CPU Showdown

Core i3-12100FvsRyzen Threadripper 9980X

The Core i3-12100F is a budget-focused quad-core CPU for everyday gaming and office tasks, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X is a 64-core workstation monster built for heavy rendering and multi-threaded professional workloads.

Intel Core i3-12100F
4C / 8T · 58W
VS
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X
64C / 128T · 350W
Intel

Core i3-12100F

Alder Lake-S · Intel 7 nm · 2022

8score
4.2/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
4 / 8
TDP
58W
Boost Clock
4.3 GHz
L3 Cache
12 MB

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AMD

Ryzen Threadripper 9980X

Shimada Peak · 4 nm · 2025

86score
3.9/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
64 / 128
TDP
350W
Boost Clock
5.4 GHz
L3 Cache
256 MB

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.

Core i3-12100F
8
Ryzen Threadripper 9980XWinner
86
Ryzen Threadripper 9980X leads by 975.0% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#1EPYC 9755100
#2Ryzen Threadripper 9980X86
#3Ryzen Threadripper 7980X82
#305Ryzen 3 8300G8
#306Core i3-12100F8
#307Ryzen 5 2600X8
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsCore i3-12100FRyzen Threadripper 9980X
Cores
Total Cores464
Threads8128
Base Clock3.3 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost Clock4.3 GHz5.4 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache5 MB64 MB
L3 Cache12 MB256 MB
Platform
PCIePCIe 5.0 and 4.0PCIe 5.0
Power
Base TDP58W350W
General
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The Ryzen Threadripper 9980X wins overall for its vastly higher core count and multi-threaded capability, leaving the Core i3-12100F far behind for serious workloads.

Best value

For budget buyers, the Core i3-12100F is the smarter pick—it costs far less and handles everyday tasks adequately.

When the other wins

The Core i3-12100F is the right choice for a basic office PC where only light web browsing and document editing are needed.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Core i3-12100F better than the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X?

Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (86 vs 8 out of 100), so it leads the Core i3-12100F in most workloads.

How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X than the Core i3-12100F?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X is roughly 975% faster than the Core i3-12100F overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Core i3-12100F or the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X?

If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X. If the Core i3-12100F is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.