i5-12600KF vs Pentium 3556U

Aggregate performance score

Pentium 3556U
2013
2 cores / 2 threads, 15 Watt
0.67
Core i5-12600KF
2021
10 cores / 16 threads, 125 Watt
17.57
+2522%

Core i5-12600KF outperforms Pentium 3556U by a whopping 2522% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2733352
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data46.64
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel PentiumIntel Core i5
Power efficiency4.2313.30
Architecture codenameHaswell (2013−2015)Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date1 September 2013 (11 years ago)4 November 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$264

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF 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 cores2 (Dual-core)10 (Deca-Core)
Threads216
Base clock speed1.7 GHz3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed1.7 GHz4.9 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 4.0
Bus rate5 GT/s8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplierno data37
L1 cache64K (per core)80K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)9.5 MB
L3 cache2 MB (shared)20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nmIntel 7 nm
Die size118 mm2215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)105 °C72 °C
Number of transistors1,400 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF 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 configuration11
SocketFCBGA1168FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shiftno data+
Turbo Boost Technology-2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Smart Response-no data
GPIO+no data
Smart Connect+no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data-
FDI-no data
AMT9.5no data
Matrix Storage-no data
HD Audio+no data
RST+no data
Deep Learning Boost-+

Security technologies

Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB++
Secure Key++
OS Guard-+
Anti-Theft-no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d-+
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size16 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s76.805 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel Processorsno data
Clear Video+no data
Graphics max frequency1 GHzno data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3no data
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF.

PCIe version2.05.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes1020
PCI support-no data
USB revision3.0no data
Total number of SATA ports2no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports2no data
Integrated IDE-no data
Number of USB ports4no data
Integrated LAN-no data
UART+no data

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.

Pentium 3556U 0.67
i5-12600KF 17.57
+2522%

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.

Pentium 3556U 1061
i5-12600KF 27912
+2531%

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.

Pentium 3556U 302
i5-12600KF 2520
+734%

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.

Pentium 3556U 493
i5-12600KF 12319
+2399%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.67 17.57
Recency 1 September 2013 4 November 2021
Physical cores 2 10
Threads 2 16
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 125 Watt

Pentium 3556U has 733.3% lower power consumption.

i5-12600KF, on the other hand, has a 2522.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, and 400% more physical cores and 700% more threads.

The Core i5-12600KF is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium 3556U in performance tests.

Be aware that Pentium 3556U is a notebook processor while Core i5-12600KF is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Pentium 3556U
Pentium 3556U
Intel Core i5-12600KF
Core i5-12600KF

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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