Intel Core i3-4120U vs Intel Core i3-4012Y

The Intel Core i3-4120U is an ULV (ultra low voltage) dual-core processor for ultrabooks launched in Q2 2014. It is based on the Haswell architecture and is manufactured in 22nm. Due to Hyper-Threading, the two cores can handle up to four threads in parallel, leading to better utilization of the CPU. Each core offers a base speed of 2.0 GHz and includes no Turbo Boost support.

Haswell is the successor to the Ivy Bridge architecture with improvements on both GPU and CPU performance. The CPUs are produced in 22nm and offer an optimized branch prediction as well as additional execution ports, improving performance per clock by almost 10 percent. Furthermore, new features like AVX2 and FMA should increase the performance in future applications.

According to the identical clock rate, the Core i3-4120U offers the same performance as the Core i3-4158U (28 W TDP). Thus, the CPU has sufficient power for office and multimedia purposes as well as most applications.

The integrated HD Graphics 4400 offers 20 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 200 - 1000 MHz with Turbo Boost, making it somewhat faster than the former HD Graphics 4000 at similar clock speeds. However, the HD 4400 is somewhat slower than the HD 5000 of other ULV models.

The Core i3-4120U is rated at a TDP of 15 W including the graphics card, memory controller, VRMs and the integrated chipset. Therefore, the CPU is suited for small ultrabooks 11-inches or greater.

The Intel Core i3-4012Y is an ULV (ultra low voltage) dual-core processor for ultrabooks and tablets which has been presented in Q3/2013. It is based on the Haswell architecture and manufactured in 22nm. Due to Hyperthreading, the two cores can handle up to four threads in parallel, leading to better utilization of the CPU. Each core offers a base speed of 1.5 GHz (no Turbo Boost support). Compared to the very similar Core i3-4020Y, the typical power comsuption (SDP) of the 4012Y is even lower.

Architecture

Haswell is the successor to the Ivy Bridge architecture with improvements on both GPU and CPU performance. The CPUs are produced in 22nm and offer an optimized branch prediction as well as additional execution ports, improving the performance per clock by almost 10 percent. Furthermore, new features like AVX2 and FMA should increase the performance in future applications.

Performance

The performance of the Core i3-4012Y is about 10 - 15 percent higher compared to the Ivy Bridge based Core i3-3229Y. However, performance and clock rates can be limited by the cooling capacity of very mobile devices. Overall, the CPU has sufficient power for office and multimedia purposes as well as most applications.

Graphics

The integrated HD Graphics 4200 offers 20 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at 200 - 850 MHz (with Turbo Boost), making it somewhat faster than the former HD Graphics 4000 (at similar clocks). However, the HD 4200 is significantly slower than the HD 5000 of other ULV models (with a higher TDP).

Power consumption

The i3-4012Y is rated at a TDP of 11.5 watts (SDP 4.5 watts) including graphics card, memory controller, VRMs and the integrated chipset.  Therefore, the CPU is suited for very small ultrabooks or tablets.