i3-8121U vs i7-4578U

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1934	1682
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	6.61	17.45
Architecture codename	Haswell (2013−2015)	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)
Release date	21 July 2014 (10 years ago)	15 May 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$426	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3 GHz	2.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.5 GHz	3.2 GHz
Bus type	no data	OPI
Bus rate	5 GT/s	4 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	22
L1 cache	128 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	512 KB
L3 cache	4 MB	4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	10 nm
Die size	181 mm2	123 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	105 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	1300 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1168	Intel BGA1440
Power consumption (TDP)	28 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U. 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® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
QuickAssist	no data	-
Speed Shift	no data	+
My WiFi	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Smart Response	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FDI	+	no data
HD Audio	no data	+
RST	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U 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 i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4
Maximum memory size	16 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	38.397 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel Iris Graphics 5100	Iris Pro Plus
Max video memory	2 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.2 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
VGA	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3200x2000@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	no data
OpenGL	4.3	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U.

PCIe version	2	3.0
PCI Express lanes	12	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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.03	2.87
Recency	21 July 2014	15 May 2018
Chip lithography	22 nm	10 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	28 Watt	15 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4578U and Core i3-8121U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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