Intel Core i3-7350K vs Intel Core i3-8121U

Processor comparisons 18-02-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i3-7350K vs Intel Core i3-8121U and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, rendering, video editing, programming. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Prime95, Blender, AIDA64, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Gears 5, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, UserBenchmark, PassMark, PCMark 10, 7zip, 3DMark, RealBench, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-8121U or Intel Core i3-7350K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-7350K

51%

Core i3-8121U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-7350K

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.6	90.1
Valorant	102.9	102.4
Cyberpunk 2077	57.6	57.3
Apex Legends	96.8	96.2
Call of Duty Warzone	77.2	76.8
Overwatch	83.4	82.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.0	70.6
DOOM Eternal	51.5	51.2
Warzone	80.3	79.9
Assassin's Creed	86.5	86.0
Valheim	85.4	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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 i3-7350K

62%

Core i3-8121U

200%

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 i3-8121U is more energy efficient than the Core i3-7350K as it consumes less power: 60W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was 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 streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. 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 use only one core to work, and all the benefit 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 i3-7350K	Intel Core i3-8121U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	181	139
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	458	305
Cinbench 20 Single-core	370	340
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	874	598
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1251	563
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3136	2184

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

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i3-8121U
Single-Core	2467	1939
Multi-Core	4831	4369

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

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i3-8121U
Single-Core	1122	901
Multi-Core	2531	2063

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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i3-8121U
Announcement date	March 21, 2017	July 07, 2018
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA1151	Unknown
Core name	Kaby Lake	Cannon Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	8
Turbo Frequency		3.2 MHz
Frequency	4.2 MHz	2.2 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	60 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	4 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-7350K is 47% 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 Intel Core i3-7350K is better: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-8121U is better: 6
However, it should be realized 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 benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-7350K and Intel Core i3-8121U before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-7350K - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-7350K 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.