i9-12900K vs i3-9100
Aggregate performance score
Core i9-12900K outperforms Core i3-9100 by a whopping 526% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1376 | 184 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 9.82 | 36.10 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | Intel Core i9 |
| Power efficiency | 6.07 | 19.77 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) | Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) |
| Release date | 23 April 2019 (5 years ago) | 27 October 2021 (3 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $122 | $589 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i9-12900K has 268% better value for money than i3-9100.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K 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 | 24 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.2 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | DMI 4.0 |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | 8 × 16 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 36 | 32 |
| L1 cache | 256 KB | 768 KB |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 6 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 126 mm2 | 215.25 mm2" |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | 72 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K 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 | FCLGA1700 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 125 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K. 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 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| SIPP | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K 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 i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2400 | DDR4, DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | 76.805 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| Max video memory | 64 GB | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | + |
| Clear Video | + | no data |
| Clear Video HD | + | + |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.1 GHz | 1.55 GHz |
| Execution Units | no data | 32 |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | 4 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | + | no data |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 4096 x 2304@24Hz | 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | 4096 x 2304@60Hz | 5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 4096 x 2304@60Hz | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 12 | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 and 4.0 |
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 4.33 | 27.10 |
| Integrated graphics card | 3.09 | 6.15 |
| Recency | 23 April 2019 | 27 October 2021 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 16 |
| Threads | 4 | 24 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 125 Watt |
i3-9100 has 92.3% lower power consumption.
i9-12900K, on the other hand, has a 525.9% higher aggregate performance score, 99% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 2 years, 300% more physical cores and 500% more threads, and a 40% more advanced lithography process.
The Core i9-12900K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-9100 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-9100 and Core i9-12900K, 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.
