Intel Core i5-8600K vs Intel Core i3-12100
For gaming, the Intel Core i3-12100 is 2% ahead on our index. The rows below show where the other one still wins.
Gaming index 55 56
Cores 6 4
Threads 6 8
Top speed 4.3 GHz 4.3 GHz
Rated power 95 W 60 W
Games at recommended 207 211
Released20172022
Quick answers
Is the Intel Core i5-8600K better than the Intel Core i3-12100 for gaming?
No — on our gaming index the Intel Core i3-12100 scores 56 and the Intel Core i5-8600K 55.
What is the fastest graphics card each one can keep up with?
At 1440p, by our bottleneck model: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti for the Intel Core i5-8600K, and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB for the Intel Core i3-12100.