i3-8120 vs i9-7900X

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	559	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.87	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Core i9 (Desktop)	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	8.96	no data
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2019)	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
Release date	30 May 2017 (7 years ago)	1 September 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120 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	10 (Deca-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	20	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	3.7 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier	33	no data
L1 cache	640 KB	256 KB
L2 cache	10 MB	1 MB
L3 cache	13.75 MB	6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	no data	126 mm2
Maximum core temperature	95 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	72 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120 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	Socket R4	1151
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	51 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

EDB

+

no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	128 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	4	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	85.33 GB/s	38.397 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

N/A

Intel UHD Graphics 630

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	44	no data

Pros & cons summary

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Recency	30 May 2017	1 September 2018
Physical cores	10	4
Threads	20	4
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	51 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7900X and Core i3-8120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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