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Intel Core i3-10100

Intel Core i3-10100: Budget Processor of 2020 in the Context of 2025

Relevant review for those seeking reliability at minimal cost

Key Features: Comet Lake Architecture and Performance Balance

The Intel Core i3-10100 processor, released in 2020, still remains a popular choice for budget PCs. Its Comet Lake architecture is based on a 14nm process technology — outdated by 2025 but tried and tested. With four cores and eight threads (thanks to Hyper-Threading), it provides basic multitasking capabilities, while a frequency of up to 4.3 GHz in Turbo Boost mode helps with tasks that require quick responsiveness.

Key Features:

- 6 MB L3 Cache — sufficient for light workloads.

- Intel UHD Graphics 630 — integrated graphics for office tasks and undemanding gaming.

- TDP of 65W — low power consumption and minimal heat generation.

Performance in 2025:

According to Geekbench 6, the i3-10100 scores 1423 points in the single-core test and 4224 in the multi-core test. In comparison, modern budget processors like the Ryzen 5 7500F (2024) show results that are 40-60% higher but cost 2-3 times more.

Compatible Motherboards: LGA 1200 Socket and Chipset Choices

The processor uses the LGA 1200 socket, supported by chipsets H410, B460, H470, Z490.

Motherboard Recommendations for 2025:

- H410/B460 — optimal for basic builds (price range $70-100). Example: ASUS Prime B460M-A.

- Z490 — excessive for the i3-10100, as the processor does not support overclocking.

- Notes: On H410/B460 chipsets, the frequency of RAM is limited to 2666 MHz, which is essential for DDR4.

Important: New motherboards for LGA 1200 are no longer produced, but they can easily be found in the secondary market or leftover stock from stores (new ones start at $80).

Supported Memory: Only DDR4

The i3-10100 works exclusively with DDR4-2666 MHz (on H410/B460 chipsets) or up to 2933 MHz on Z490. DDR5 and other standards are not supported.

Tip: In 2025, DDR4-2666 16 GB will cost around $50-60 (e.g., Kingston Fury Beast). For office tasks, 8 GB is sufficient, but 16 GB is a reasonable minimum for gaming and multitasking.

Power Supply: Designed for Modest Needs

With a TDP of 65W, the processor does not require a powerful PSU.

Recommendations:

- Integrated graphics: A power supply of 300-400W (e.g., be quiet! System Power 10 400W, $45).

- With discrete graphics card: 500W is sufficient for RTX 3050 or RX 6600 (EVGA 500 BR, $60).

Note: Do not skimp on power supply quality. Even in a budget build, it’s better to choose a model with an 80+ Bronze certification.

Pros and Cons: Why Is It Still Being Bought in 2025?

Advantages:

- Price: A new i3-10100 costs $80-100 (in stock), which is 30% cheaper than the Ryzen 3 7300X.

- Energy Efficiency: Suitable for compact PCs and systems without powerful cooling.

- Reliability: The 14nm process has long been refined, and the risk of factory defects is minimal.

Disadvantages:

- Outdated Architecture: Lags behind modern CPUs in multi-threaded tasks.

- No PCIe 4.0: Limits the speed of NVMe drives and new graphics cards.

- Weak Upgrade Potential: The LGA 1200 socket does not support processors newer than the 10th generation.

Use Cases: Who Is the i3-10100 Relevant for in 2025?

1. Office PCs and Students: Working with documents, web browsing, and Zoom — the processor handles it without lag.

2. Multimedia Systems: Playing 4K videos, streaming (with discrete graphics).

3. Budget Gaming Builds: Paired with a GTX 1660 Super graphics card (e.g., Fortnite on medium settings — 60+ FPS).

4. Home Servers: Low power consumption is suitable for NAS or media centers.

Real Example: A build with i3-10100 + GTX 1650 + 16 GB DDR4 will cost $350-400 and can run CS2 or GTA V at high settings.

Comparison with Competitors: Ryzen 3 vs Intel 10th Generation

- AMD Ryzen 3 3300X (2020): Better in multi-threading (4 cores/8 threads, but higher IPC), but more expensive ($120-130 in 2025).

- AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (2022): 6 cores/12 threads, PCIe 4.0 support — a clear favorite at $140, but requires an AM4 motherboard.

- Intel Core i5-10400 (2020): Offers 6 cores/12 threads for $120-150, but requires more powerful cooling.

Conclusion: The i3-10100 only wins in price. For gaming with a discrete graphics card, the difference with Ryzen 3 is minimal, but for work tasks, AMD is preferable.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Motherboard: Choose a B460 with M.2 for NVMe (e.g., Gigabyte B460M DS3H).

2. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider the DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 V2 ($20).

3. Storage: An SSD is essential (500 GB Kingston NV1 — $40).

4. Graphics Card: For gaming — GTX 1660 Super (used — $100) or the new Intel Arc A380 ($120).

Trap: Do not buy DDR4-3200 for H410/B460 motherboards — they will limit the speed to 2666 MHz.

Final Conclusion: Who Is the i3-10100 Suitable For in 2025?

This processor is a choice for those who:

- Are building a PC with a budget under $400.

- Need a reliable system for office work, study, or light gaming.

- Do not plan on an upgrade in the next 2-3 years.

Alternative: If the budget allows adding $50-70, the Ryzen 5 5500 or Intel i3-12100F (LGA 1700) will provide more performance and future prospects. However, for basic tasks, the i3-10100 remains a reasonable option — especially if found on sale or in a combo build.

P.S. In 2025, the i3-10100 may no longer be top-tier, but as a "workhorse" for basic needs, it is still highly effective. The main thing is not to overpay for it: if the price is above $100, consider looking at modern alternatives.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2020

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.

i3-10100

Code Name

Comet 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.

Basic Frequency

3.60 GHz

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.

4.30 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.30 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

6 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1200

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.

14 nm

TDP

65 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.

3.0

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 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

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.

DDR4-2666

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.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

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).

41.6 GB/s

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 630

Graphics Base Frequency

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

350 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.

1.10 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

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

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@30Hz

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.

4096 x 2304@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@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

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.

6 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 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 Clear Video Technology

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 InTru 3D Technology

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

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

1423

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4224

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1081

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3786

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2593

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

8774

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i3-10300

1530 +7.5%

Core i9-10940X X-series

1478 +3.9%

Core i3-10100

1423

Ryzen 7 4750U

1377 -3.2%

Core i7-8709G

1346 -5.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-1215U

4817 +14%

Xeon E3-1275

4527 +7.2%

Core i3-10100

4224

Xeon E-2356G

4017 -4.9%

Core i5-8279U

3796 -10.1%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen Embedded V2748

1121 +3.7%

Core i7-8700B

1107 +2.4%

Core i3-10100

1081

Core i7-5775C

1063 -1.7%

Ryzen 7 2700X

1038 -4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-9600T

4160 +9.9%

Xeon E5-2630 v4

3955 +4.5%

Core i3-10100

3786

Core i7-5775R

3628 -4.2%

Ryzen 3 7320U

3510 -7.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-1160G7

2679 +3.3%

Xeon W-2225

2641 +1.9%

Core i3-10100

2593

Ryzen 3 4300G

2554 -1.5%

Core i7-9850H

2519 -2.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 3350GE

9643 +9.9%

Xeon E-2144G

9205 +4.9%

Core i3-10100

8774

Core i3-10100E

8365 -4.7%

Xeon E3-1230 v5

8050 -8.3%