Intel Core i3-12100F vs Intel Core i7-9700K

The 9th generation Intel Core i7-9700K (Coffee Lake S Refresh) was a former high-end processor. It is manufactured using the 14 nm process, has 8 cores/8 threads, 0 MB Level 2 and 12 MB Level 3 cache, as well as Intel UHD Graphics 630.

It uses PCIe 3.0 and has a memory bandwidth of 43 GB/s. The 12th generation Intel Core i3-12100F (Alder Lake S) is a modern entry-level processor.

Manufactured using the more efficient 10 nm process, it offers 4 cores/8 threads (Hyper-Threading), 5 MB Level 2 and 12 MB Level 3 cache. Without an integrated graphics unit, it supports PCIe 5.0 and achieves 77 GB/s memory bandwidth. The single-core performance of the Intel Core i3-12100F surpasses the Intel Core i7-9700K by over 10 percent in benchmarks, thanks to its newer architecture.

In multi-core performance, the Intel Core i7-9700K shows over 10 percent higher performance in most benchmarks due to its 8 physical cores, although some results are very close. For gaming, the superior single-core performance of the Intel Core i3-12100F is often crucial, complemented by PCIe 5.0.

The Intel Core i7-9700K remains solid, but with older standards. The Intel Core i3-12100F is more energy-efficient due to its 10 nm process. The price-performance ratio of the Intel Core i3-12100F is usually more attractive on a modern platform.