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Budget King: $130 Intel Core i3-12100F CPU Review​

This review benchmarks the Intel Core i3-12100 & 12100F CPUs versus the AMD R5 3600, R5 5600X, i5 CPUs
The Intel Core i3-12100 and 12100F only have one major difference, and it's the presence of an IGP. Beyond that, the CPUs are identical and behave the same in non-GPU tasks. If paired with a dGPU, they'd also behave the same (assuming you aren't using QuickSync or some other IGP feature). We bought the Intel i3-12100F for $130 to review, and so far, it's matching-up strong against Intel's own i5-12600K -- providing most of the performance for much less money -- and against AMD's R5 5600X and R5 3600. We plan to look at the Intel Core i5-12400 next to determine which of these two makes more sense for budget gaming PC builds in 2022.

Different video 3600 vs 12100 compared.


Full specs

CPU Specifications​

• Total Cores 4
• # of Performance-cores 4
• # of Efficient-cores 0
• Total Threads 8
• Max Turbo Frequency 4.30 GHz
• Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency 4.30 GHz
• Performance-core Base Frequency 3.30 GHz
• Cache 12 MB Intel® Smart Cache
• Total L2 Cache 5 MB
• Processor Base Power 58 W
• Maximum Turbo Power 89 W

Intel® Core™ i3-12100F Processor (12M Cache, up to 4.30 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i3-12100F Processor (12M Cache, up to 4.30 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

 

[Gen.Grievous]

Competition is good but there are no budget GPUs to play them games on for the foreseeable future. If the market is flooded with 3050s and 6500XTs and somehow they stay close to MSRP (249 and 199 respectively) then there would be cause to celebrate.

 

[sircaw]

i still rock an i3-2100, i guess this would be a significant upgrade

 

[Panajev2001a]

Budget King: $130 Intel Core i3-12100F CPU Review​

This review benchmarks the Intel Core i3-12100 & 12100F CPUs versus the AMD R5 3600, R5 5600X, i5 CPUs
The Intel Core i3-12100 and 12100F only have one major difference, and it's the presence of an IGP. Beyond that, the CPUs are identical and behave the same in non-GPU tasks. If paired with a dGPU, they'd also behave the same (assuming you aren't using QuickSync or some other IGP feature). We bought the Intel i3-12100F for $130 to review, and so far, it's matching-up strong against Intel's own i5-12600K -- providing most of the performance for much less money -- and against AMD's R5 5600X and R5 3600. We plan to look at the Intel Core i5-12400 next to determine which of these two makes more sense for budget gaming PC builds in 2022.



Different video 3600 vs 12100 compared.


Full specs

CPU Specifications​

• Total Cores 4
• # of Performance-cores 4
• # of Efficient-cores 0
• Total Threads 8
• Max Turbo Frequency 4.30 GHz
• Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency 4.30 GHz
• Performance-core Base Frequency 3.30 GHz
• Cache 12 MB Intel® Smart Cache
• Total L2 Cache 5 MB
• Processor Base Power 58 W
• Maximum Turbo Power 89 W

Intel® Core™ i3-12100F Processor (12M Cache, up to 4.30 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i3-12100F Processor (12M Cache, up to 4.30 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

TDP wise it gets that performance at about 30 Watts more than the 3600, budget systems are likely to want to save money on cooling, PSU, and case so TDP should be part of the review too.

 

[Kenpachii]

Jesus really needs to update his game benchmarks. 110 fps in cyberpunk, what low settings is he playing at.

But yea 12k series intel cpu's are pretty darn nice, made one for a buddy with a 12700k in it, straight up 40% gains over a 9900k in RT titles.

 

[rofif]

Beating my 3700x on x570.... wtf

 

[intbal]

Glanced quickly at the thread title and thought we were getting a new Sneak King game.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Goddamn, I read the title as burger king and got hella confused.

 

[Companion Cube]

Goddamn, I read the title as burger king and got hella confused.

My fatass thought they got into gaming. T_T

 

[Black_Stride]

Jesus really needs to update his game benchmarks. 110 fps in cyberpunk, what low settings is he playing at.

