Ultra 5 238V vs i3-8121U
Aggregate performance score
Core Ultra 5 238V outperforms Core i3-8121U by a whopping 409% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1698 | 526 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 9.33 | 78.16 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) | Lunar Lake (2024) |
| Release date | 15 May 2018 (6 years ago) | 24 September 2024 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V 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) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.2 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| Bus type | OPI | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 GT/s | 37 MHz |
| Multiplier | 22 | no data |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 192 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512 KB | 2.5 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 4 MB (shared) | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | 123 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 105 °C | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V 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 | Intel BGA1440 | FCBGA2833 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 17 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | - | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| QuickAssist | - | no data |
| Speed Shift | + | + |
| My WiFi | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| Smart Response | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | - |
| HD Audio | + | no data |
| RST | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
| Supported AI Software Frameworks | - | OpenVINO™, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT, WebNN |
Security technologies
Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | + | + |
| MPX | + | - |
| SGX | - | no data |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| VT-i | - | no data |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Iris Pro Plus | Intel Arc Graphics 130V |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.85 GHz |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 TMDS) 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz (HDMI2.1 FRL) |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 3840x2400 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12.2 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.6 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 4 |
| PCI support | no data | 5.0 and 4.0 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.76 | 14.04 |
| Recency | 15 May 2018 | 24 September 2024 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 8 |
| Threads | 4 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | 3 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 17 Watt |
i3-8121U has 13.3% lower power consumption.
Ultra 5 238V, on the other hand, has a 408.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, 300% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 233.3% more advanced lithography process.
The Core Ultra 5 238V is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-8121U in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 5 238V, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
