i3-12100 vs i5-9400
Aggregate performance score
Core i3-12100 outperforms Core i5-9400 by a considerable 45% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1099 | 878 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 8.27 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i5 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 8.59 | 13.52 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) | Alder Lake-S (2022) |
| Release date | 19 October 2018 (6 years ago) | 4 January 2022 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $182 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 6 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.9 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.1 GHz | 4.3 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 29 | no data |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 80K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 1.25 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 9 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 149 mm2 | 163 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 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 |
| Socket | FCLGA1151 | FCLGA1700 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 60 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | - |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | + | + |
| MPX | + | - |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| SGX | Yes with Intel® ME | no data |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2666 | DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 42.671 GB/s | 76.8 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | Intel UHD Graphics 730 |
| Max video memory | 64 GB | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | + |
| Clear Video | + | no data |
| Clear Video HD | + | + |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.05 GHz | 1.4 GHz |
| Execution Units | no data | 24 |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | 4 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | + | no data |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 4096 x 2304@24Hz | 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | 4096 x 2304@60Hz | 5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 4096 x 2304@60Hz | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 12 | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 and 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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.90 | 8.57 |
| Integrated graphics card | 3.09 | 4.15 |
| Recency | 19 October 2018 | 4 January 2022 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 6 | 8 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 60 Watt |
i5-9400 has 50% more physical cores.
i3-12100, on the other hand, has a 45.3% higher aggregate performance score, 34.3% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 3 years, 33.3% more threads, and 8.3% lower power consumption.
The Core i3-12100 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-9400 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-9400 and Core i3-12100, 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.
