Intel Core i3-8121U vs AMD Athlon Gold 3150C

Processor comparisons   20-01-2022
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i3-8121U vs AMD Athlon Gold 3150C and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, rendering, programming, streaming. Here you can find useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as RealBench, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, AIDA64, 7zip, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, WPrime, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, PCMark 10, Furmark, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Athlon Gold 3150C or Intel Core i3-8121U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-8121U

51%

Athlon Gold 3150C

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8121U

51%

Athlon Gold 3150C

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.1	89.8
Valorant	102.4	102.1
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	57.2
Apex Legends	96.2	95.9
Call of Duty Warzone	76.8	76.6
Overwatch	82.9	82.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.6	70.4
DOOM Eternal	51.2	51.0
Warzone	79.9	79.6
Assassin's Creed	86.0	85.7
Valheim	85.0	84.7

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 i3-8121U

200%

Athlon Gold 3150C

177%

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 Athlon Gold 3150C as it consumes less power: 15W 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 machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program 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 i3-8121U	AMD Athlon Gold 3150C
Cinbench 15 Single-core	139	140
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	305	350
Cinbench 20 Single-core	340	208
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	598	761
Cinbench 23 Single-core	563	431
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2184	2071

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	AMD Athlon Gold 3150C
Single-Core	1939	1974
Multi-Core	4369	3650

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	AMD Athlon Gold 3150C
Single-Core	901	798
Multi-Core	2063	1788

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even 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 i3-8121U	AMD Athlon Gold 3150C
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	September 22, 2020
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	Unknown	FP5
Core name	Cannon Lake	Dali
Architecture	x86	Zen
Generation	8	1
Turbo Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.3 MHz
Frequency	2.2 MHz	2.4 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1800 millions	1400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400	DDR4
Max. Memory	32 Gb
Memory Frequency		2400
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s
L1 cache		192KB
L2 cache		1MB
L3 cache	4 MB	4MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YM315CC4T2OFG

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Athlon Gold 3150C is 8% 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 i3-8121U is better: 23
The number of parameters for which AMD Athlon Gold 3150C is better: 11
Although it should be realized that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-8121U and AMD Athlon Gold 3150C before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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.

AMD Athlon Gold 3150C - all data

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

• AMD Athlon Gold 3150C specs and review.