i7-12700K vs Pentium 3556U

Aggregate performance score

Pentium 3556U
2013
2 cores / 2 threads, 15 Watt
0.68
Core i7-12700K
2021
12 cores / 20 threads, 125 Watt
22.19
+3163%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Pentium 3556U by a whopping 3163% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2731239
Place by popularitynot in top-10057
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data40.02
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel PentiumIntel Core i7
Power efficiency4.2116.49
Architecture codenameHaswell (2013−2015)Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date1 September 2013 (11 years ago)27 October 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$409

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K 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)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads220
Base clock speed1.7 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed1.7 GHz5 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 4.0
Bus rate5 GT/s8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplierno data36
L1 cache64K (per core)384 KB
L2 cache256K (per core)2 MB
L3 cache2 MB (shared)1 MB
Chip lithography22 nm10 nm
Die size118 mm2215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)105 °C72 °C
Number of transistors1,400 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K 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 configuration11
SocketFCBGA1168FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI-+
FMA-+
AVX-+
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shiftno data+
Turbo Boost Technology-2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
SIPP-+
Smart Response-no data
GPIO+no data
Smart Connect+no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data+
FDI-no data
AMT9.5no data
Matrix Storage-no data
HD Audio+no data
RST+no data
Deep Learning Boost-+

Security technologies

Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size16 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s76.805 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® ProcessorsIntel UHD Graphics 770
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video+no data
Clear Video HD-+
Graphics max frequency1 GHz1.5 GHz
Execution Unitsno data32

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported34
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data12
OpenGLno data4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K.

PCIe version2.05.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes1020
PCI support-no data
USB revision3.0no data
Total number of SATA ports2no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports2no data
Integrated IDE-no data
Number of USB ports4no 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.


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.

Pentium 3556U 0.68
i7-12700K 22.19
+3163%

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.

Pentium 3556U 1061
i7-12700K 34596
+3161%

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.

Pentium 3556U 302
i7-12700K 2555
+746%

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.

Pentium 3556U 493
i7-12700K 13794
+2698%

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Pentium 3556U 2515
i7-12700K 9305
+270%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Pentium 3556U 4854
i7-12700K 63484
+1208%

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.

Pentium 3556U 1939
i7-12700K 16827
+768%

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

Pentium 3556U 46.23
i7-12700K 2.66
+1638%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Pentium 3556U 1
i7-12700K 38
+2584%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

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

Pentium 3556U 126
i7-12700K 3325
+2549%

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.

Pentium 3556U 66
i7-12700K 272
+315%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark 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 loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

Pentium 3556U 0.75
i7-12700K 3.29
+339%

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

Pentium 3556U 0.2
i7-12700K 15.7
+10367%

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

Pentium 3556U 9
i7-12700K 179
+1867%

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

Pentium 3556U 49
i7-12700K 350
+610%

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

Pentium 3556U 1190
i7-12700K 10389
+773%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.68 22.19
Recency 1 September 2013 27 October 2021
Physical cores 2 12
Threads 2 20
Chip lithography 22 nm 10 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 125 Watt

Pentium 3556U has 733.3% lower power consumption.

i7-12700K, on the other hand, has a 3163.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, 500% more physical cores and 900% more threads, and a 120% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i7-12700K is our recommended choice as it beats the Pentium 3556U in performance tests.

Be aware that Pentium 3556U is a notebook processor while Core i7-12700K is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Pentium 3556U and Core i7-12700K, 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 Pentium 3556U
Pentium 3556U
Intel Core i7-12700K
Core i7-12700K

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.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


2.5 142 votes

Rate Pentium 3556U on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.2 1910 votes

Rate Core i7-12700K on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Pentium 3556U or Core i7-12700K, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.