Core i3-8121U

Details and Benchmarks for Intel Core i3-8121U

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Benchmark Results

Combined benchmark scores based on multiple data points, giving a quick overview of this processor's performance.

Overall Score

Overall score for Core i3-8121U based on all benchmark results gathered. Look at this like a meta score, you will find more specific workload ratings below.

4,932 Rank: 924
Rank Name Score Visual
920 Xeon Silver 4112 4,934
+0%
921 Xeon E3-1271 v3 4,934
+0%
922 Athlon 240GE 4,933
+0%
923 Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U 4,933
+0%
924 Core i3-8121U 4,932
925 Core i3-6098P 4,931
+-0%
926 Xeon E5-1607 v4 4,928
-0.1%
927 Core i7-4800MQ 4,925
-0.1%
928 Core i7-5550U 4,925
-0.1%
929 Ryzen 5 3500U 4,924
-0.2%

View full ranking →

Multicore Score

Multicore performance score for Core i3-8121U based on multi-threaded benchmark results.

4,593 Rank: 1098
Rank Name Score Visual
1094 Core i3-7167U 4,596
+0.1%
1095 Pentium G4600 4,595
+0%
1096 Core i5-4570T 4,594
+0%
1097 Pentium Gold G5420 4,593
+0%
1098 Core i3-8121U 4,593
1099 Celeron B815 4,592
+-0%
1100 A10-9700 4,592
+-0%
1101 Phenom II X4 B50 4,591
+-0%
1102 Athlon Gold 7220U 4,591
+-0%
1103 Intel Core i5-6198DU 4,590
-0.1%

View full ranking →

Singlecore Score

Single-core performance score for Core i3-8121U based on single-threaded benchmark results.

5,158 Rank: 846
Rank Name Score Visual
842 Ryzen 5 1400 5,162
+0.1%
843 Core i5-7442EQ 5,161
+0.1%
844 Xeon E5-1620 v2 5,159
+0%
845 Core i5-1030NG7 5,159
+0%
846 Core i3-8121U 5,158
847 Pentium G4500T 5,156
+-0%
848 Core i7-6498DU 5,156
+-0%
849 Ryzen 3 7320U 5,156
+-0%
850 Core i7-4770HQ 5,150
-0.2%
851 Pentium 6805 5,150
-0.2%

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Workload Scores

Performance scores grouped by workload type, normalized and aggregated from multiple raw benchmark results.

Number Crunching

Aggregated score for Core i3-8121U based on integer math, floating point math, and prime number computation benchmarks.

4,573 Rank: 1061
Rank Name Score Visual
1057 Core i7-2630QM 4,574
+0%
1058 Core i3-7101E 4,574
+0%
1059 A8-7650K 4,573
+0%
1060 A8-5600K 4,573
+0%
1061 Core i3-8121U 4,573
1062 Pentium J6426 4,573
+0%
1063 PRO A10-8750B 4,573
+0%
1064 Athlon 240GE 4,572
+-0%
1065 Core i3-6100 4,572
+-0%
1066 Xeon X5450 4,572
+-0%

View full ranking →

Data Processing

Aggregated score for Core i3-8121U based on data encryption, data compression, and string sorting benchmarks.

4,552 Rank: 1053
Rank Name Score Visual
1049 Core i3-7101TE 4,552
+0%
1050 A10-9700 4,552
+0%
1051 A10-7870K 4,552
+0%
1052 Xeon X5470 4,552
+0%
1053 Core i3-8121U 4,552
1054 Core i3-6300T 4,550
+-0%
1055 Phenom II X4 965 4,550
+-0%
1056 Core i5-7360U 4,549
-0.1%
1057 Core i5-7287U 4,549
-0.1%
1058 Core i3-4360 4,549
-0.1%

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Physics & Compute

Aggregated score for Core i3-8121U based on physics simulation and extended instruction set (SSE/AVX) benchmarks.

