Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i3-8145UE

Processor comparisons 20-01-2022

   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the full tests Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i3-8145UE and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, video editing, programming, rendering, streaming. Here you can find useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as PassMark, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Furmark, MATLAB, 3DMark, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, Gears 5, Prime95, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, 7zip, UserBenchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-8145UE 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%

Core i3-8145UE

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8121U

51%

Core i3-8145UE

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.1	90.2
Valorant	102.4	102.5
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	57.4
Apex Legends	96.2	96.4
Call of Duty Warzone	76.8	76.9
Overwatch	82.9	83.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.6	70.7
DOOM Eternal	51.2	51.3
Warzone	79.9	80.0
Assassin's Creed	86.0	86.1
Valheim	85.0	85.1

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 i3-8121U

200%

Core i3-8145UE

221%

To make a final decision 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 i3-8145UE is more energy efficient than the Core i3-8121U since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn 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. Since there are still many programs that 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	Intel Core i3-8145UE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	139	133
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	305	305
Cinbench 20 Single-core	340	325
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	598	572
Cinbench 23 Single-core	563	538
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2184	2090

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i3-8145UE
Single-Core	1939	2396
Multi-Core	4369	4180

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i3-8145UE
Single-Core	901	995
Multi-Core	2063	2174

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 later the processor is released, 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain 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 i3-8121U	Intel Core i3-8145UE
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	July 07, 2019
Type	Laptop	Embedded
Socket	Unknown	FCBGA1528
Core name	Cannon Lake	Whiskey Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	8
Turbo Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	2.2 MHz	2.2 MHz
Cores	2	2
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1800 millions	1900 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 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. 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: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-8145UE is better: 18
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-8121U and Intel Core i3-8145UE before making a decision 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.

Intel Core i3-8145UE - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-8145UE specs and review.