Intel Core i3-12100 Review

The Core i3-12100 is one of Intel's entry-level Desktop processors. It was released in 2022 with 4 cores and 8 threads. With base clock at 3.3GHz, max speed at 4.3GHz, and a 60W power rating. The Core i3-12100 is based on the Alder Lake-S 10nm family and is part of the Core i3 series.

Core i3-12100 is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i3-11100 processor that was based on the Comet Lake Refresh and 14nm process and was released in 2021.

In our mind, the best processors are the ones that deliver outstanding performance at a reasonable price point. And, the Core i3-12100 absolutely nails this concept.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the Intel Core i3-12100 finally dethrones the Ryzen 3 3200G as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Core i3-12100 doesn't reach the same single-core performance as AMD, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

Intel Core i3 12th Generation, and the Alder Lake-S architecture itself, is notable because it leads 10nm processors to the mainstream for the first time. But, there’s a lot more going on under the hood than just a smaller manufacturing node.

But, like most humans, if you do things other than gaming, the Core i3-12100 offers a better mixture of performance in single- and multi-threaded applications. The Core i3-12100 offers twice the threads of the price-comparable Ryzen 3 3200G, and it wields them to great effect in threaded workloads. As such, rendering and encoding remain a strong suit of the Core i3 chips, and Intel's improvements to AVX throughput have yielded impressive results.

Intel Core i3 12 Generation is finally here, and the Intel Core i3-12100 might just be the poster child for what this generation of processors has in store for consumers. Sure, it might have stuck with the 4-core, 8-thread setup, which it inherited from its predecessor, the Core i3-11100. However, with the new 10nm manufacturing process, it delivers a far better performance at lower power consumption.

The Intel Core i3-12100 was rolled out on Jan 4th, 2022 for $122, which puts it in the same general price range as the last-generation Core i3-11100. This means that at least we're not seeing any considerable price jumps from generation to generation.

This decision to 10nm has brought a beefy 15% boost to IPC (instructions per clock) performance. Effectively, compared to a Core i3 11-Generation processor at the same clock speed, you will get a straight 15% increase in performance. That’s not big enough to be evident in day-to-day workloads, but it does still mean something.

What this all means is that the Intel Core i3-12100 is an absolute beast when it comes to multi-threaded workloads, especially at this price point. If you're counting on doing some video editing or compiling one hell of an Excel spreadsheet, you're going to see firsthand a performance boost with the Core i3-12100.

One of the nice things about the Intel Core i3-12100 processors is that the retail boxed models come with a CPU cooler. So, you can pick something like the Intel Core i3-12100 up for $122 and don’t need to spend any extra money on CPU cooling.

The Intel Core i3-12100 retail boxed processor comes with the traditional ‘pancake’ CPU cooler. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done on this processor which is rated at 60W TDP. You do not need to have an aftermarket cooling solution unless you want to.

The Intel Core i3-12100 seems to be a decent performing chip that is readily available for $122 at your favorite retailer. The main competition for this processor is the Ryzen 3 3200G 4-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon Vega 8 graphics ($89 shipped).

Bottom Line, the Intel Core i3-12100 does not get much media attention since it is entry-level 12 Gen Core Alder Lake-S processor, but it is a very capable processor that still delivers a good computing experience for entry-level users.

With Core i3, Intel continues to innovate on its new architecture and 10nm process. Like Core i3, Intel has engineered Core i3 to operate on a 1700 chipset with all the modern amenities of computing. This includes support for DDR4 RAM, the fastest NVMe SSDs and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Now the biggest question is can Intel’s Core i3 processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 90% in our benchmarks.

If you’ve been looking for an affordable, powerhouse CPU that both works and parties hard, this is it.

That said, to squeeze out all the potential of this surprisingly potent entry-level chip, you’ll want (and need) to splurge on an enthusiast-grade Z670, H610, B660 motherboard.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i3 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the entry-level with its Core i3-12100 processors, which the company is making available as of Jan 4th, 2022.