Which Intel Core i3 Processor is the Best: best value entry level mobile CPU
Manufacturers like Intel and AMD are churning out processors so fast that you sometimes see three or even four generations of CPUs in the market. That’s exactly what we are seeing with laptops powered by the entry level Intel Core i3 mobile processors. These laptops are powered by 10th, 11th and 12th generation processors with vastly different architecture. So, which Intel Core i3 processor is the best?
Choose the right processor and you get up to 3 times the performance of going with a processor you think might be right for you. It will work in your favour to pay attention to the different processors in the market even within the same class.
The Intel Core i3 Processors
While the Intel Core i3 processors are consider entry-level, the company has other line of processors to cater to even more budget conscious consumers. These are the Celeron for ultra budget and Pentium for budget segment. So where does Intel Core i3 come in? From Intel’s mainstream processors, the Core i-series comes Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and the chart topping Core i9. This makes the Intel Core i3 an entry level processor in its class. Intel Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9 processors on the other hand offers mid-range, high and extreme performance respectively.
Make no mistaken that this is not a weak processor by any means. Take for instance, the Intel Core i3-1220P processor currently powering entry level laptops in the market. It is 3 times more powerful than laptops powered by the fastest Pentium processor you can get your hands on. This would be laptops powered by Intel Pentium Gold 7505 processors. Compare this to the fastest Celeron processor currently in the market, the Intel Celeron 6305 and we are talking 7.6 times performance gain. These are huge jumps you don’t want to miss out on.
The Line-Up
At the time of writing, there are three generations on processors in the market right now. This makes picking a laptop in this class a right nightmare. This is where we come in. We have done your homework for you, so you can arm yourself with the knowledge, and make an informed decision. Here is a quick overview:
| Processor | Core/Thread | Base/Turbo | TDP Down/Up |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1220P Processor | 10C/12T | 1.1GHz/4.4GHz | 20W/64W |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1215U Processor | 6C/8T | 0.9GHz/4.4GHz | 15W/55W |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1125G4 Processor | 4C/8T | 2.0GHz/3.7GHz | 12W/28W |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 Processor | 2C/4T | 3.0GHz/4.1GHz | 12W/28W |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1 Processor | 2C/4T | 1.2GHz/3.4Ghz | 13W/15W |
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Intel® Core™ i3-1220P – Most Powerful
Top of the list is the fastest Intel Core i3 processor found on laptops out there right now, the Intel Core i3-1220P. However, this is not the only 12th generation Intel Core i3. There is also the Intel Core i3-1215U. But, this is the one to go for if you have a choice between the two. The reason is quite simply the total number of cores. This processor has 10 Cores. Of the ten 2 are performance cores while the other 8 are efficient cores. Together, they offer 12 processing threads. This may not seem like much when you compare it to 12th generation Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7 processors but is still more than double that on previous generation Intel Core i3. For contrast, the 11th and 10th generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 and Core i3-1005G1 are both dual core processors.
In terms of performance, the Intel Core i3-1220P outperformance Intel Core i3-1005G1 by over 3 times in Average CPU Mark by cpubenchmark.net. That says a lot about having those extra cores and threads, 5 times more cores and 3 times more processing threads. You can’t go wrong picking up an entry level laptop powered by this processor. Even with that much power, it still only just draws 20W at minimum assured power and 64W to prop up the turbo frequency of 4.4GHz. An excellent example of a laptop powered by Intel Core i3-1220P is the ASUS Vivobook 16X.
| Processor | Core/Thread | Base/Turbo | TDP Down/Up | Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1220P Processor | 10C/12T | 1.1GHz/4.4GHz | 20W/64W | 15659 | 3524 |
Intel® Core™ i3-1215U
As we mentioned before, if you are presented with a choice between this or the previous processor, give this one a miss. The Intel Core i3-1215U has 4 fewer cores and therefore only offers 8 processing threads. Of the 6 cores, you still get 2 performance cores and the rest (4) are efficient cores. And while those cores can work at the same maximum frequencies; 4.40GHz for performance and 3.30GHz for efficient cores, it draws a lot less power than the Intel Core i3-1220P.
