AMD Ryzen 5 3600 vs Intel Core i3-12100E Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Core i3-12100E represent two distinct approaches to the desktop processor market. The Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread part built on the Zen 2 architecture, while the Core i3-12100E is a 4-core, 8-thread Alder Lake-S chip. Benchmark data shows a clear split: the AMD part dominates heavily threaded workloads, while the Intel part excels in single-threaded tasks and some legacy tests. Across 19 head-to-head benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 3600 wins 13, with the Core i3-12100E taking 6. The average benchmark scores are close, with the Ryzen 5 3600 at 17,035 and the Core i3-12100E at 16,853, placing them at the 71st and 70th percentiles respectively.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the data is the consistency of the Ryzen 5 3600’s victories in Cinebench. Across all three versions of Cinebench (R15, R20, and R23), the AMD processor wins by a nearly uniform margin. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15,045 against 11,559 for the Core i3-12100E, a delta of 30.2%. The single-core results are just as decisive: the Ryzen 5 3600 scores 2,124 in R23 single-core versus 1,631, again a 30.2% lead. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R15 and R20, where every result shows the AMD part ahead by either 30.2% or 30.5%. It is a rare and complete sweep of an entire benchmark suite.

PassMark tests reveal a more varied landscape. The Ryzen 5 3600’s largest victory in the entire comparison comes in PassMark data encryption, where it scores 13,953 against 8,069, a 72.9% advantage. PassMark find prime numbers also shows a massive gap, with the AMD part scoring 108 versus 63, a 71.4% lead. Other substantial wins for the Ryzen 5 3600 include random string sorting (23,707 vs 16,089, a 47.3% delta), data compression (219,774 vs 160,112, a 37.3% delta), and extended instructions (14,442 vs 10,814, a 33.5% delta). PassMark multithread also goes to the AMD part, 17,700 versus 14,271, a 24% lead.

The Intel Core i3-12100E, however, posts a strong counterattack in single-threaded and specific workloads. The most dramatic Intel victory is in Geekbench single-core, where it scores 2,202 against 1,536, a 30.2% lead. This is mirrored in PassMark single-thread, where Intel wins 3,438 versus 2,562, a 25.5% delta. In Geekbench multicore, the Intel part scores 7,661 versus 7,372, a smaller but still positive 3.8% margin. The Core i3-12100E also wins PassMark floating point math (31,919 vs 28,607, a 10.4% lead) and PassMark physics (1,185 vs 1,152, a 2.8% lead). The data shows a clear trade-off: Intel wins on per-core efficiency tests, while AMD wins on raw throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The Ryzen 5 3600 is the clear choice for workloads that scale with core count and thread count. With 6 cores and 12 threads compared to the Intel part’s 4 cores and 8 threads, the AMD processor’s wins in Cinebench multicore tests and PassMark multithread are expected. Its 30.2% lead across all Cinebench versions suggests a consistent advantage in rendering and 3D modeling tasks that utilize all available threads. The massive 72.9% win in data encryption and 71.4% win in prime number finding further indicate strong integer and cryptographic throughput. The 47.3% lead in random string sorting suggests a solid performance in data manipulation and sorting algorithms.

The Core i3-12100E, despite having fewer cores, wins in specific areas that benefit from higher single-thread performance. The 30.2% lead in Geekbench single-core and 25.5% lead in PassMark single-thread indicate that the Alder Lake architecture has a significant per-core IPC advantage. This makes the Intel part suitable for lightly threaded applications, legacy software that uses only one or two cores, or daily tasks like web browsing and office productivity where single-core speed matters most. The 10.4% win in floating point math is notable, suggesting the Intel core performs better in certain scientific or mathematical calculations that are not fully parallelized. The 2.8% win in physics is marginal but shows the Intel part holds its own in physics simulations that may not scale perfectly with threads.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17,035, while the Intel Core i3-12100E scores 16,853. The Ryzen 5 3600 is in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, and the Core i3-12100E is in the 70th percentile.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two?

