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InnoReviews

Intel Core 3 100U vs Intel Core 5 120U

Intel Core 3 100U
47Inno Score
VS
WINNER
Intel Core 5 120U
51.6Inno Score
49.4Single-core59.8
33.6Multi-core36.2
75.3Efficiencyspec-based75.3
45.9Platformspec-based50.3
0 spec wins — Intel Core 3 100U9 spec wins — Intel Core 5 120U

InnoReviews verdict

Intel Core 5 120U wins this laptop processor face-off, 51.6 to 47, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+10) and multi-core (+3). Intel Core 3 100U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Intel Core 3 100U

No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.

Reasons to pick the Intel Core 5 120U

  • Stronger single-core score: 60 vs 49
  • 100% higher Efficiency cores: 8 vs 4
  • 67% higher cores: 10 vs 6
  • 50% higher threads: 12 vs 8
  • 31% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 9,070 vs 6,940

General

General comparison: Intel Core 3 100U versus Intel Core 5 120U
SpecIntel Core 3 100UIntel Core 5 120U
Announced20242024
Process10 nm10 nm
Base TDP15 W15 W
Max TDP55 W55 W

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: Intel Core 3 100U versus Intel Core 5 120U
SpecIntel Core 3 100UIntel Core 5 120U
Cores610+67%
Performance cores22
Efficiency cores48+100%
Threads812+50%
Base clock1.2 GHz1.4 GHz+17%
Boost clock4.7 GHz5 GHz+6%
L3 cache10 MB12 MB+20%

Integrated GPU

Integrated GPU comparison: Intel Core 3 100U versus Intel Core 5 120U
SpecIntel Core 3 100UIntel Core 5 120U
iGPUIntel Graphics (64 EU)Intel Iris Xe (80 EU)
iGPU clock1,250 MHz1,300 MHz

Memory

Memory comparison: Intel Core 3 100U versus Intel Core 5 120U
SpecIntel Core 3 100UIntel Core 5 120U
Memory supportDDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR5X-5200 / LPDDR4X-4267LPDDR5X-5200 / DDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267
Max memory96 GB96 GB

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Intel Core 3 100U versus Intel Core 5 120U
SpecIntel Core 3 100UIntel Core 5 120U
Geekbench 6 (single)2,295Bottom 35%2,469+8%Bottom 50%
Geekbench 6 (multi)6,940Bottom 19%9,070+31%Bottom 33%
Cinebench R23 (single)—1,757Top 45%
Cinebench R23 (multi)—6,659Bottom 18%
PassMark12,302Bottom 22%14,877+21%Bottom 30%

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