But yea 12k series intel cpu's are pretty darn nice, made one for a buddy with a 12700k in it, straight up 40% gains over a 9900k in RT titles.

If you play games at higher settings you get GPU bound....which proves nothing about the CPUs capabilities.
Lower settings stress the CPU and basically eliminate the GPU from the equation.
Its a CPU benchmark remember.
Just look at the chart....even at medium cyberpunk still reaches a GPU bound state and basically all the top chips score the same.


P.S:
I wonder where all those champions who told us if you have any less than 8 cores this generation you are fucked!
Gaming is...and probably for the entire generation will be tied more closely to IPC than to actual core count.
Everyone I advised to get the 5600X or 10/11600 rejoice.....everyone who told me I was outta my mind thinking 6 cores would be sufficient.....get fucked!

 

[Teslerum]

My fatass thought they got into gaming. T_T

I mean they did over a decade ago. Sneak King is kind of infamous:

 

[Xyphie]

Don't buy a quad core. Spending the $50 extra for the 12400F at $180 is definitely going to be worth it. For the price of a 5600X ($299) you get a better CPU + a cheap B660 motherboard which is going to be a killer combo.

 

[Yamisan]

That channel normally has very bad advice for pre-builts and stuff like this... Won't even bother watching this one.

 

[M1chl]

That channel normally has very bad advice for pre-builts and stuff like this... Won't even bother watching this one.

You mean the very best channel about PC in a whole is somewhat bad?

 

[mansoor1980]

buying a quad core in 2022 is not a good idea

 

[ZywyPL]

buying a quad core in 2022 is not a good idea

The CPU is doing 100, 120, 150, even 200FPS, how long will it take to drop FPS below 60? Let alone 30, because mind you, this is a budget unit that targets the least demanding audience.

That being said, IMO i5-12400 is the more optional choice with its 6C/12T config, it's faster today and has that extra headroom in case future, next-gen-only games will indeed require more threads.

 

[Black_Stride]

That channel normally has very bad advice for pre-builts and stuff like this... Won't even bother watching this one.

Wait what.
Basically the best hardware PC channel has very bad advice?
Their benchmarks are.....err a benchmark for how to benchmark parts.
Their cooler reviews are the most concise and accurate of any channel out right now.
Their CPU reviews are a logical take for anyone who would be buying whatever CPU they are reviewing.
They actually bother taking into account MSRP/Street price into consideration.
Many times they have done back dives into older CPUs or GPUs to show how they hold up in current markets.

And their advice on pre-builts is not only accurate because they buy said prebuilts anonymously as so manufacturers dont cherry pick, but also they show the short comings of said prebuilts.

What bad advice has Gamers Nexus given in recent years?

buying a quad core in 2022 is not a good idea

Granted it would be a better investment to save for an extra month of whatever to get a 12400, but why exactly would a 4/8 CPU be a bad idea in 2022?
This thing will walk a 7700K which is still generally well above rec spec.
If you are a budget gamer and really need to stretch that 50 dollars there is no downside to getting a 12100.
Chances are you also still game at 1080p or 1440p60 and this thing will hold 60 for years to come.
At its low price it could even just be a stop gap CPU till Meteor-Lake or a higher tier Alder-Lake CPU.
This plus a cheap B660 board you basically have a beyond decent gaming rig for very little money (im assuming youve already secured a GPU).

Why basically triple the price for an extra few frames you likely arent utilizing anyway?
For gaming IPC is still king....and the 12100 more than holds its own.

If I was building/upgrading a PC today thats purely for gaming, this CPU would be very high on my list.
The only real downsides are the chances it cant hold its own for the full 5 years, or if you need your PC for other thread heavy applications.
Otherwise gamers who just need to hit ~100fps.....this CPU will do the job.

 

[mansoor1980]

i meant in the long term , an i-5 would be a better deal than this .

 

[SatansReverence]

A purely budget bin CPU that is almost entirely on par with the processors in both the XSX and PS5 is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

The CPU is doing 100, 120, 150, even 200FPS, how long will it take to drop FPS below 60?

