Intel Core i3-8121U vs AMD EPYC 7443 Benchmark, comparison and differences


Intel Core i3-8121U		AMD EPYC 7443
CPU comparison In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i3-8121U and the AMD EPYC 7443 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster. We compare the Intel Core i3-8121U 2 core processor released in Q2/2018 with the AMD EPYC 7443 which has 24 CPU cores and was introduced in Q1/2021.

Intel Core i3 (205)	Family	AMD EPYC (129)
Intel Core i 8000U (CL) (1)	CPU group	AMD EPYC 7003 (29)
8	Generation	3
Cannon Lake U	Architecture	Milan (Zen 3)
Mobile	Segment	Desktop / Server
--	Predecessor	--
--	Successor	--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Intel Core i3-8121U is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.20 GHz (3.20 GHz). The processor can compute 4 threads at the same time. The AMD EPYC 7443 clocks with 2.85 GHz (4.00 GHz), has 24 CPU cores and can calculate 48 threads in parallel.
Intel Core i3-8121U	Characteristic	AMD EPYC 7443
2	Cores	24
4	Threads	48
normal	Core architecture	normal
Yes	Hyperthreading	Yes
No	Overclocking ?	No
2.20 GHz	Frequency	2.85 GHz
3.20 GHz	Turbo Frequency (1 Core)	4.00 GHz
2.70 GHz	Turbo Frequency (All Cores)	3.60 GHz

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 i3-8121U	Characteristic	AMD EPYC 7443
--	AI hardware	--
--	AI specifications	--

Internal Graphics Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.
no iGPU	GPU	no iGPU
	GPU frequency	--
--	GPU (Turbo)	--
--	GPU Generation	--
	Technology
	Max. displays
--	Compute units	--
--	Shader	--
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
--	Max. GPU Memory	--
--	DirectX Version	--

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.
no iGPU	GPU	no iGPU
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	No
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	No
No	Codec h264	No
No	Codec VP9	No
No	Codec VP8	No
No	Codec AV1	No
No	Codec AVC	No
No	Codec VC-1	No
No	Codec JPEG	No

Memory & PCIe Up to 32 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i3-8121U, while the AMD EPYC 7443 supports a maximum of 4096 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 204.8 GB/s enabled.
Intel Core i3-8121U	Characteristic	AMD EPYC 7443
LPDDR4-2400, DDR4-2400	Memory	DDR4-3200
32 GB	Max. Memory	4096 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	8 (Octa Channel)
38.4 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	204.8 GB/s
No	ECC	Yes
--	L2 Cache	--
4.00 MB	L3 Cache	128.00 MB
3.0	PCIe version	4.0
16	PCIe lanes	128
15.8 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	252.0 GB/s
Thermal Management The Intel Core i3-8121U has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP of the AMD EPYC 7443 is 200 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.
Intel Core i3-8121U	Characteristic	AMD EPYC 7443
15 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	200 W
--	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	165 W
105 °C	Tjunction max.	--
Technical details The Intel Core i3-8121U has 4.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 10 nm. The cache of AMD EPYC 7443 is at 128.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 7 nm.
Intel Core i3-8121U	Characteristic	AMD EPYC 7443
10 nm	Technology	7 nm
Monolithic	Chip design	Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512	ISA extensions	SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
BGA 1356	Socket	SP3
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d	Virtualization	AMD-V, SVM
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux	Operating systems	Windows 10, Linux
Q2/2018	Release date	Q1/2021
--	Release price	2010 $

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Intel Core i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 2.20 GHz (3.20 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 2.85 GHz (4.00 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

Rate these processors

Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i3-8121U (60%)

AMD EPYC 7443 (100%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i3-8121U (10%)

AMD EPYC 7443 (100%)

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 i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz	810 (56%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 4.00 GHz	1436 (100%)

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 i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz	1987 (8%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz	25985 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.


	Intel Core i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz	1114 (64%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 4.00 GHz	1732 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.


	Intel Core i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz	2414 (15%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz	15864 (100%)

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 i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz	4395 (8%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz	53781 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	Intel Core i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz	139 (100%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 4.00 GHz	0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	Intel Core i3-8121U 2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz	305 (100%)
	AMD EPYC 7443 24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz	0 (0%)

Devices using this processor
Intel Core i3-8121U	AMD EPYC 7443
Unknown	Unknown


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Intel Core i3-8121U vs AMD EPYC 7443

CPU comparison with benchmarks

CPU comparison

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Internal Graphics

Hardware codec support

Memory & PCIe

Thermal Management

Technical details