While we wait for Intel to announce 12th Gen Core non-K desktop CPUs, some people are getting their hands on early samples. The latest unreleased Intel processor to fall into the hands of a reviewer was the Core i3-12100, and looking at the benchmarks, it seems to offer better performance than the Ryzen 3 equivalent.
The review comes from XFastest (via: @KOMACHI_ENSAKA). As we can see in the CPU-Z screenshots, this processor will feature 4x cores (P-cores) and 8x threads that clock up to 4.3GHz. The reviewer states the TDP/PL1 of this sample was set at 60W, and the PBP/MTP/PL2 at 77W. The processor was mounted on an ASRock Z690 Steel Legend motherboard with 16GB DDR4-3600 memory and an RTX 3060 Ti.
[XF 專題] $1000 玩入門級 12 代 12100 vs 3300X vs 3100 效能大對決 https://t.co/FvcLY9c2n1
— 遠坂小町 (@KOMACHI_ENSAKA) December 1, 2021
The CPU underwent multiple synthetic and gaming benchmarks and had its scores compared to the Zen 2-based AMD Ryzen 3 3300X and 3100 CPUs. These processors were running on an ASRock X470 Taichi motherboard with the same memory and GPU.
Overall, the Intel processor was faster than both AMD processors while generating less heat, scoring 1,649 in Cinebench R23 single-core test and 8,474 in the multi-core test. In Cyberpunk 2077 and CS:GO, the Intel processor was 14% faster than the Ryzen 3 3300X and 33% faster than the Ryzen 3 3100.
According to the reviewer, the Intel Core i3-12100 processor costs 1000 HKD, which roughly translates to £97. We expect to see this processor and the rest of the 12th Gen Core non-K line-up hitting the shelves in early 2022.
KitGuru says: Based on these early performance tests, the Core i3-12100 is looking like a pretty good entry-level processor for a gaming PC. We should also see a Core i3-12300 next year, with higher clock speeds to enable even better performance on a tight budget.