Ryzen 7 7840U vs i3-8121U

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-8121U
2018
2 cores / 4 threads, 15 Watt
2.76
Ryzen 7 7840U
2023
8 cores / 16 threads, 28 Watt
15.74
+470%

Ryzen 7 7840U outperforms Core i3-8121U by a whopping 470% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1686426
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i3AMD Phoenix (Zen 4, Ryzen 7040)
Power efficiency9.3353.20
Architecture codenameCoffee Lake-U (2018−2019)Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023)
Release date5 May 2018 (6 years ago)May 2023 (1 year ago)

Detailed specifications

Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U 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)8 (Octa-Core)
Threads416
Base clock speed2.2 GHz3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed3.2 GHz5.1 GHz
Bus typeOPIno data
Bus rate4 GT/sno data
Multiplier22no data
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)1 MB (per core)
L3 cache4 MB (shared)16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography10 nm4 nm
Die size123 mm2178 mm2
Maximum core temperature105 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data25,000 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U 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 BGA1440FP8
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt28 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U. 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-no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
QuickAssist-no data
Speed Shift+no data
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
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
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
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 Ryzen 7 7840U are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR5-5600
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 PlusAMD Radeon 780M ( - 2700 MHz)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U.

PCIe version3.04.0
PCI Express lanes1620

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.

i3-8121U 2.76
Ryzen 7 7840U 15.74
+470%

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.

i3-8121U 4391
Ryzen 7 7840U 24999
+469%

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.

i3-8121U 1165
Ryzen 7 7840U 2081
+78.6%

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.

i3-8121U 2367
Ryzen 7 7840U 8733
+269%

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.

i3-8121U 4314
Ryzen 7 7840U 12482
+189%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i3-8121U 318
Ryzen 7 7840U 1990
+527%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made 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 (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i3-8121U 133
Ryzen 7 7840U 264
+98.5%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.76 15.74
Physical cores 2 8
Threads 4 16
Chip lithography 10 nm 4 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 28 Watt

i3-8121U has 86.7% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 7 7840U, on the other hand, has a 470.3% higher aggregate performance score, 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and a 150% more advanced lithography process.

The Ryzen 7 7840U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-8121U in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7840U, 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
AMD Ryzen 7 7840U
Ryzen 7 7840U

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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