Intel Core i3-8121U VS Intel Core i7-8559U

Comparison of video cards Intel Core i3-8121U vs Intel Core i7-8559U in benchmarks and specifications.

Differences Specifications Benchmarks

Differences

Top features of Intel Core i7-8559U

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Higher clock speed

2.70 GHz 2.20 GHz

Around -23% better clock speed
More number of cores

4 2

2 times more threads
Higher turbo clock speed

4.50 GHz 3.20 GHz

Around 29% better overclocked clock speed

Top features of Intel Core i3-8121U

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Performance per watt

15 W 28 W

About 0.54 times less performance per watt

Specifications

Complete list of technical specifications

Intel Core i7-8559U Intel Core i3-8121U

CPU generation and family

Let's find out which one of Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i3-8121U is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

Specification	Value
Name	Intel Core i7-8559U Intel Core i3-8121U
Segment	Mobile Mobile
Family	Intel Core i7 Intel Core i3
Generation	8 8
CPU group	Intel Core i 8000U Intel Core i 8000U

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

In this block we are going to compare Intel Core i7-8559U vs Intel Core i3-8121U by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

Specification	Value
Frequency	2.70 GHz 2.20 GHz
CPU Cores	4 2
Turbo (1 Core)	4.50 GHz 3.20 GHz
CPU Threads	8 4
Hyperthreading	Yes Yes
Overclocking	No No
Core architecture	normal normal

Internal Graphics

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i3-8121U along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

Specification	Value
GPU name	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 no iGPU
GPU frequency	0.30 GHz
GPU (Turbo)	1.20 GHz No turbo
Execution units	48
Shader	384
Max. GPU Memory	32 GB --
Max. displays	3
Generation	9.5
DirectX Version	12
Technology	14 nm
Release date	Q4/2017

Hardware codec support

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i3-8121U. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

Specification	Value
h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	Decode / Encode No
h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	Decode / Encode No
h264	Decode / Encode No
VP9	Decode / Encode No
VP8	Decode / Encode No
AV1	No No
AVC	Decode / Encode No
VC-1	Decode No
JPEG	Decode / Encode No

Memory & PCIe

To choose the best model between Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i3-8121U you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

Specification	Value
Memory type	DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM
Max. Memory	32 GB
ECC	No No
Memory channels	2 2
PCIe version	3.0 3.0
PCIe lanes	16 16

Encryption

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i3-8121U.

Specification	Value
AES-NI	Yes Yes

Thermal Management

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Intel Core i7-8559U or Intel Core i3-8121U? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

Specification	Value
TDP (PL1)	28 W 15 W

Technical details

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i3-8121U CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

Specification	Value
Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
ISA extensions	SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
L3-Cache	6.00 MB 4.00 MB
Architecture	Coffee Lake U Cannon Lake U
Technology	14 nm 10 nm
Socket	BGA 1528 BGA 1356
Release date	Q2/2018 Q2/2018