Ryzen 9 9950X vs i3-8120
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | 59 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 61.77 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | no data |
| Power efficiency | no data | 23.25 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) | Granite Ridge (2024) |
| Release date | 1 September 2018 (6 years ago) | 15 August 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $649 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X 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) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 4.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 5.7 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 64 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 4 nm |
| Die size | 126 mm2 | 2x 70.6 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 95 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 16,630 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X 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 | 1151 | AM5 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 170 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | SMT, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX (+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Dual-channel | DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | AMD Radeon Graphics |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 24 |
Pros & cons summary
| Integrated graphics card | 3.09 | 1.98 |
| Recency | 1 September 2018 | 15 August 2024 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 16 |
| Threads | 4 | 32 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 4 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 170 Watt |
i3-8120 has 56.1% faster integrated GPU, and 161.5% lower power consumption.
Ryzen 9 9950X, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 5 years, 300% more physical cores and 700% more threads, and a 250% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X. We've got no test results to judge.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8120 and Ryzen 9 9950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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