Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i5-4590

Processor comparisons   20-01-2022
   Let's say there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i5-4590 and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, video editing, streaming, programming, rendering. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like 3DMark, 7zip, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Prime95, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Blender, SuperPi, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, WPrime, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-4590 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 i5-4590

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8121U

51%

Core i5-4590

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, 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. 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 processors were compared: Battlefield V, Monster Hunter World, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.1	91.4
Valorant	102.4	103.9
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	58.2
Apex Legends	96.2	97.6
Call of Duty Warzone	76.8	77.9
Overwatch	82.9	84.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.6	71.7
DOOM Eternal	51.2	51.9
Warzone	79.9	81.0
Assassin's Creed	86.0	87.2
Valheim	85.0	86.2

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. 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 i3-8121U

200%

Core i5-4590

39%

To make a final decision 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 i5-4590 as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 84W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, 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 performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-4590
Cinbench 15 Single-core	139	144
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	305	505
Cinbench 20 Single-core	340	319
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	598	1227
Cinbench 23 Single-core	563	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2184	4088

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-4590
Single-Core	1939	2060
Multi-Core	4369	5285

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-4590
Single-Core	901	1005
Multi-Core	2063	3327

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Core i5-4590
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	April 01, 2014
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	Unknown	LGA1150
Core name	Cannon Lake	Haswell
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	4
Turbo Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.7 MHz
Frequency	2.2 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	1800 millions	2460 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	84 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-4590 is 33% better than Core i3-8121U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-4590 has 2 more core than Core i3-8121U. 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: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-4590 is better: 26
However, it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-8121U and Intel Core i5-4590 before deciding 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 i5-4590 specs and review.