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Intel Core i3-1215U

Intel Core i3-1215U: a balance between performance and battery life for modern ultrabooks

March 2025

Architecture and manufacturing process: a hybrid approach for efficiency

The Intel Core i3-1215U processor, released as part of the Alder Lake lineup, has become one of the key solutions for budget ultrabooks and entry-level laptops. Its architecture is based on a hybrid scheme combining performance (P-cores) and efficient (E-cores) cores:

- 6 cores (2 P-cores + 4 E-cores) and 8 threads (P-cores support Hyper-Threading).

- P-cores operate at a base frequency of 1.2 GHz with turbo boost up to 4.4 GHz, while E-cores go up to 3.3 GHz.

- 10 MB of L3 cache provides quick data access for multitasking.

The Intel 7 process technology (previously known as 10nm Enhanced SuperFin) reduces power consumption and improves transistor density. The integrated graphics, Intel UHD Graphics for the 12th generation (64 EU, frequency up to 1.1 GHz), supports 4K displays and AV1 decoding, which is relevant for streaming.

Power consumption and TDP: 15W for thin devices

The processor's TDP is 15W, which is typical for ultrabooks. However, laptop manufacturers can adjust this parameter (for instance, increasing it to 25W in "Turbo" mode), which affects performance and heating.

- In standard scenarios (browser work, office tasks), the chip consumes 5-8W, prolonging battery life.

- Under load (video rendering, gaming), power consumption can reach 25W, but the cooling systems in thin chassis often struggle to maintain such levels over extended periods.

Performance: from office use to light gaming

Geekbench 6 showcases the strengths of the i3-1215U in single-thread tasks:

- 1842 points (Single-Core) — a level close to top processors from previous years (e.g., Intel Core i7-1165G7).

- 4817 points (Multi-Core) — a modest result due to the limited number of P-cores, but sufficient for basic multitasking.

Real-world scenarios:

- Office and study: simultaneous use of 20+ tabs in Chrome, Word documents, and Zoom — without lags.

- Multimedia: 4K video in VLC or YouTube plays smoothly, editing in DaVinci Resolve is possible but with limitations (videos up to 1080p).

- Gaming: in Dota 2 or CS:GO at low settings and 720p resolution — 30-45 FPS. For Fortnite, resolution needs to be dropped to 480p.

Turbo mode operates effectively in short bursts (e.g., opening heavy applications), but under prolonged load, P-core frequencies drop to 2.8-3.2 GHz due to overheating.

Use cases: who is the i3-1215U suitable for?

- Students and office workers — for working with documents, online courses, and video calls.

- Mobility-focused users — lightweight laptops weighing from 1.2 kg with battery life of 8-10 hours.

- Budget buyers — devices based on this CPU range from $450 to $700 (e.g., Acer Swift 3 or Lenovo IdeaPad 5).

Not suitable for:

- Gamers — the integrated graphics are insufficient for modern AAA titles.

- Video editors and engineers — 6 cores are insufficient for 4K rendering.

Battery life: up to 10 hours in power-saving mode

With a battery capacity of 50-60 Wh, laptops with the i3-1215U demonstrate:

- 8-10 hours when working with text and surfing (brightness set to 50%, Wi-Fi active).

- 4-5 hours when watching YouTube or on Zoom.

Power-saving technologies:

- Intel Dynamic Tuning 3.0 — adaptively adjusts power according to load.

- AV1 decoding — reduces power consumption during streaming.

Tip: disable Turbo Boost in Windows settings to improve battery life by 15-20%.

Comparison with competitors: AMD, Apple, and past generations

- AMD Ryzen 5 7520U (Zen 2, 4 cores/8 threads): weaker in single-thread tasks (~1600 in Geekbench 6), but better in multi-threaded performance (5000+ points). Similar price.

- Apple M1 (2020): surpasses the i3-1215U in energy efficiency and multitasking, but is limited to macOS and is more expensive ($700+).

- Intel Core i5-1135G7 (2020): lags in single-core performance (~1400 points) and does not support DDR5.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- High single-thread performance for its price.

- Support for DDR5-4800 and PCIe 4.0 (SSD up to 3.5 GB/s).

- Modern codecs (AV1, VP9).