This a case of lowering the demands on the battery at the price of performance. However, that drop in power draw doesn’t quite measure up to the drop in performance. The processor has assured power draw of 12W, base power draw of 15W and maximum turbo power draw of 55W. The performance drop is a huge 26%. Still, you get a healthy supply of devices powered by the processor in the form of HP Pavilion 14, Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 17-inch, Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14-inch and Samsung Galaxy Book 2 15.6-inch.
| Processor | Core/Thread | Base/Turbo | TDP Down/Up | Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1215U Processor | 6C/8T | 0.9GHz/4.4GHz | 15W/55W | 11569 | 3483 |
Intel® Core™ i3-1125G4 – Balance of Power & Efficiency
For a truly energy efficient entry level processor, consider the Intel Core i3-1125G4. This has the same TDP rating as the Intel Core i3-1115G4 below and yet is not far off in terms of performance compared to Intel Core i3-1215U above. At 12W TDP down and 28W TDP up, it consumes just over half the power at maximum frequency. You get a straight quad-core processor capable of 8 processing threads. These cores are stepped up and down as required from 900MHz (TDP down base) to 2.00GHz (TDP up base) to 3.70GHz at maximum turbo frequency. What is important is that the processor is still capable of nearly twice the performance of the Intel Core i3-1005G1 with 96.6% performance gain. A highly rated laptop powered by this processor is the HP 17 with 17.3-inch Full HD display, 8GB RAM memory and 512GB SSD storage.
| Processor | Core/Thread | Base/Turbo | TDP Down/Up | Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1125G4 Processor | 4C/8T | 2.0GHz/3.7GHz | 12W/28W | 9964 | 2517 |
Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 – Most Efficient
The following two processors are dual core parts with the Intel Core i3-1115G4 being the faster of the two. By today’s standard, we wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. Dual-core processors just doesn’t cut it anymore. It does have a 23% gain over the 10th generation Intel Core i3-1005G1 below. On the up side, laptops powered by the Intel Core i3-1115G4 are cheap as chips. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 13.3-inch 2-in-1, HP Pavilion 14, HP 14s, Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 14-inch and ASUS Vivobook 14 and 15 laptops are good examples of devices powered by this processor. There are still a large number of laptops powered by this processor in the market. Other laptops known for using the processor include Acer Aspire 515 and 514 Chromebook, Acer Aspire 3 17.3-inch, Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 14-inch, HP x360 14c and Dell Inspiron 15 3000 laptops.
| Processor | Core/Thread | Base/Turbo | TDP Down/Up | Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 Processor | 2C/4T | 3.0GHz/4.1GHz | 12W/28W | 6238 | 2687 |
Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1
Last but not least is this super efficient processor from the 10th generation Ice Lake SKUs. It is a dual core part with 4 processing thread and only 13W and 15W Thermal Design Power. Operating frequencies are 900MHz, 1.20GHz and up to 3.40GHz at Turbo frequency.
| Processor | Core/Thread | Base/Turbo | TDP Down/Up | Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1 Processor | 2C/4T | 1.2GHz/3.4Ghz | 13W/15W | 5067 | 2228 |
Performance Comparison
Here is what we know judging from the performance figures submitted by real world users. The 12th generation Intel Core i3-1220P takes a clear lead with up to three times the performance of our baseline Intel Core i3-1005G1. It is nothing to be balked it. If you want to keep your computing cost down but not one for compromises, this is your processor.
The Intel Core i3-1215U is your next choice with up to 2.3 times the performance of our baseline processor but given how close it is to Intel Core i3-1125G4, you might be better off with the 11th generation processor if the price is right. The 16% lead by the Intel Core i3-1215U is negligible when you think about how much more efficient is the Intel Core i3-1125G4.
But, without a doubt, the Intel Core i3-1115G4 is currently the most popular entry level mobile processors. With time, things might change, as more 12th generation processor comes into the market. But for now, nab yourself an absolute bargain with laptops powered by this processor if you don’t mind the few seconds wait here and there. For what it is worth, it is still 23% faster than Intel Core i3-1005G1.
| Processor | Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1220P Processor | 15659 | 3524 |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1215U Processor | 11569 | 3483 |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1125G4 Processor | 9964 | 2517 |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 Processor | 6238 | 2687 |
| Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1 Processor | 5067 | 2228 |
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