CPU Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents an unambiguous picture: the AMD EPYC 7702 wins all six head-to-head comparisons against the Intel Core i3-12100E, and it does so by remarkably consistent margins. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the EPYC 7702 scores 5,900 against the i3's 1,164, a 406.9% advantage. The single-core R15 test tells a similar story: 832 versus 164, a 407.3% delta. This near-identical percentage across both tests is notable, it suggests the performance gap scales uniformly regardless of thread count, at least within the Cinebench 15 workload.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern holds. The EPYC 7702 posts 24,586 multi-core points versus 4,854 for the i3-12100E, a 406.5% difference. Single-core R20 shows 3,470 against 685, a 406.6% delta. The consistency continues through Cinebench R23, where the EPYC 7702 scores 58,539 multi-core and 8,264 single-core, while the i3 manages 11,559 and 1,631 respectively. The deltas are 406.4% and 406.7%. These margins are so tightly clustered that they indicate a fixed performance ratio between the two processors across the entire Cinebench suite.

The sheer scale of the EPYC 7702's lead dwarfs any comparison found in the nearestRivals data. For context, the EPYC 7702's nearest rival by average benchmark score is the Intel Core i7-1260P at 17,007, a mere 0.4% difference. The i3-12100E's closest competitor, the AMD Ryzen 3 7335U at 16,827, is just 0.2% away. Against each other, the EPYC 7702 averages 16,932 across all benchmarks, while the i3-12100E averages 16,853, a 0.5% overall gap, per the rival delta. Yet in Cinebench specifically, the EPYC 7702 is roughly five times faster. This massive discrepancy between the aggregate average and the Cinebench-specific results highlights how workload-dependent these processors are.

The i3-12100E has no wins in this comparison. Zero. The data shows 6 wins for the EPYC 7702 and 0 for the Intel part. Even in single-threaded tests, where a modern 4-core desktop chip might be expected to compete, the EPYC 7702's 8,264 R23 single-core score is 406.7% higher than the i3's 1,631. The EPYC 7702's boost clock is 3.35 GHz, while the i3 boosts to 4.20 GHz, yet the AMD part still dominates single-thread performance. This suggests architectural efficiency differences are substantial, not just core count.

Architecture Differences

The foundational difference is core count: the EPYC 7702 packs 64 cores and 128 threads, while the i3-12100E has 4 cores and 8 threads. This 16x core advantage and 16x thread advantage directly explains the multi-core benchmark margins. The EPYC 7702 runs on AMD's Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Rome, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. The i3-12100E uses Intel's Alder Lake architecture, specifically Alder Lake-S, on Intel's 10 nm process. The process node difference is significant: 7 nm versus 10 nm, with the EPYC built by TSMC and the i3 by Intel's own foundry.

Cache hierarchies diverge sharply. The EPYC 7702 has 96 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, but its L3 cache is a massive 256 MB shared pool. The i3-12100E has 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and only 12 MB shared L3. The EPYC's 256 MB L3 is over 21 times larger than the i3's 12 MB. This cache disparity matters for server workloads with large working sets, allowing the EPYC to keep far more data on-die. The i3's larger per-core L2 (1.25 MB versus 512 KB) partially compensates for single-thread locality but cannot offset the L3 gap.

Memory architecture is another chasm. The EPYC 7702 supports DDR4 with an eight-channel memory bus and 204.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The i3-12100E supports both DDR4 and DDR5 but has a dual-channel bus, with no bandwidth figure listed. Eight channels versus two channels is a 4x difference in memory parallelism. The EPYC also supports ECC memory, while the i3 does not. For server reliability, ECC is a critical feature absent from the desktop part.

PCIe generations differ as well. The EPYC 7702 features PCIe Gen 4, while the i3-12100E has PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes on the CPU. The i3's newer PCIe standard offers higher per-lane bandwidth, but the EPYC's server platform provides far more total connectivity options given its socket. The EPYC 7702 uses AMD Socket SP3, the i3 uses Intel Socket 1700. These are incompatible platforms targeting different market segments entirely.

The die sizes tell a story of integration versus modularity. The EPYC 7702 has a 74 mm² die size with 3,800 million transistors, while the i3-12100E has a 163 mm² die with no transistor count listed. The EPYC's smaller die with more transistors reflects the chiplet-based Zen 2 design, where compute dies are separated from I/O. The i3's larger monolithic die integrates everything including UHD Graphics 730, which the EPYC lacks entirely, the server part has no integrated graphics. The i3's TDP is 60 W versus the EPYC's 200 W, reflecting the enormous core count difference. Both parts are production-active, with the EPYC released on 2019-08-06 and the i3 on 2022-01-03.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD EPYC 7702 has 64 cores and 128 threads. The Intel Core i3-12100E has 4 cores and 8 threads. This is a 16x difference in both core and thread counts.