4,604 Rank: 953
Rank Name Score Visual
949 Core i7-2960XM 4,607
+0.1%
950 Xeon W3580 4,607
+0.1%
951 Core i7-2860QM 4,606
+0%
952 Core i5-3475S 4,605
+0%
953 Core i3-8121U 4,604
954 Xeon E5645 4,604
+0%
955 Atom C3858 4,603
+-0%
956 Core i5-3340 4,603
+-0%
957 Core i5-3330S 4,603
+-0%
958 Core i7-2920XM 4,603
+-0%

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Core i3-8121U Details

As of March 2026, the Intel Core i3-8121U remains a niche mobile processor, positioned in the lower tier of the performance spectrum. Despite its age—launched in May 2018—it still holds relevance in budget and ultra-portable systems due to its low power consumption and adequate single-threaded performance. Built on Intel’s 10 nm process, the Core i3-8121U is based on the Coffee Lake-U Refresh architecture, delivering a base clock of 2.2 GHz and a turbo frequency of 3.2 GHz. With two physical cores and four threads enabled via Hyper-Threading, it offers modest multitasking capability, though it is clearly not designed for heavy computational workloads.

The processor features a 28 W TDP and is packaged in the FC-BGA1440 socket, a common choice for thin-and-light laptops. It supports up to 38.4 GB/s memory bandwidth via dual-channel DDR4-2400, with a maximum capacity of 64 GB. While the 3.815 MiB L3 cache is relatively generous for its class, the limited core count and lack of modern instruction sets such as AVX-512 restrict its performance in content creation or scientific applications. The CPU also includes a range of Intel extensions, including AVX2, SSE4.2, and virtualization technologies like VT-x and VT-d, making it suitable for light virtualization tasks.

In benchmark testing, the Core i3-8121U achieves an Overall Score of 4932, placing it at #924 out of 2060 processors, with a Singlecore Score of 5158 (#846) and a Multicore Score of 4593 (#1097). These results indicate that while the CPU performs competitively in single-threaded scenarios—especially when compared to older dual-core chips like the Core i7-4770HQ—it falls behind in multi-threaded performance due to its limited core count and aging architecture. In the top 50 overall list, it trails significantly behind modern high-end processors like the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX, which scores over double its value.

The Core i3-8121U is best suited for basic productivity, web browsing, and light multimedia use in ultra-portable laptops. Its low TDP and integrated graphics make it ideal for devices where thermal and power constraints are critical. However, for users seeking performance in modern applications or multitasking, newer processors with more cores and higher clock speeds offer far greater value. While the i3-8121U holds its own in legacy systems and entry-level machines, it is no longer competitive in the current market landscape.
Frequently Compared

AMD Phenom II X2 555 40 views

AMD Ryzen 5 3500X 34 views

Intel Core i5-4200M 34 views

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 33 views

AMD A10-7400P 32 views

Intel Xeon W3505 32 views

AMD EPYC 7352 31 views

Intel Core i3-4030U 30 views

AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 30 views

AMD A9-9425 30 views

Intel Core i3-8121U

Main Specifications

Designer: Intel
Name: Core i3-8121U
Cores: 2
Threads: 4
Base Frequency: 2200 MHz
Clock Multiplier: 22x (locked)
Core Name: Coffee Lake-U
Socket: BGA1440
Package: FC-BGA1440
Target Segment: Mobile
TDP: 28 W

Cache Specifications

L1 Cache: 62.464 KiB
L2 Cache: 0.244 MiB
L3 Cache: 3.815 MiB

Memory Specifications

Supported Memory Type: DDR4

Physical Specifications

Process: 10 nm
Die Area: 123 mm²
Manufacturer: Intel

CPU Features

MMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE4.2 AVX AVX2 BMI1 BMI2 FMA3 RdRand CLMUL F16C EIST TXT VT-x VT-d MPX AVX-512 TSX 3DNow!
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