Core i5-12600KF vs Pentium 3556U

Primary details

Comparing Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2619	321
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	54.84
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Pentium	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Haswell (2013−2015)	Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date	1 September 2013 (10 years ago)	4 November 2021 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$264
Current price	no data	$271 (1x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF 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)	10 (Deca-Core)
Threads	2	16
Base clock speed	1.7 GHz	3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	1.7 GHz	4.9 GHz
Bus support	no data	8 × 16 GT/s
L1 cache	64K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	9.5 MB
L3 cache	2 MB (shared)	20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	118 mm2	215.25 mm220.5 mm × 10.5 mm
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	105 °C	72 °C
Number of transistors	1,400 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF 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
Socket	FCBGA1168	FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	no data	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	+
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
SIPP	-	no data
Smart Response	-	no data
GPIO	+	no data
Smart Connect	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
FDI	-	no data
AMT	9.5	no data
Matrix Storage	-	no data
Status	Discontinued	Launched
HD Audio	+	no data
RST	+	no data

Security technologies

Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
Identity Protection	-	no data
OS Guard	-	+
Anti-Theft	-	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size	16 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® Processors	no data
Clear Video	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1 GHz	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF integrated GPUs.

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

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF.

PCIe version	2.0	5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes	10	20
PCI support	-	no data
USB revision	3.0	no data
Total number of SATA ports	2	no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	2	no data
Integrated IDE	-	no data
Number of USB ports	4	no data
Integrated LAN	-	no data
UART	+	no data

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.

Core i5-12600KF outperforms Pentium 3556U by 2510% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	0.68	17.75
Recency	1 September 2013	4 November 2021
Physical cores	2	10
Threads	2	16
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	125 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Pentium 3556U and Core i5-12600KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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