Core i3-12100 vs Ryzen 5 5500

CPU Head-to-Head · FPS & Value Comparison

Core i3-12100 vs Ryzen 5 5500: Gaming Performance Comparison in 1080p Ultra

In gaming, the Core i3-12100 delivers approximately +7% higher frame rates compared to the Ryzen 5 5500 in 1080p Ultra. For budget-conscious buyers, the Core i3-12100 currently offers +3.1% better value, available at a $3.25 price difference.

Core i3-12100 Advantages

Up to 7% faster in gaming benchmarks on average – 126 vs 118 FPS

Up to 3.1% better value for money – $0.74 vs $0.76/FPS

Consumes up to 8% less energy – 60W vs 65W

Ryzen 5 5500 Advantages

Costs only 97% of the price – $89.99 vs $93.24 (3% cheaper)

More processing cores – 6 vs 4 cores

Is newer – 2022-04-04 vs 2022-01-04

Performance Analytics

Average FPS across 21 games · all benchmarks use the same test suite

1080p Low

Full HD — min settings

AVG FPS
Core i3-12100
126fps(100%)
Ryzen 5 5500
118fps(94%)
WinnerCore i3-12100
+7% faster
General Explanation of Benchmark Percentages

When you see two FPS numbers, there are two common but different ways to show the difference:

"X% of the performance"

This compares the slower card to the faster card.

Formula: (Ryzen 5 5500 FPS ÷ Core i3-12100 FPS) × 100
Example: (118 ÷ 126) × 100 = 94%
"X% faster"

This shows how much more the faster card performs compared to the slower one.

Formula: ((Core i3-12100 FPS - Ryzen 5 5500 FPS) ÷ Ryzen 5 5500 FPS) × 100
Example: ((126 - 118) ÷ 118) × 100 = 7%
Why Someone Might Get Confused:

You naturally think: "If Ryzen 5 5500 is only 94% as fast, then Core i3-12100 should be 6% faster" — but that's incorrect.

The "7% faster" is measured against the slower card, not against the faster one. So both numbers (94% of and 7% faster) are mathematically correct at the same time.

Efficiency Coefficient 1080p Ultra (Higher = Better Value)

Performance delivered per currency unit: FPS/$

Core i3-12100
1.351 Value100% Efficiency
Ryzen 5 5500
1.311 Value97% Efficiency