Intel Celeron N4120 vs Intel Core i3-1115G4
Intel Celeron N4120
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The Intel Celeron N4120 is a quad-core SoC primarily for inexpensive notebooks and was announced late 2019. It runs at 1.1-2.6 GHz (Single Core Burst) and is based on the Gemini Lake platform. Compared to the predecessor, the Celeron N4100, the refresh offers a 200 MHz higher Boost clock. Similar to the Apollo Lake predecessors, the chip is manufactured in a 14 nm process with FinFETs but offers slightly improved processor cores, double the amount of L2 cache, a smaller package, a new generation of monitor outputs (Gen 10) and a partly integrated WiFi chip. Besides four CPU cores, the chip also includes a DirectX 12 capable GPU as well as a DDR4/LPDDR4 memory controller (dual-channel, up to 2400 MHz). The SoC is not replaceable as it is directly soldered to the mainboard.
Architecture
The processor architecture ist still called Goldmont Plus. Compared to the older Goldmont cores in Apollo Lake, they feature an increased level 2 cache (to 4 MB). That means the per-clock-performance should be a bit better, but not near the Core CPUs like Kaby Lake Y.
Performance
The average N4120 in our database is not much faster than AMD's Zen-based, affordable Athlon Silver 3050e, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned, with the Intel Celeron 6305 and the Core i5-7Y54 found close nearby as well. It's a very basic CPU that we're talking about here. While it does have four cores, these are some seriously slow cores, dashing hopes of anybody looking to get a Core i3-like performance for cheap.
GPU Performance
The UHD Graphics 600 (Gemini Lake) is based on Intel's Gen9 architecture, which supports DirectX 12 and is also used for the Kaby Lake / Skylake / Apollo Lake graphics adapters (like HD Graphics 520). Equipped with 12 EUs and a clock of up to 700 MHz, the performance should be roughly on par with the older HD Graphics 500 (Apollo Lake).
The chip also includes an advanced video engine with hardware support for the playback of VP9 and H.265 material (8-bit color-depth).
Power Consumption
Just like most other N-class Intel processors, Celeron N4120 has a default TDP of 6 W (also known as PL1), making it a good option for passively cooled laptops, tablets, mini-PCs. It's manufactured on a very old (as of late 2022) 14 nm process, though, making for poor energy efficiency.
Intel Core i3-1115G4
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The Intel Core i3-1115G4 is a dual-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Tiger Lake-U generation (UP3) that was launched in September 2020. It integrates two Willow Cove processor cores (4 threads thanks to HyperThreading). Each core can clock from 3 GHz (base speed) to 4.1 GHz (single- and dual-core boost). The faster Core i5 and i7 models offer more cores and are therefore significantly faster.
Another novelty is the integrated Xe graphics card based on the completely new Gen 12 architecture. In the i3-1115G4 Intel is naming the GPU UHD Graphics and offers only 48 of the 96 EUs clocked at 400 - 1250 MHz. GPU and CPU can together use the 6 MB of L3 cache.
Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (four lanes), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 and WiFi 6 in the chip.
The chip is produced on the second-gen 10 nm Intel SuperFin process that should be comparable to the 7 nm TSMC process (e.g. Ryzen 4000 series).
Performance
Multi-thread peformance is most comparable to what the Intel Core i5-8250U and the AMD Ryzen 5 3450U deliver. This makes the i3 a more than decent option for day-to-day tasks; that said, any workload of the more taxing kind (such as exporting a high-bitrate, hour long UHD video) will be enough to bring the i3 to its knees.
Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 25 W, the ThinkPad L15 G2-20X4S0KU00 is one of the fastest laptops powered by the 1115G4 we know of. It can be more than 20% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.
Power consumption
This Core i3 series chip has a default TDP of 12 W to 28 W, the expectation being that laptop makers will go for a higher value in exchange for higher performance. Either way, that's a tad too high to allow for passively cooled laptops, tablets, mini-PCs.
The Core i3-1115G4 is built with Intel's third-gen 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for decent, as of mid 2022, energy efficiency.
| Model | Intel Celeron N4120 | Intel Core i3-1115G4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Codename | Gemini Lake Refresh | Tiger Lake-UP3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series | Intel Gemini Lake | Intel Tiger Lake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series: Tiger Lake Tiger Lake-UP3 |
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| Clock | 1100 - 2600 MHz | 3000 - 4100 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L2 Cache | 4 MB | 2.5 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 | 2 / 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TDP | 6 Watt | 28 Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology | 14 nm | 10 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| max. Temp. | 105 °C | 100 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Socket | BGA1090 | BGA1449 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features | DDR4-2400/LPDDR4-2400 RAM, PCIe 2, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, VMX, SMEP, SMAP, MPX, EIST, TM1, TM2, Turbo, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SGX | DDR4-3200/LPDDR4x-3733 RAM, PCIe 4, 4 GT/s bus, DL Boost, GNA, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, AVX-512, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, VMX, SMEP, SMAP, EIST, TM1, TM2, HT, Turbo, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iGPU | Intel UHD Graphics 600 (200 - 700 MHz) | Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (400 - 1250 MHz) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | x86 | x86 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announced | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | ark.intel.com | ark.intel.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L1 Cache | 160 KB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L3 Cache | 6 MB |
Benchmarks
Average Benchmarks Intel Celeron N4120 → 100% n=39
Average Benchmarks Intel Core i3-1115G4 → 246% n=39
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
