The Intel Core i9-13900K is the objective winner of this comparison, securing more total spec victories than the Intel Core i3-12100F. The most significant technical advantage held by the i9-13900K is its L2 cache, which is 540% larger than that of the i3-12100F. This substantial difference in cache capacity represents the primary performance gap between the two processors across the evaluated specifications.

Users prioritizing budget efficiency should select the Intel Core i3-12100F, as it offers an 84% advantage in MSRP compared to the alternative. Conversely, those who require the superior L2 cache capacity provided by the Intel Core i9-13900K should choose that model. The decision rests on whether the user values the significant cost savings of the i3-12100F or the expanded cache architecture found in the i9-13900K.