AMD Ryzen 3 3250U vs Intel Core i3-8121U

Processor comparisons 22-11-2022

   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests AMD Ryzen 3 3250U vs Intel Core i3-8121U and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, video editing, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as PassMark, Handbrake, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, MATLAB, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, WPrime, RealBench, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, Blender, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Borderlands 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Apex Legends
Death Stranding
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rainbow Six Siege
Valheim
Valorant
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Halo Infinite
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Fallout 76
Grand Theft Auto V
Overwatch
Fortnite
Watch Dogs Legion
Last Man Standing
DOOM: Eternal

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-8121U or AMD Ryzen 3 3250U.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 3 3250U

51%

Core i3-8121U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 3 3250U

51%

Core i3-8121U

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	89.9	90.1
Valorant	102.1	102.4
Cyberpunk 2077	57.2	57.3
Apex Legends	96.0	96.2
Call of Duty Warzone	76.6	76.8
Overwatch	82.7	82.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.5	70.6
DOOM Eternal	51.1	51.2
Warzone	79.7	79.9
Assassin's Creed	85.8	86.0
Valheim	84.8	85.0

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 3 3250U

180%

Core i3-8121U

200%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i3-8121U is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 3 3250U since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 3250U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	138	139
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	344	305
Cinbench 20 Single-core	309	340
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	751	598
Cinbench 23 Single-core	556	563
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2278	2184

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 3250U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Single-Core	1889	1939
Multi-Core	4204	4369

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 3250U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Single-Core	810	901
Multi-Core	1837	2063

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 3 3250U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Announcement date	January 06, 2020	July 07, 2018
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	FP5	Unknown
Core name	Dali	Cannon Lake
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	1	8
Turbo Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.2 MHz
Frequency	2.6 MHz	2.2 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate		4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	3800 millions	1800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400
Max. Memory		32 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	1MB
L3 cache	4MB	4 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YM3250C4T2OFG

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 3 3250U is 15% better than Core i3-8121U in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 3 3250U is better: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-8121U is better: 23
Although it should be understood that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen 3 3250U and Intel Core i3-8121U before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

AMD Ryzen 3 3250U - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• AMD Ryzen 3 3250U specs and review.

Intel Core i3-8121U - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-8121U specs and review.