHz
810
810
Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.4 GHz
808
808

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-7167U
2C 4T @ 2.8 GHz
306
306
Intel Core i3-3245
2C 4T @ 3.4 GHz
306
306
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
305
305
AMD Phenom II X4 B95
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
304
304
AMD Phenom II X4 945
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
304
304

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i7-4850HQ
4C 8T @ 2.3 GHz
139
139
Intel Core i7-4930K
6C 12T @ 3.4 GHz
139
139
Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.2 GHz
139
139
Intel Xeon Gold 5119T
14C 28T @ 1.9 GHz
139
139
Intel Core i5-8400T
6C 6T @ 1.7 GHz
139
139