Core i3-8121U vs Ryzen 7 7800X3D

CPU

GPU

Core i3-8121U

2 Cores4 Thrd15 WWMax: 3.2 GHz2018

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

8 Cores16 Thrd120 WWMax: 5 GHz2023

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-8121U

2 / 4

4,271

0.0%

34,293

+702.9%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Ryzen Threadripper 7970X

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. The Core i3-8121U is positioned at rank #166 in our cost-efficiency ranking, representing a Lower cost-benefit for your build. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-8121U

#154

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

343%

#155

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

338%

#156

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

311%

#157

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

309%

#158

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

306%

#160

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

296%

#161

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

284%

#162

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

283%

#163

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

276%

#166

Core i3-8121U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#173

Celeron N3060

MSRP: $107|Avg: N/A

99%

#176

Core 2 Duo T9300

MSRP: $316|Avg: $20

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Ryzen 7 7800X3D

#197

Ryzen 5 5600X3D

MSRP: $229|Avg: $229

107%

#198

Core i3-9350KF

MSRP: $173|Avg: $80

106%

#199

Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE

MSRP: $220|Avg: $220

106%

#200

Core i3-9300

MSRP: $143|Avg: $75

106%

#201

Ryzen 7 3800XT

MSRP: $399|Avg: $249

105%

#202

Core i5-11400T

MSRP: $182|Avg: $140

104%

#203

Core i3-10305

MSRP: $149|Avg: $100

103%

#204

Core i3-9320

MSRP: $154|Avg: $80

103%

#205

Core i3-10105

MSRP: $122|Avg: $90

103%

#206

Core i3-13100E

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

102%

#207

Core i9-13900F

MSRP: $524|Avg: $536

102%

#208

Processor 300

MSRP: $82|Avg: $80

102%

#209

Ryzen 5 2600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $145

102%

#210

Ryzen 5 2400GE

MSRP: $169|Avg: $80

101%

#211

Core i9-14900KS

MSRP: $749|Avg: $670

101%

#212

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

MSRP: $449|Avg: $384

100%

#213

Core i3-8100T

MSRP: $117|Avg: $59

100%

#214

Core i7-13700E

MSRP: $390|Avg: $380

100%

#215

Ryzen 7 PRO 5750G

MSRP: $430|Avg: $270

99%

#216

Core i7-9700

MSRP: $333|Avg: $150

99%

#217

Core i5-13500TE

MSRP: $235|Avg: $250

98%

#218

Ryzen 3 PRO 2200G

MSRP: $294|Avg: $76

98%

#219

Ryzen 7 PRO 5845

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

97%

#220

Athlon PRO 300GE

MSRP: $50|Avg: $50

97%

#221

Athlon Gold 3150G

MSRP: $100|Avg: $80

97%

#222

Core i7-9800X

MSRP: $589|Avg: $210

97%

#223

Ryzen 7 4700G

MSRP: $299|Avg: $235

96%

#224

Ryzen 9 5900

MSRP: $549|Avg: $395

96%

#225

Ryzen 5 7600X3D

MSRP: $299|Avg: $300

96%

#226

Ryzen 5 1600X

MSRP: $249|Avg: $144

59%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Ryzen 7 7800X3D delivers superior performance across the board. Its 3D V-Cache technology provides a significant advantage in gaming scenarios, while its core configuration delivers 155.7% higher multi-threaded performance.

Insight	Core i3-8121U	Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($384)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) / 10 nm)	✨ Modern (Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) / 5 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core i3-8121U	Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($384)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i3-8121U Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 7800X3D Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-8121U and Ryzen 7 7800X3D

Core i3-8121U

The Core i3-8121U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 May 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,271 points. Launch price was $69.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 96 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 34,293 points. Launch price was $449.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-8121U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Core i3-8121U versus 5 GHz on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D — a 43.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D (base: 2.2 GHz vs 4.4 GHz). The Core i3-8121U uses the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-8121U scores 4,271 against the Ryzen 7 7800X3D's 34,293 — a 155.7% lead for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,178 vs 2,700, a 78.5% lead for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 2,250 vs 15,000 (147.8% advantage for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D). L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Core i3-8121U vs 96 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

Feature	Core i3-8121U	Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	8 / 16+300%
Boost Clock	3.2 GHz	5 GHz+56%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	4.4 GHz+100%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	96 MB (total)+2300%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	10 nm	5 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	4,271	34,293+703%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	18,500
Geekbench 6 Single	1,178	2,700+129%
Geekbench 6 Multi	2,250	15,000+567%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-8121U uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2400 on the Core i3-8121U versus DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D — the Ryzen 7 7800X3D supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-8121U) vs 28 (Ryzen 7 7800X3D) — the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SoC (Core i3-8121U) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 7 7800X3D).

Feature	Core i3-8121U	Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Socket	BGA1440	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	DDR5-5200+25%
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	128 GB+300%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	✅
PCIe Lanes	16	28+75%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-8121U) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 7 7800X3D). The Ryzen 7 7800X3D includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the Core i3-8121U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-8121U targets Productivity, Ryzen 7 7800X3D targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i3-8121U rivals Core i3-8130U; Ryzen 7 7800X3D rivals Intel Core i7-14700K.