Ultra 5 125U vs i3-12100

Place in the ranking	889	710
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Meteor Lake-U
Power efficiency	13.52	69.46
Architecture codename	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Meteor Lake-P (2023)
Release date	4 January 2022 (2 years ago)	14 December 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$363

Detailed specifications

Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	4 (Quad-Core)	12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads	8	14
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	1.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.3 GHz	4.3 GHz
L1 cache	80K (per core)	112 KB (per core)
L2 cache	1.25 MB (per core)	2 MB (per core)
L3 cache	12 MB (shared)	12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	Intel 7 nm	Intel 4 nm
Die size	163 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	110 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCBGA2049
Power consumption (TDP)	60 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	-
Deep Learning Boost	+	+
Supported AI Software Frameworks	-	OpenVINO™, WindowsML, ONNX RT

Security technologies

Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	DDR5
Maximum memory size	128 GB	96 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel UHD Graphics 730	Intel® Graphics
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.4 GHz	1.85 GHz
Execution Units	24	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 TMDS) 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz (HDMI2.1 FRL)
Max resolution over eDP	5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz	3840x2400 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	12.2
OpenGL	4.5	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U.

PCIe version	5.0 and 4.0	4.0
PCI Express lanes	20	12
PCI support	no data	4.0

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i3-12100 8.57

Ultra 5 125U 11.01
+28.5%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i3-12100 13611

Ultra 5 125U 17489
+28.5%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	8.57	11.01
Recency	4 January 2022	14 December 2023
Physical cores	4	12
Threads	8	14
Power consumption (TDP)	60 Watt	15 Watt

Ultra 5 125U has a 28.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 200% more physical cores and 75% more threads, and 300% lower power consumption.

The Core Ultra 5 125U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-12100 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-12100 is a desktop processor while Core Ultra 5 125U is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-12100 and Core Ultra 5 125U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.