Ultra 9 285 vs i3-8121U

VS

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1688not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i3no data
Power efficiency9.33no data
Architecture codenameCoffee Lake-U (2018−2019)Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)
Release date5 May 2018 (6 years ago)January 2025

Detailed specifications

Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 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)24 (Tetracosa-Core)
Threads424
Base clock speed2.2 GHz2.5 GHz
Boost clock speed3.2 GHz5.6 GHz
Bus typeOPIno data
Bus rate4 GT/sno data
Multiplier22no data
L1 cache64K (per core)112 KB (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)3 MB (per core)
L3 cache4 MB (shared)36 MB (shared)
Chip lithography10 nm3 nm
Die size123 mm2243 mm2
Maximum core temperature105 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data17,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
SocketIntel BGA14401851
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512no data
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
QuickAssist-no data
Speed Shift+no data
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
TSX-+
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
HD Audio+no data
RST+no data

Security technologies

Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB+no data
Secure Key+no data
MPX+-
SGX-no data
OS Guard+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285 are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
VT-i-no data
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR5 Depends on motherboard
Maximum memory size32 GBno data
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth38.397 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIris Pro PlusArc Xe2 Graphics 64EU

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285.

PCIe version3.05.0
PCI Express lanes1620

Pros & cons summary


Physical cores 2 24
Threads 4 24
Chip lithography 10 nm 3 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 125 Watt

i3-8121U has 733.3% lower power consumption.

Ultra 9 285, on the other hand, has 1100% more physical cores and 500% more threads, and a 233.3% more advanced lithography process.

We couldn't decide between Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285. We've got no test results to judge.

Be aware that Core i3-8121U is a notebook processor while Core Ultra 9 285 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8121U and Core Ultra 9 285, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core i3-8121U
Core i3-8121U
Intel Core Ultra 9 285
Core Ultra 9 285

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.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.3 3 votes

Rate Core i3-8121U on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
2.5 70 votes

Rate Core Ultra 9 285 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i3-8121U or Core Ultra 9 285, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.