Ultra 9 285 vs i3-8121U

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1685	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i3	no data
Power efficiency	17.46	no data
Architecture codename	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)
Release date	15 May 2018 (6 years ago)	January 2025

Detailed specifications

Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 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)	24 (Tetracosa-Core)
Threads	4	24
Base clock speed	2.2 GHz	2.5 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	5.6 GHz
Bus type	OPI	no data
Bus rate	4 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	22	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	112 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB	3 MB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	36 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	10 nm	3 nm
Die size	123 mm2	243 mm2
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	17,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 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	1851
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285. 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	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
QuickAssist	-	no data
Speed Shift	+	no data
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
HD Audio	+	no data
RST	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
SGX	-	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
VT-i	-	no data
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR5 Depends on motherboard
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

Iris Pro Plus

Arc Xe2 Graphics 64EU

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285.

PCIe version	3.0	5.0
PCI Express lanes	16	20

Pros & cons summary

---

Physical cores	2	24
Threads	4	24
Chip lithography	10 nm	3 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	125 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---