Intel Core i3-3229Y vs MediaTek MT8121

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i3-3229Y CPU1 vs CPU2 MediaTek MT8121
Intel Core i3-3229Y MediaTek MT8121

CPU comparison

Intel Core i3-3229Y or MediaTek MT8121 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i3-3229Y has 2 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.40 GHz. Up to 32 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i3-3229Y was released in Q1/2013.

The MediaTek MT8121 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.30 GHz. The CPU supports up to GB of memory in 0 memory channels. The MediaTek MT8121 was released in Q4/2013.
Intel Core i3 (205) Family Mediatek MT-Serie (72)
Intel Core i 3000Y (4) CPU group MediaTek MT81xx A7 (5)
3 Generation 1
Ivy Bridge Y Architecture Cortex-A7
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-3229Y has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-3229Y is 1.40 GHz while the MediaTek MT8121 has 4 CPU cores and 4 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the MediaTek MT8121 is at 1.30 GHz.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
2 Cores 4
4 Threads 4
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.40 GHz Frequency 1.30 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) --
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i3-3229Y or MediaTek MT8121 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU PowerVR SGX544
0.35 GHz GPU frequency 0.16 GHz
0.85 GHz GPU (Turbo) 0.16 GHz
7 GPU Generation --
22 nm Technology 45nm
3 Max. displays 1
16 Compute units 2
128 Shader 4
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
11.0 DirectX Version 10.1

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU PowerVR SGX544
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i3-3229Y can use up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 25.6 GB/s. The MediaTek MT8121 supports up to GB of memory in 0 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to --.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
DDR3-1600 Memory
32 GB Max. Memory
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 0
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth --
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
3.00 MB L3 Cache --
2.0 PCIe version --
16 PCIe lanes --
8.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i3-3229Y is 13 W, while the MediaTek MT8121 has a TDP of --. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
13 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
7 W TDP down --
105 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-3229Y is manufactured in 22 nm and has 3.00 MB cache. The MediaTek MT8121 is manufactured in 28 nm and has a 0.00 MB cache.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
22 nm Technology 28 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv7-A (32 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions --
BGA 1023 Socket --
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Android
Q1/2013 Release date Q4/2013
-- Release price --
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Here you can rate the MediaTek MT8121 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i3-3229Y (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 (23%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i3-3229Y (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 (36%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Intel Core i3-3229Y
2C 4T @ 1.40 GHz
311 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
71 (23%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Intel Core i3-3229Y
2C 4T @ 1.40 GHz
657 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
239 (36%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Intel Core i3-3229Y
Intel HD Graphics 4000 @ 0.85 GHz
218 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
PowerVR SGX544 @ 0.16 GHz
5 (2%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i3-3229Y Intel Core i3-3229Y
2C 4T @ 1.40 GHz
1009 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor
Intel Core i3-3229Y MediaTek MT8121
Unknown Unknown

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