Once we leave the cross-gen phase, it's gonna happen very quickly I presume. I'd personally rather get a cheap 6-core CPU.

 

[Gen.Grievous]

Once we leave the cross-gen phase, it's gonna happen very quickly I presume. I'd personally rather get a cheap 6-core CPU.

Maybe, maybe not. Same stuff happened when skylake was released just after a new gen of console (PS4, Xbox One). Lots of folk said you should not stick to 4 cores because the new consoles would have 8 cores and games would be optimised for 8 threads. Never happened.

I would not get a CPU without an iGPU though. If you're lucky you never need it but replacing a dead GPU will be a nightmare these days.

 

[Black_Stride]

i meant in the long term , an i-5 would be a better deal than this .

And how long is long term.
Because, this things IPC scores should have it easily last 4 to 5 years.....which is about the average upgrade cycle for most people I know.

Once we leave the cross-gen phase, it's gonna happen very quickly I presume. I'd personally rather get a cheap 6-core CPU.

You think the 8 core 3700X is gonna suffer to hit 60 in 2023?
Cuz this thing will match and/or straight up eat a 3700X, and that things not becoming obsolete anytime soon.
Core count isnt as important as IPC, 4/8 with high IPC will easily not only be viable for 60 but likely even ~100fps for atleast 4-5 years about the time that you should already be thinking of upgrading your whole PC.

For a purely gaming built thats aimed at ~100fps there is no real advantage to getting more cores when you have high IPC.
Im not disputing that the i5 is better CPU, just that the advantages would be negligible for anyone whos CPU budget is under 200 dollars, spend the extra ~70 on a good cooler or motherboard and let the CPU fly.
In intense multthreaded workloads this thing is hitting 80fps 1% lows....its going to be hammer well above 60 for a while.

 

[JackSparr0w]

A purely budget bin CPU that is almost entirely on par with the processors in both the XSX and PS5 is nothing to sneeze at.

It's not on par, its clearly better.

 

[Silver Wattle]

These benchmarking tests are never done correctly, they are never done with background apps running, which would massively impact a Quad-Core.

PS, do NOT buy a Quad-Core if you can afford it.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

May be decent for a 4k Plex server.

 

[DonJuanSchlong]

It's not on par, its clearly better.

It's crazy how fast technology moves. Barely a few years ago, it would cost several hundreds for a CPU in it's performance range.

That's why I like being able to upgrade things as time goes by. I can't imagine having the same PC for 9 years straight, and not upgrading a single component.

 

[ACESHIGH]

Great CPU for the money but its a tricky point in time to purchase: We are in a cross gen period and I don't know if a 4/8 cpu will cut it down the line for next gen only games. I can't wait to build a new rig next year. The jump from my old DDR3 platform with the FX6300 should be insane.

 

[MadViking]

It's a nice CPU. for sure, but in this video it was tested with 400Euro motherboard and overclocked memory. Not exactly a fair comparison against Ryzen 3600.

 

[ethomaz]

buying a quad core in 2022 is not a good idea

I keep reading that for over a decade and 4 cores are still rocking in gaming reviews…

IPC triumphs over core count… that is even more true because it was too hard to paralelize game workload in multiples cores… some tasks can’t even be paralelized.

 

[mansoor1980]

I keep reading that for over a decade and 4 cores are still rocking in gaming reviews…

i want to see the frame times with four cores

 

[JackSparr0w]

It's crazy how fast technology moves. Barely a few years ago, it would cost several hundreds for a CPU in it's performance range.

That's why I like being able to upgrade things as time goes by. I can't imagine having the same PC for 9 years straight, and not upgrading a single component.

For gaming its always better to buy a budget CPU. For example instead of buying a $300 dollar cpu you buy a $150 one. After 3-4 years you can spend the other $150 on a new cpu and will easily destroy an older $300 cpu.

 

[ethomaz]

i want to see the frame times with four cores

Basically the same as 6, 8 cores or more cores at same IPC/clock.
Frametime is mainly based in the main thread and GPU.

