Intel Core i3-8121U vs AMD Ryzen 3 3250C

Processor comparisons   20-01-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the full tests Intel Core i3-8121U vs AMD Ryzen 3 3250C and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, Blender, SuperPi, PassMark, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, AIDA64, RealBench, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, 7zip, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 3 3250C 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%

Ryzen 3 3250C

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8121U

51%

Ryzen 3 3250C

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 run 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Battlefield V, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.1	89.9
Valorant	102.4	102.1
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	57.2
Apex Legends	96.2	96.0
Call of Duty Warzone	76.8	76.6
Overwatch	82.9	82.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.6	70.5
DOOM Eternal	51.2	51.1
Warzone	79.9	79.6
Assassin's Creed	86.0	85.8
Valheim	85.0	84.8

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 comparisons 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. Therefore, 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 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%

Ryzen 3 3250C

193%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i3-8121U is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 3 3250C since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses 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 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. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit 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 Ryzen 3 3250C
Cinbench 15 Single-core	139	142
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	305	354
Cinbench 20 Single-core	340	318
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	598	774
Cinbench 23 Single-core	563	573
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2184	2346

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	AMD Ryzen 3 3250C
Single-Core	1939	1946
Multi-Core	4369	4330

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	AMD Ryzen 3 3250C
Single-Core	901	871
Multi-Core	2063	1825

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-8121U	AMD Ryzen 3 3250C
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	3.5 MHz
Frequency	2.2 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1800 millions	3800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400
Max. Memory	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
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		YM325CC4T2OFG

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 3 3250C is 15% 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: 20
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 3 3250C is better: 13
Although it should be understood 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 numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-8121U and AMD Ryzen 3 3250C before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 Ryzen 3 3250C - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 3 3250C specs and review.