Intel’s Entry-Level Core i3-12300 & Core i3-12100 Alder Lake Desktop CPU Benchmarks Leak Out – Strong Single-Core Performance, Run Cool & Under 65W Power Usage

Intel's entry-level Core i3-12300 & Core i3-12100 Alder Lake Desktop CPUs might offer the best value to budget gamers as shown in leaked benchmarks.

Intel Alder Lake Quad Cores, Core i3-12300 & Core i3-12100, Show Strong Entry-Level Performance, Run Cool & Consumer Under 65 Watts of Power

While we have already seen the benchmarks of Intel's Core i3-12100 leak out earlier, these new metrics also let us compare both variants against AMD's entry-level offerings which have so far been missing the Ryzen 3 lineup but that's expected to launch under the Renoir-X branding by 2022.

Coming to the specifications for the Intel Core i3-12100 Desktop CPU, you are getting 4 cores with 8 threads. All cores are based on the Golden Cove architecture and there's no hybrid architecture on this chip as will be the case with every chip below the Core i5-12600K. The CPU has a boost clock of up to 4.3 GHz (1-core) and 4.1 GHz (All-Core). The base TDP is rated at 60 Watts while the maximum turbo power (MTP) is rated at just 77W.

Similarly, the higher-end Core i3-12300 CPU retains the same core configuration but runs at slightly higher clock speeds of up to 4.4 GHz (1-Core) and 4.2 GHz (All-Core). The CPU also packs a 12 MB L3 cache. As for pricing, both chips are expected to hit retail around 1000 RMB or under $150 US. This will make them a very nice option for budget and entry-tier builders. With that said, let's look at the performance of these chips.

Intel Core i3-12100 & Core i3-12300 CPU-z (Image Credits: Enthusiast Citizen via Bilibili):

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Intel Core i3-12100 & Core i3-12300 Cinebench (Image Credits: Enthusiast Citizen via Bilibili):

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Starting with the Intel Core i3-12300, the CPU scores 702.5 points in single-core and 3842.4 points in the multi-thread score within CPU-z. In Cinebench R20, the chip scores 665 points in single-core and 3318 points in multi-thread benchmark. In the AIDA64 FPU stress test, the Core i3-12300 runs at a cool 60C while consuming 62 Watts of power.

Moving over to the Core i3-12100, the CPU scores 687.5 points in single-core and 3407.9 points in the multi-thread benchmark in CPU-z. For Cinebench R20, the chip scores 649 points in single-core and 3248 points in multi-thread tests. That's almost 90-95% performance of the higher-end chip at a lower cost around $100 US.

Intel Core i3-12100 & Core i3-12300 Temps/Power (Image Credits: Enthusiast Citizen via Bilibili):

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What's impressive is that the performance for both chips almost matches the Zen 2 powered Ryzen 5 3600 in multi-threaded while the single-core performance destroys AMD's entire Zen 3 lineup. In comparison to the Core i3-10100F, the Core i3-12100F is about 42% faster on average in both single and multi-threaded performance which is one huge gen over gen upgrade. Sure you will need the brand new 600-series platform and it will be a wise decision to go for DDR4 motherboards with the entry-level lineup considering the cost/availability of DDR5 modules. Overall, Intel looks like they'll have another solid launch in the entry-level segment after a solid return in the mainstream & high-end segments with Alder Lake CPUs.

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPU Specs

CPU Name	P-Core Count	E-Core Count	Total Core / Thread	P-Core Base / Boost (Max)	P-Core Boost (All-Core)	E-Core Base / Boost	E-Core Boost (All-Core)	L3 Cache	TDP (PL1)	TDP (PL2)	Expected (MSRP) Price
Core i9-12900KS	8	8	16 / 24	3.4 / 5.5 GHz	5.2 GHz	2.4 / 3.9 GHz	3.7 GHz	30 MB	150W	260W	$739 US
Core i9-12900K	8	8	16 / 24	3.2 / 5.2 GHz	5.0 GHz	2.4 / 3.9 GHz	3.7 GHz	30 MB	125W	241W	$599 US
Core i9-12900	8	8	16 / 24	2.4 / 5.1 GHz	TBA	1.8 / 3.8 GHz	TBA	30 MB	65W	202W	$489 US $464 US (F)
Core i9-12900T	8	8	16 / 24	1.4 / 4.9 GHz	TBA	1.0 / 3.6 GHz	TBA	30 MB	35W	106W	$489 US
Core i7-12700K	8	4	12 / 20	3.6 / 5.0 GHz	4.7 GHz	2.7 / 3.8 GHz	3.6 GHz	25 MB	125W	190W	$419 US
Core i7-12700	8	4	12 / 20	2.1 / 4.9 GHz	TBA	1.6 / 3.6 GHz	TBA	25 MB	65W	180W	$339 US $314 US (F)
Core i7-12700T	8	4	12 / 20	1.4 / 4.7 GHz	TBA	1.0 / 3.4 GHz	TBA	25 MB	35W	99W	$339 US
Core i5-12600K	6	4	10 / 16	3.7 / 4.9 GHz	4.5 GHz	2.8 / 3.6 GHz	3.4 GHz	20 MB	125W	150W	$299 US
Core i5-12600	6	0	6 / 12	3.3 / 4.8 GHz	4.4 GHz	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	117W	$223 US
Core i5-12600T	6	0	6 / 12	2.1 / 4.6 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	74W	$223 US
Core i5-12490P	6	0	6 / 12	3.0 / 4.6 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	20 MB	65W	74W	~$250 US
Core i5-12500	6	0	6 / 12	3.0 / 4.6 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	117W	$202 US
Core i5-12500T	6	0	6 / 12	2.0 / 4.4 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	35W	74W	$202 US
Core i5-12400	6	0	6 / 12	2.5 / 4.4 GHz	4.0 GHz	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	117W	$192 US $167 US (F)
Core i5-12400T	6	0	6 / 12	1.8 / 4.2 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	35W	74W	$192 US
Core i3-12300	4	0	4 / 8	3.5 / 4.4 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	60W	89W	$143 US
Core i3-12300T	4	0	4 / 8	2.3 / 4.2 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	35W	69W	$143 US
Core i3-12100	4	0	4 / 8	3.3 / 4.3 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	60W 58W (F)	89W	$122 US $97 US (F)
Core i3-12100T	4	0	4 / 8	2.2 / 4.1 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	35W	69W	$122 US
Intel Pentium Gold G7400	2	0	2 / 4	3.7 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	6 MB	46W	N/A	$64 US
Intel Pentium Gold G7400T	2	0	2 / 4	3.1 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	6 MB	35W	N/A	$64 US
Intel Celeron G6900	2	0	2 / 2	3.4 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 MB	46W	N/A	$42 US
Intel Celeron G6900T	2	0	2 / 2	2.8 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 MB	35W	N/A	$42 US

News Source: Enthusiast Citizen (Bilibili)