Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Pentium Silver N6005

Processor comparisons 20-01-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Pentium Silver N6005 and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, machine learning, rendering, programming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, WPrime, AIDA64, Prime95, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, SuperPi, Handbrake, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, 3DMark, PCMark 10, Blender, UserBenchmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Pentium Silver N6005 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%

Pentium Silver N6005

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8121U

51%

Pentium Silver N6005

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.1	90.2
Valorant	102.4	102.5
Cyberpunk 2077	57.3	57.4
Apex Legends	96.2	96.3
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	51.2
Warzone	79.9	79.9
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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 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%

Pentium Silver N6005

257%

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 Pentium Silver N6005 is more energy efficient than the Core i3-8121U as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 10W. Power consumption is particularly 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program 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 run, 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 Pentium Silver N6005
Cinbench 15 Single-core	139	106
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	305	353
Cinbench 20 Single-core	340	219
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	598	812
Cinbench 23 Single-core	563	697
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2184	2579

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Pentium Silver N6005
Single-Core	1939	1576
Multi-Core	4369	4169

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

	Intel Core i3-8121U	Intel Pentium Silver N6005
Single-Core	901	771
Multi-Core	2063	2152

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS in new 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	Intel Pentium Silver N6005
Announcement date	July 07, 2018	January 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	Unknown	FCBGA1338
Core name	Cannon Lake	Jasper Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	7
Turbo Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.2 MHz
Frequency	2.2 MHz	2 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	4
Bus rate	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	1800 millions	1400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	10 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR4/x-2400	DDR4 LPDDR4x
Max. Memory	32 Gb	16 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	4 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 i3-8121U is 9% better than Pentium Silver N6005 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Pentium Silver N6005 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: 11
The number of parameters for which Intel Pentium Silver N6005 is better: 17
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i3-8121U and Intel Pentium Silver N6005 before making a decision which of the processors 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.

Intel Pentium Silver N6005 - all data

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

• Intel Pentium Silver N6005 specs and review.