Weaknesses:

- Only 2 P-cores — a bottleneck in heavy multi-threading.

- UHD graphics are weaker than AMD Radeon 660M and Apple M1 GPU.

- Limited TDP headroom in compact chassis.

Recommendations for choosing a laptop

1. Type of device: ultrabook or budget laptop.

2. Screen: IPS panel with 1080p resolution and anti-glare coating.

3. RAM: at least 8 GB DDR5 (better 16 GB).

4. Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0).

5. Ports: USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 support for connecting monitors.

Examples of models in 2025:

- HP Pavilion Aero 13 ($599): 13.3″ 2.5K, 16 GB DDR5, 512 GB SSD.

- ASUS Vivobook S14 ($649): OLED screen, M.2 SSD slot.

Final conclusion

The Intel Core i3-1215U is a solid choice for those looking for an affordable laptop with a performance cushion for the next 3-4 years. It can handle office tasks, light creative work, and streaming, but is not suitable for professional workloads. Its key advantages include energy efficiency, support for modern standards, and an accessible price. If your budget is limited to $500-700 and macOS is not a priority, this processor will be a reliable foundation for everyday tasks.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

February 2022

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i3-1215U

Code Name

Alder Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Performance-cores

Efficient-cores

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.40 GHz

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

4.40 GHz

Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum E-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

3.30 GHz

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

L3 Cache

10 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1744

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

Intel 7

TDP

15 W

Processor Base Power

The time-averaged power dissipation that the processor is validated to not exceed during manufacturing while executing an Intel-specified high complexity workload at Base Frequency and at the junction temperature as specified in the Datasheet for the SKU segment and configuration.

15 W

Maximum Turbo Power

The maximum sustained (>1s) power dissipation of the processor as limited by current and/or temperature controls. Instantaneous power may exceed Maximum Turbo Power for short durations (<=10ms). Note: Maximum Turbo Power is configurable by system vendor and can be system specific.

55 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

Microprocessor PCIe Revision

Gen 4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

64 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel® Processors

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.10 GHz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

12.1

Execution Units

The Execution Unit is the foundational building block of Intel’s graphics architecture. Execution Units are compute processors optimized for simultaneous Multi-Threading for high throughput compute power.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP 1.4b | DP 1.4a | HDMI 2.1

Miscellaneous

Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) on CPU

A new set of embedded processor technologies designed to accelerate AI deep learning use cases. It extends Intel AVX-512 with a new Vector Neural Network Instruction (VNNI) that significantly increases deep learning inference performance over previous generations.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

10 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel High Definition Audio

Yes

Intel Volume Management Device (VMD)

Intel® Volume Management Device (VMD) provides a common, robust method of hot plug and LED management for NVMe-based solid state drives.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel QuickAssist Software Acceleration

Yes

Intel Control-Flow Enforcement Technology

CET - Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) helps protect against the misuse of legitimate code snippets through return-oriented programming (ROP) control-flow hijacking attacks.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.6

OpenCL Support

OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for heterogeneous parallel programming.

3.0

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1842

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4817

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1324

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3652

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3334

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

11053

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i7-13700E

2039 +10.7%

Core i3-12100T

1935 +5%

Core i3-1215U

1842

EPYC 7473X

1707 -7.3%

Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

1655 -10.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-10500

5430 +12.7%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

5094 +5.8%

Core i3-1215U

4817

Xeon E3-1275

4527 -6%

Core i3-10100

4224 -12.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 5750G

1445 +9.1%

Ryzen 5 7535H

1377 +4%

Core i3-1215U

1324

Xeon W-1270E

1279 -3.4%

Ryzen 9 3950X

1236 -6.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 3 3100

3974 +8.8%

Core i5-9400H

3794 +3.9%

Core i3-1215U

3652

Xeon E3-1275 v3

3545 -2.9%

EPYC 7443

3394 -7.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-12600T

3480 +4.4%

Core i5-12450H

3404 +2.1%

Core i3-1215U

3334

Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS

3268 -2%

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H

3206 -3.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon D-2143IT

12461 +12.7%

Core i3-13100E

11650 +5.4%

Core i3-1215U

11053

Core i9-8950HK

10567 -4.4%

Xeon Silver 4110

10146 -8.2%