Intel Core i3-12100E vs Intel Core i5-11600K

Processor comparisons 11-01-2022

   If there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i3-12100E vs Intel Core i5-11600K and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, programming, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like WPrime, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, 3DMark, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, PCMark 10, 7zip, PassMark, Prime95, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, SuperPi, AIDA64, VeraCrypt.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11600K or Intel Core i3-12100E.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-12100E

56%

Core i5-11600K

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-12100E

54%

Core i5-11600K

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.8	95.2
Valorant	108.8	108.1
Cyberpunk 2077	60.9	60.6
Apex Legends	102.3	101.6
Call of Duty Warzone	81.6	81.1
Overwatch	88.2	87.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.1	74.6
DOOM Eternal	54.4	54.1
Warzone	84.9	84.3
Assassin's Creed	91.4	90.8
Valheim	90.3	89.7

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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K 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

Core i3-12100E

93%

Core i5-11600K

43%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i3-12100E is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600K since it has less power consumption: 60W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU 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 using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

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

	Intel Core i3-12100E	Intel Core i5-11600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	259	199
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1899	1905
Cinbench 20 Single-core	623	465
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4314	4270
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1458	1213
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	14218	11302

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

	Intel Core i3-12100E	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	3411	2707
Multi-Core	19905	20616

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

	Intel Core i3-12100E	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	1688	1621
Multi-Core	7623	7012

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-12100E	Intel Core i5-11600K
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	January 20, 2021
Type	Embedded	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1744	FCLGA1200
Core name	Alder Lake-U	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	11
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	1 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	60 W	125 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	5 MB	3 MB
L3 cache	12 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-11600K is 74% better than Core i3-12100E in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-11600K has 2 more core than Core i3-12100E. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-12100E is better: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11600K is better: 7
All the data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-12100E and Intel Core i5-11600K before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-12100E - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-12100E specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.