i3-8100H vs i3-8121U
Aggregate performance score
Core i3-8121U outperforms Core i3-8100H by a minimal 2% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1684 | 1694 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | Intel Core i3 |
| Power efficiency | 9.33 | 5.70 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) | Coffee Lake-H (2018−2019) |
| Release date | 5 May 2018 (6 years ago) | 3 July 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $225 |
Detailed specifications
Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H 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) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.2 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Bus type | OPI | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | 4 GT/s | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 22 | 30 |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 4 MB (shared) | 6 MB |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 123 mm2 | 126 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 105 °C | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H 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 (Uniprocessor) | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | Intel BGA1440 | FCBGA1440 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 45 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | - | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| QuickAssist | - | no data |
| Speed Shift | + | + |
| My WiFi | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| Idle States | + | + |
| 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 i3-8100H 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 i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H 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 i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | 42.671 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Iris Pro Plus | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Max video memory | no data | 64 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
| DVI | no data | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | no data | + |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096x2304@30Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 4096x2304@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 4096x2304@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H.
| 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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.76 | 2.71 |
| Recency | 5 May 2018 | 3 July 2018 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 45 Watt |
i3-8121U has a 1.8% higher aggregate performance score, a 40% more advanced lithography process, and 200% lower power consumption.
i3-8100H, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 month, and 100% more physical cores.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8121U and Core i3-8100H, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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.
