Core i9-12900H vs Core i3-3120M
Aggregate performance score
i9-12900H outperforms i3-3120M by a whopping 1551% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2313 | 308 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | Intel Alder Lake-P |
| Architecture codename | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) | Alder Lake-H (2022) |
| Release date | 1 October 2012 (11 years ago) | 4 January 2022 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $160 | no data |
Detailed specifications
Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H 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) | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 20 |
| Base clock speed | 2.5 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.5 GHz | 5 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 1.2 MB |
| L2 cache | 512 KB | 11.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 3 MB | 24 MB |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 118 mm2 | 217 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H 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 |
| Socket | G2 (988B) | BGA1744 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 45 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | no data | + |
| FMA | no data | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | no data |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4, DDR5 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 4000 | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H.
| PCIe version | no data | 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.
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 1551% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 1557% in Passmark.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 140% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 596% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 340% in 3DMark06 CPU.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Benchmark coverage: 18%
Core i3-3120M outperforms Core i9-12900H by 446% in wPrime 32.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 934% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark 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 loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 211% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core.
TrueCrypt AES
TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.
Benchmark coverage: 13%
Core i9-12900H outperforms Core i3-3120M by 4020% in TrueCrypt AES.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.10 | 18.16 |
| Integrated graphics card | 1.18 | 9.43 |
| Recency | 1 October 2012 | 4 January 2022 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 14 |
| Threads | 4 | 20 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 45 Watt |
i3-3120M has 28.6% lower power consumption.
i9-12900H, on the other hand, has a 1550.9% higher aggregate performance score, 699.2% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 9 years, 600% more physical cores and 400% more threads, and a 120% more advanced lithography process.
The Core i9-12900H is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-3120M in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-3120M and Core i9-12900H, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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