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Intel Core i3-12300T

Intel Core i3-12300T: Budget Processor for Everyday Tasks and More

Overview and Practical Recommendations for Building PCs in 2025

Key Features: Architecture, Process Technology, and Main Characteristics

The Intel Core i3-12300T processor, released in 2022 as part of the Alder Lake lineup, remains a relevant budget solution even in 2025. Its architecture is based on hybrid technology, but unlike the higher models (i5, i7), it features 4 Performance-cores (P-cores) with Hyper-Threading support (8 threads). The absence of Efficient-cores (E-cores) simplifies the structure but maintains a focus on energy efficiency.

Intel 7 Process Technology (10nm Enhanced SuperFin) provides a balance between performance and thermal output. The base frequency of the P-cores is 2.30 GHz, with turbo boost capabilities up to 4.20 GHz in single-threaded tasks. This makes it one of the fastest i3 processors in its class. The L3 cache size is 12 MB, enhancing responsiveness in applications that require frequent data access.

Key Features:

- Support for PCIe 5.0 (up to 16 lanes) for future upgrades of graphics cards and NVMe drives.

- Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 730 — a basic option for office tasks and 4K video.

- Intel Thread Director and AI optimization technologies for Windows 11.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets, Chipsets, and Selection Nuances

The processor uses the LGA 1700 socket, which is supported by chipset series 600 and 700 (H610, B660, H670, Z690, B760). For the i3-12300T, motherboards based on B660/B760 are optimal — they offer PCIe 4.0, memory overclocking, and a sufficient number of USB/SATA ports without excessive features.

Examples of 2025 Models:

- ASUS Prime B760M-A D4 ($110-130): supports DDR4, 2 M.2 slots, reliable VRM system.

- Gigabyte B760 DS3H AX DDR5 ($140-160): Wi-Fi 6, DDR5, ideal for upgrades.

Tip: If you do not plan to move to DDR5, choose DDR4 versions — memory is cheaper, and the performance difference for the i3 is minimal.

Supported Memory Types: DDR4 vs. DDR5

The processor is compatible with DDR4-3200 and DDR5-4800, but the specific standard depends on the motherboard. For a budget build in 2025, DDR4 remains the preferred option:

- 16 GB DDR4-3200 (2x8 GB) — starting at $40.

- 16 GB DDR5-4800 — starting at $60 (prices have decreased by 20% since 2023).

Important: DDR5 offers benefits in bandwidth-sensitive tasks (e.g., rendering), but for office work and multimedia, DDR4 is sufficient.

Power Supply Recommendations

With a TDP of 35W, the i3-12300T is one of the "coolest" processors. However, considering the graphics card and other components, the minimum power supply wattage should be 400W.

Examples:

- be quiet! System Power 10 450W ($50): quiet, with 80+ Bronze certification.

- Corsair CX550M ($65): modular design, reliability.

Tip: If you plan to install a discrete graphics card (e.g., NVIDIA GTX 1660), choose a power supply of at least 500W.

Pros and Cons of Intel Core i3-12300T

Pros:

- Energy efficiency: ideal for compact PCs and systems with passive cooling.

- High single-thread performance (Geekbench 6 Single Core — 1906).

- PCIe 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6 support (through motherboards).

Cons:

- No E-cores — multi-thread performance is weaker compared to Ryzen 3 7300G (Geekbench 6 Multi Core — 6487 vs. 7100 for AMD).

- Integrated graphics are not suitable for modern gaming.

- Limited overclocking (turbo mode depends on temperature).

Usage Scenarios

1. Office and Study: Fast performance with browsers, documents, and video conferencing.

2. Multimedia: Streaming 4K video, editing in DaVinci Resolve (with a discrete GPU).

3. Light Gaming: CS2, Dota 2 on low settings (with a graphics card like NVIDIA GTX 1650).

4. Home Server/NAS: Low power consumption and virtualization support.

Real-life Example: A Reddit user built a media center using i3-12300T, ASRock H610M-ITX motherboard, and 16 GB of DDR4. The system consumes 25W at idle.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 3 7300G (Zen 4):

- Pros: More powerful Radeon graphics, better multi-threading (~10%).

- Cons: Higher price ($160 vs. $130 for i3), no PCIe 5.0.

Intel Core i5-12400T:

- Pros: 6 cores, better for multitasking.

- Cons: 30% more expensive ($180), TDP 35W.

Conclusion: The i3-12300T excels in price/performance efficiency but falls short in multi-threaded scenarios.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for a quieter operation, consider the DeepCool AK400 ($25).

2. Storage: Ensure an NVMe SSD (e.g., Kingston NV2 1TB — $60).

3. Case: Mini-ITX (Fractal Design Node 304) or compact Micro-ATX.

4. Upgrade: Add a graphics card if gaming or video editing is needed.

Final Conclusion: Who is i3-12300T Suitable For?

This processor is an excellent choice for:

- Budget PCs: Office, studies, browsing.

- Media Centers: 4K video, streaming.

- Energy-efficient Systems: NAS, home servers.

2025 Price: $120-130 (new), making it one of the best in terms of price/performance. If maximum performance is not required, the i3-12300T is a sensible save without compromising on basic tasks.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 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.

i3-12300T

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

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.

4.20 GHz

Performance-core Base Frequency

2.30 GHz

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

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

4.20 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

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

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom.

L3 Cache

12 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1700

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

35 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.

35 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.

69 W

Max. Operating Temperature

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

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

5.0 and 4.0

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.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

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

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16+4 | 2x8+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

Max Memory Size

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

128 GB

Memory Channels

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

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

76.8 GB/s

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 730

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

300 MHz

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.

1.45 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.

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 2160 @ 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.

5120 x 3200 @ 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

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

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.

12 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 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 Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

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 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 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.

4.5

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

1906

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

6487

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1539

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

5932

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3399

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13251

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 7 5800X3D

2085 +9.4%

Xeon Gold 6442Y

1997 +4.8%

Core i3-12300T

1906

Core i5-1245UE

1777 -6.8%

Ryzen 9 3900X

1689 -11.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 8540U

7353 +13.3%

Core 7 150U

6919 +6.7%

Core i3-12300T

6487

Xeon D-2733NT

6136 -5.4%

Ryzen 5 5600H

5725 -11.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

EPYC 9174F

1667 +8.3%

Core i5-13400

1603 +4.2%

Core i3-12300T

1539

EPYC 9684X

1455 -5.5%

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

1395 -9.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-7800X

6578 +10.9%

Core i5-10600

6200 +4.5%

Core i3-12300T

5932

Xeon Gold 6230R

5672 -4.4%

Core i5-8600K

5376 -9.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon w5-2455X

3553 +4.5%

Xeon w9-3475X

3472 +2.1%

Core i3-12300T

3399

Core i7-1260P

3323 -2.2%

Ryzen 5 5600

3257 -4.2%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-8086K

14335 +8.2%

Xeon E5-2650

13765 +3.9%

Core i3-12300T

13251

Xeon E5-2650L

12646 -4.6%

Xeon E5-2650L v3

11851 -10.6%