Intel Core i3-1210U vs Intel Core i9-9900

Processor comparisons 10-01-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i3-1210U vs Intel Core i9-9900 and see which is better for games or simple use for video editing, rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, AIDA64, 3DMark, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Blender, Handbrake, SuperPi, PassMark, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Prime95, Furmark, Gears 5, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9900 or Intel Core i3-1210U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-1210U

54%

Core i9-9900

55%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9900 is 1% better than Core i3-1210U. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-1210U

53%

Core i9-9900

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Hitman 3, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn, Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.3	97.1
Valorant	107.1	110.4
Cyberpunk 2077	60.0	61.8
Apex Legends	100.7	103.7
Call of Duty Warzone	80.3	82.8
Overwatch	86.8	89.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.9	76.1
DOOM Eternal	53.6	55.2
Warzone	83.6	86.1
Assassin's Creed	90.0	92.7
Valheim	88.9	91.6

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: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance 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 i3-1210U

409%

Core i9-9900

74%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i3-1210U is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9900 since it has less power consumption: 9W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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. Because 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

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i9-9900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	204	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1495	1931
Cinbench 20 Single-core	490	518
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3395	4346
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1147	1284
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11189	12205

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

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i9-9900
Single-Core	2684	2864
Multi-Core	15665	17110

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

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i9-9900
Single-Core	1106	1454
Multi-Core	6143	8933

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 later the processor is released, 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-1210U	Intel Core i9-9900
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	April 01, 2019
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1744	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Alder Lake-U	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	9
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	1 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	6	8
Threads	8	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	9 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	45.8 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	24 MB	16 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 i9-9900 is 67% better than Core i3-1210U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9900 has 2 more core than Core i3-1210U. 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 i3-1210U is better: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9900 is better: 26
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i3-1210U and Intel Core i9-9900 before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-1210U - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-1210U specs and review.

Intel Core i9-9900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-9900 specs and review.