What could be ideal is a stronger core for the main thread and others small cores for the parallel threads.

What you see in 99% of the games in 8-core COUs is:

70-90% CPU use in Main Core
20-30% CPU use in others cores.

What is the difference with 4-Cores?
70-90% CPU use in Main Core
40-60% CPU use in others cores?

 

[StateofMajora]

100-130 for an 4c8t alder lake is a fantastic budget part. I always get the most excited for these really good entry level cpus. You could get it and a solid z690 board and upgrade to the best possible raptor lake cpu next gen (intel 13 series) when your budget allows.

Still rocking the $85 ryzen 1600af

 

[Sosokrates]

Would this be a good upgrade from a core i7 920?

 

[elliot5]

My 5600x looks safe still

Would this be a good upgrade from a core i7 920?

Bruh… yes

 

[StateofMajora]

Would this be a good upgrade from a core i7 920?

YES 3x over

 

[Black_Stride]

i want to see the frame times with four cores

Lock the framerate at 100 - 120 and the frametimes will be flat.
Have a VRR display and id pay you money to tell me when the frametimes are outta wack.

Would this be a good upgrade from a core i7 920?

Dude.
That would be such a jump im actually jealous you will get to experience that.
All your games are going to near triple in framerate.

 

[.Pennywise]

*until you alt-tab and your PC frozes

 

[Sosokrates]

Lock the framerate at 100 - 120 and the frametimes will be flat.
Have a VRR display and id pay you money to tell me when the frametimes are outta wack.

Dude.
That would be such a jump im actually jealous you will get to experience that.
All your games are going to near triple in framerate.

Dont laugh but the only game I play on PC is C +C remastered.

i purchased my PC in 2009, its a huge tower PC, now I rarely use it, debating which direction to go next. My phone has basically become my PC.

 

[Kuranghi]

i want to see the frame times with four cores

You can't tell if its your 4-core CPU finally becoming antiquated or just some unexplained frame-time issues these days it feels like. I'll have issues that I think are CPU related in one game and I can't rid myself of random frametime spikes at 60hz, then I'll play another game thats graphically more taxing and its 100% locked 60hz or even 120hz.

I'm cursed to see frametime spikes no matter how brief, I've got my father's eyes:




I should hurl them into the sea and be done with it, like Topper did.

 

[Dural]

May be decent for a 4k Plex server.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking (the non "F" variant obviously). It would be better than decent though, the old 8100 and 9100 are great for transcoding using QuickSync. The only problem would be if you're running Unraid as I don't think QS is working in the eleventh gen CPUs, let alone twelfth.

 

[Raphael]

I wonder how it will fare with total war games. Want to upgrade my pc soon for warhammer 3. I play my action games on Xbox but need my strategy and crpg games on my pc. If only GPUs would fall in price as well...

Will be upgrading from a i5 4460 so its amazing a cheap procesor like this can give me this much more horsepower.

 

[Bonfires Down]

Would this be a good upgrade from a core i7 920?

 

[metareferential]

Well, well. Competition is a hell of a drug for these cpus.

My 9900k kinda feels dated xD

 

[grfunkulus]

Well, well. Competition is a hell of a drug for these cpus.

My 9900k kinda feels dated xD

Depends on what resolution you play at. If you're at 4k (or even 1440p) you will literally be good for at least this console generation and probably most of the next. I wouldn't worry. They do these tests at 1080p for a reason.

 

[elliot5]

read the title as Burger King

 

[metareferential]

Depends on what resolution you play at. If you're at 4k (or even 1440p) you will literally be good for at least this console generation and probably most of the next. I wouldn't worry. They do these tests at 1080p for a reason.

Yeah I know; I have a 3090 and I mainly game on a C1 oled, so 4k@120hz with gsync. And there's DLSS, so I'm not going to upgrade anytime soon. And I'm not one of those "max everything at all costs" kinda gamer.

And I can always OC.

Still, it's impressive what AMD managed to do and how Intel responded. Hopefully once the pandemic and all the shortages are behind us, we can all enjoy this race (which is about to start in the gpu space too, hopefully).