Intel Core i3-12100F vs Intel Core i7-1260P

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i3-12100F vs Intel Core i7-1260P and decide which is better for games or normal use for programming, streaming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Furmark, SuperPi, Prime95, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, RealBench, UserBenchmark, 7zip, Gears 5, WPrime, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, MATLAB, PassMark, Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-1260P or Intel Core i3-12100F.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-12100F

56%

Core i7-1260P

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-12100F

53%

Core i7-1260P

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.5	97.8
Valorant	107.3	111.1
Cyberpunk 2077	60.1	62.2
Apex Legends	100.9	104.5
Call of Duty Warzone	80.5	83.3
Overwatch	86.9	90.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.1	76.7
DOOM Eternal	53.7	55.6
Warzone	83.7	86.7
Assassin's Creed	90.2	93.3
Valheim	89.1	92.2

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-12100F

99%

Core i7-1260P

211%

To make a final decision 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 i7-1260P is more energy efficient than the Core i3-12100F as it consumes less power: 58W vs. 28W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

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

	Intel Core i3-12100F	Intel Core i7-1260P
Cinbench 15 Single-core	267	280
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1958	2053
Cinbench 20 Single-core	642	673
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4447	4661
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1503	1574
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	14658	15365

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

	Intel Core i3-12100F	Intel Core i7-1260P
Single-Core	3516	3685
Multi-Core	20521	21511

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

	Intel Core i3-12100F	Intel Core i7-1260P
Single-Core	1729	1773
Multi-Core	6333	9600

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i3-12100F	Intel Core i7-1260P
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCBGA1744
Core name	Alder Lake-U	Alder Lake-P
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	12
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	1 MHz	2.1 MHz
Cores	4	12
Threads	8	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	58 W	28 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max. Memory	128 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	5 MB
L3 cache	12 MB	24 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 i7-1260P is 52% better than Core i3-12100F in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-1260P has 8 more core than Core i3-12100F. 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 i3-12100F is better: 4
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-1260P is better: 27
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Core i7-1260P before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-12100F - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-12100F specs and review.

Intel Core i7-1260P - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-1260P specs and review.