Core i3-8121U vs Ryzen 5 2600
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms i3-8121U by a whopping 200% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 836 | 1601 |
| Place by popularity | 24 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 19.17 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | AMD Ryzen 5 | Intel Core i3 |
| Architecture codename | Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) | Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) |
| Release date | 19 April 2018 (6 years ago) | 5 May 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $199 | no data |
| Current price | $142 (0.7x MSRP) | $828 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Ryzen 5 2600 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.4 GHz | 2.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | 96K (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 3 MB | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 16 MB (shared) | 4 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 12 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 192 mm2 | 123 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 95 °C | 105 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 4,800 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | No |
Compatibility
Information on Ryzen 5 2600 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 (Uniprocessor) | 1 |
| Socket | AM4 | Intel BGA1440 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | DDR4-2933 RAM, PCIe 3, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | + | no data |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| QuickAssist | no data | - |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| My WiFi | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | no data | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | no data | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| SIPP | no data | - |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
| Status | no data | Launched |
| HD Audio | no data | + |
| RST | no data | + |
Security technologies
Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | - |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| MPX | no data | + |
| SGX | no data | - |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | no data |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| VT-i | no data | - |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 46.933 GB/s | 37.5 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | - | Iris Pro Plus |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 20 | 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.
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.
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 200% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 201% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 2% in GeekBench 5 Single-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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 109% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 115% in 3DMark06 CPU.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 293% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i3-8121U by 18% in Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 8.53 | 2.84 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 2 |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 12 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 15 Watt |
The Ryzen 5 2600 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-8121U in performance tests.
Note that Ryzen 5 2600 is a desktop processor while Core i3-8121U is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 5 2600 and Core i3-8121U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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