Core i3-12100E

Name: Intel Core i3-12100E
Brand: Intel
Rating: 3.2 (10 reviews)

4 cores · 8 threads · up to 4.2 GHz on 1700.

3.2 · 10 votes

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Cores

Threads

Boost

4.2 GHz

L3 cache

12 MB

TDP

60W

Socket

1700

Performance breakdown

Gaming8

Productivity8

Single-core8

Multi-core17

Power efficiency7

Lab scores

Performance score8

Cores4

Threads8

Boost clock (GHz)4.2 GHz

Estimated gaming FPS

Paired with a high-end GPU. CPU impact is largest at 1080p.

1080p18 fps

1440p14 fps

4K10 fps

Full specifications

Processor & cores

Architecture: Alder Lake-S
Process node: 10 nm
Socket: 1700
Release year: 2022
Total cores: 4
Threads: 8
Integrated graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 730

Clocks & cache

Base clock: 3.2 GHz
Boost clock: 4.2 GHz
L1 cache: 320 KB
L2 cache: 5 MB
L3 cache: 12 MB

Memory & platform

Memory support: DDR4
Base power (TDP): 60W
PCIe: PCIe 5.0

Technologies

Extensions: AES-NI, AVX, VT-x, VT-d, TXT, TSX

Community Feedback

What Owners Say

Owners love the great performance for the price and how it runs cool and quiet. The main gripe is that it only works with newer, pricier motherboards.

Pros

Sips power, stays whisper quiet
Handles daily tasks without fuss
Boots games fast for the price
Runs cool on any basic cooler

Cons

Only four performance cores
No integrated PCIe 5.0
Lacks efficiency core design

Verdict

Our verdict on the Core i3-12100E

The Intel Core i3-12100E is a low-power, quad-core desktop CPU for basic computing with strong single-threaded speed but only four cores.

Get it if you need a cheap, efficient office or home PC chip that runs cool and quiet for basic everyday use. Skip it if you want to game hard, edit video, or multitask heavily—you'll want more cores and threads.