Intel Core i3-8109U vs Intel Core i3-8121U

Processor comparisons   20-01-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i3-8109U vs Intel Core i3-8121U tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, machine learning, rendering, streaming. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like WPrime, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, Furmark, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, Blender, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Handbrake, Blender, AIDA64, 7zip, Gears 5, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, RealBench.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-8121U or Intel Core i3-8109U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-8109U

51%

Core i3-8121U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8109U

51%

Core i3-8121U

51%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.3	90.1
Valorant	102.6	102.4
Cyberpunk 2077	57.5	57.3
Apex Legends	96.5	96.2
Call of Duty Warzone	77.0	76.8
Overwatch	83.1	82.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.8	70.6
DOOM Eternal	51.3	51.2
Warzone	80.1	79.9
Assassin's Creed	86.2	86.0
Valheim	85.2	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 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 i3-8109U

119%

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 i3-8109U since it has less power consumption: 28W vs. 15W. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. 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. Because 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 i3-8109U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	149	139
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	392	305
Cinbench 20 Single-core	366	340
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	916	598
Cinbench 23 Single-core	559	563
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2171	2184

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

	Intel Core i3-8109U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Single-Core	2185	1939
Multi-Core	4342	4369

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

	Intel Core i3-8109U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Single-Core	1003	901
Multi-Core	2276	2063

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-8109U	Intel Core i3-8121U
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	July 07, 2018
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	FCBGA1528	Unknown
Core name	Coffee Lake	Cannon Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	8
Turbo Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.2 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	2.2 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	1900 millions	1800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	28 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	4 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	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 i3-8109U is 26% 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 i3-8109U is better: 21
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-8121U is better: 5
However, it should be realized that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-8109U and Intel Core i3-8121U before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-8109U - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-8109U 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.