5 120U vs i3-8100

Place in the ranking	1454	740
Place by popularity	74	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	4.13	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Raptor Lake-U
Power efficiency	5.59	66.01
Architecture codename	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)	Raptor Lake-U Refresh (2024)
Release date	24 September 2017 (7 years ago)	8 January 2024 (less than a year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$117	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U 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)	10 (Deca-Core)
Threads	4	12
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	1.4 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	5 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	55 MHz
Multiplier	36	no data
L1 cache	256 KB	80 KB (per core)
L2 cache	1 MB	1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	126 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCBGA1744
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U. 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	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2400	DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4x-4267
Maximum memory size	64 GB	96 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel® Graphics
Max video memory	64 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	1.25 GHz
Execution Units	no data	80
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	12.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U.

PCIe version	3.0	4.0
PCI Express lanes	16	8

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.

i3-8100 3.91

5 120U 10.66
+173%

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.

i3-8100 6101

5 120U 16611
+172%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.91	10.66
Recency	24 September 2017	8 January 2024
Physical cores	4	10
Threads	4	12
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	15 Watt

5 120U has a 172.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, 150% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and 333.3% lower power consumption.

The Core 5 120U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-8100 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-8100 is a desktop processor while Core 5 120U is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8100 and Core 5 120U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.