A: The largest margin is in PassMark data encryption, where the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 wins by 72.9%, scoring 13,953 against the Intel Core i3-12100E’s 8,069.

Q: Does the Intel Core i3-12100E win any benchmark by a wide margin?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i3-12100E wins Geekbench single-core by 30.2%, scoring 2,202 against the Ryzen 5 3600’s 1,536. It also wins PassMark single-thread by 25.5%.

Q: How do the two compare in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15,045 in Cinebench R23 multicore, which is 30.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-12100E’s score of 11,559.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has 6 cores and 12 threads, whereas the Intel Core i3-12100E has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: What is the difference in PassMark multithread performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17,700 in PassMark multithread, a 24% lead over the Intel Core i3-12100E’s score of 14,271.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several fundamental specifications. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Intel Core i3-12100E has 4 cores and 8 threads. The base clock of the AMD part is 3.60 GHz, compared to 3.20 GHz for the Intel part. Both have a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The thermal design power (TDP) differs slightly, with the AMD part rated at 65 W and the Intel part at 60 W. The AMD processor uses the AMD Socket AM4, while the Intel processor uses the Intel Socket 1700.

Memory support also diverges. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 supports DDR4 only, whereas the Intel Core i3-12100E supports both DDR4 and DDR5. The AMD part has a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, but the Intel part has no listed memory bandwidth figure. PCIe support differs substantially: the AMD part offers Gen 4 with 16 lanes, while the Intel part offers Gen 5 with 20 lanes. The AMD part has no integrated graphics, but the Intel part includes UHD Graphics 730. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has an unlocked multiplier, while the Intel Core i3-12100E is locked. The launch MSRP of the AMD part is $199, and the Intel part is $125.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is significant. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 uses the Zen 2 architecture on a 7 nm process node fabricated by TSMC, with a die size of 74 mm² and 3,800 million transistors. Its cache structure is 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core i3-12100E uses the Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process node fabricated by Intel, with a die size of 163 mm². Its cache structure is 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel part has a larger die size but uses a less dense process node, and it lacks a listed transistor count.

The cache hierarchy shows a clear difference in design philosophy. The AMD part offers a much larger 32 MB shared L3 cache, which is beneficial for workloads that share data across cores. The Intel part has a smaller 12 MB L3 but a larger per-core L2 cache at 1.25 MB, which can improve single-thread performance. The Intel part also supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, offering flexibility, while the AMD part is limited to DDR4. The PCIe generation and lane count also differ, with the Intel part supporting the newer Gen 5 standard with 20 lanes versus the AMD part’s Gen 4 with 16 lanes. The integrated graphics on the Intel part provides a fallback display output, which the AMD part lacks entirely.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for different use cases. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is the superior processor for multi-threaded workloads. Its 30.2% lead across all Cinebench versions, combined with a 72.9% win in data encryption and a 24% win in PassMark multithread, makes it the stronger choice for rendering, video encoding, and other tasks that utilize all 12 threads. Users running heavily threaded applications will see a substantial performance advantage with the AMD part.

The Intel Core i3-12100E is the better option for single-threaded performance and light workloads. Its 30.2% lead in Geekbench single-core and 25.5% lead in PassMark single-thread make it suitable for everyday use, legacy applications, and tasks that rely on single-core speed. The 10.4% win in floating point math also indicates an advantage in certain numerical workloads. For a system focused on responsiveness in lightly threaded software, the Intel part is the data-backed choice.

The overall average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with the AMD part at 17,035 and the Intel part at 16,853, a difference of less than 1%. The decision ultimately rests on workload type. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 wins the majority of benchmarks (13 out of 19) with larger margins in multi-threaded tests, while the Intel Core i3-12100E wins fewer but still significant single-threaded tests. The AMD part’s larger core count and L3 cache make it the more versatile choice for productivity, while the Intel part’s higher single-core scores and integrated graphics make it a compact, efficient option for basic tasks. The data supports the AMD part for heavy lifting, and the Intel part for speed on one or two threads.