Q: How do their single-core Cinebench R23 scores compare?

A: The EPYC 7702 scores 8,264 in Cinebench R23 single-core, while the i3-12100E scores 1,631. The EPYC leads by 406.7%, despite having a lower boost clock of 3.35 GHz compared to the i3's 4.20 GHz.

Q: What memory configurations do they support?

A: The EPYC 7702 supports DDR4 memory with an eight-channel bus and 204.8 GB/s bandwidth, plus ECC memory. The i3-12100E supports DDR4 and DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, and does not support ECC memory.

Q: Do either of these processors have integrated graphics?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100E includes UHD Graphics 730. The AMD EPYC 7702 has no integrated graphics, which is typical for server processors.

Q: What is the L3 cache size difference?

A: The EPYC 7702 has 256 MB of shared L3 cache. The i3-12100E has 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The EPYC's L3 is over 21 times larger.

Q: When were these processors released?

A: The AMD EPYC 7702 was released on 2019-08-06. The Intel Core i3-12100E was released on 2022-01-03. The i3 is roughly two and a half years newer.

Q: Which processor has a higher TDP?

A: The EPYC 7702 has a 200 W TDP. The i3-12100E has a 60 W TDP. The EPYC's TDP is over three times higher, reflecting its 64-core design.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD EPYC 7702 | Intel Core i3-12100E |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 64 | 4 |

| Threads | 128 | 8 |

| Base Clock | 2000.00 MHz | 3.20 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.35 GHz | 4.20 GHz |

| TDP | 200 W | 60 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket SP3 | Intel Socket 1700 |

| Architecture | Zen 2 | Alder Lake |

| Codename | Rome | Alder Lake-S |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 10 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Transistors | 3,800 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 74 mm² | 163 mm² |

| L1 Cache | 96 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 512 KB (per core) | 1.25 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 256 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR4 | DDR4, DDR5 |

| Memory Bus | Eight-channel | Dual-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 204.8 GB/s | Not listed |

| ECC Memory | Yes | No |

| PCIe | Gen 4 | Gen 5, 20 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | None | UHD Graphics 730 |

| Market Segment | Server/Workstation | Desktop |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | $125 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD EPYC 7702 wins every benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, and the use-case split follows directly from the specification differences. The EPYC 7702 is designed for server and workstation workloads where massive parallelism is essential. Its 64 cores and 128 threads, combined with 256 MB of L3 cache and eight-channel DDR4 memory delivering 204.8 GB/s, make it suited for virtualized environments, database servers, scientific computing, and large-scale compilation tasks. The 200 W TDP is justified by the sheer processing capacity, benchmarks show it achieves over 400% higher scores in all Cinebench tests.

The Intel Core i3-12100E, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, targets desktop usage where single-thread responsiveness and lower power consumption matter. Its 60 W TDP, integrated UHD Graphics 730, and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a flexible entry-level desktop part. The higher boost clock of 4.20 GHz gives it an advantage in lightly-threaded applications, although the benchmark data shows the EPYC 7702 still beats it in single-core tests. The i3's PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 CPU lanes is a modern feature that the EPYC lacks, potentially benefiting fast NVMe storage and next-generation GPUs in desktop builds.

The data does not show any category where the i3-12100E outperforms the EPYC 7702. However, the market segments are distinct: the EPYC 7702 is a server processor requiring a Socket SP3 platform, while the i3-12100E fits standard desktop Socket 1700 motherboards. The EPYC 7702's 16x core advantage and massive memory bandwidth make it the clear choice for throughput-oriented workloads. The i3-12100E's lower TDP, integrated graphics, and newer PCIe generation make it appropriate for compact desktop systems where the EPYC's server platform would be impractical. The choice between them is not about performance, the EPYC dominates, but about platform requirements, power budgets, and workload type. For a multi-tenant server consolidating many virtual machines, the EPYC 7702's 128 threads are indispensable. For a single-user desktop running office applications and web browsing, the i3-12100E's modest specifications are sufficient, and its launch MSRP of $125 reflects that entry-level positioning.