i3-12100E vs i3-3120M

Place in the ranking	2412	854
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i3	no data
Power efficiency	2.89	14.15
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
Release date	30 September 2012 (12 years ago)	4 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$160	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E 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	2 (Dual-core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	8
Base clock speed	2.5 GHz	3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.5 GHz	4.2 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	10 nm
Die size	118 mm²	163 mm²
Maximum core temperature	90C (PGA); 105C (BGA)	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E 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	FCBGA1023,FCPGA988	1700
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	60 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	-
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	-	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel UHD Graphics 730
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E.

PCIe version	2.0	5.0
PCI Express lanes	16	20

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.

i3-3120M 1.07

i3-12100E 8.97
+738%

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.

i3-3120M 1697

i3-12100E 14250
+740%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i3-3120M 399

i3-12100E 2205
+453%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i3-3120M 819

i3-12100E 7680
+838%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.07	8.97
Integrated graphics card	1.18	4.16
Recency	30 September 2012	4 January 2022
Physical cores	2	4
Threads	4	8
Chip lithography	22 nm	10 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	60 Watt

i3-3120M has 71.4% lower power consumption.

i3-12100E, on the other hand, has a 738.3% higher aggregate performance score, 252.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 9 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 120% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i3-12100E is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-3120M in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i3-3120M is a notebook processor while Core i3-12100E is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3120M and Core i3-12100E, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.