i3-8121U vs i5-8279U
Aggregate performance score
Core i5-8279U outperforms Core i3-8121U by an impressive 71% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1270 | 1695 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i5 | Intel Core i3 |
| Power efficiency | 15.87 | 9.28 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) | Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) |
| Release date | 3 April 2019 (5 years ago) | 15 May 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $320 | no data |
Detailed specifications
Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.1 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | OPI |
| Bus rate | 4 GT/s | 4 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 22 |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 512 KB |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 4 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 126 mm2 | 123 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | 105 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2,300 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U 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 | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCBGA1528 | Intel BGA1440 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 28 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U. 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® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| QuickAssist | no data | - |
| eDRAM | 128 MB | no data |
| Speed Shift | + | + |
| My WiFi | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Flex Memory Access | + | + |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
| HD Audio | no data | + |
| RST | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | - |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | + | + |
| MPX | + | + |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| SGX | Yes with Intel® ME | - |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| VT-i | no data | - |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 37.5 GB/s | 38.397 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 | Iris Pro Plus |
| Max video memory | 32 GB | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video | + | no data |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.15 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | no data |
| eDP | + | no data |
| DisplayPort | + | - |
| HDMI | + | - |
| DVI | + | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | + | no data |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 4096x2304@30Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over eDP | 4096x2304@60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 4096x2304@60Hz | no data |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 12 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 16 |
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.
3DMark06 CPU
3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 4.72 | 2.76 |
| Recency | 3 April 2019 | 15 May 2018 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 28 Watt | 15 Watt |
i5-8279U has a 71% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 months, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.
i3-8121U, on the other hand, has a 40% more advanced lithography process, and 86.7% lower power consumption.
The Core i5-8279U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-8121U in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-8279U and Core i3-8121U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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