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Intel Core i3-10100F

Intel Core i3-10100F: Budget Processor of 2025 – Is It Worth Purchasing?

Key Features: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i3-10100F processor, released in 2020, remains a popular choice for budget builds due to its balance of price and performance. It is based on the Comet Lake (10th generation) architecture and manufactured using a 14nm process, which seems outdated in 2025 compared to AMD's 7nm and Intel's Alder Lake chips. However, it is more than sufficient for basic tasks.

Specifications:

- 4 cores / 8 threads (Hyper-Threading);

- Base frequency: 3.6 GHz, maximum turbo frequency: 4.3 GHz;

- TDP 65W (does not require powerful cooling);

- 6MB L3 cache;

- No integrated graphics (indicated by the "F" in the name).

Performance:

According to Geekbench 6 (2025), the processor scores 1426 points in single-core and 4400 in multi-core tests. This allows it to compete with the Ryzen 3 3300X, but it falls short compared to contemporary budget processors like the Core i3-13100F (~1800/6000 points). For everyday tasks (office work, web browsing, 1080p gaming), the performance is adequate.

Key Features:

- Support for DDR4-2666 (relevant for budget motherboards);

- Compatibility with LGA 1200 motherboards;

- Intel Optane Memory and Hyper-Threading technologies.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1200 socket, supported by the H410, B460, H470, Z490 chipsets. By 2025, new motherboards for this socket are no longer being produced, but models remain available in stock or second-hand:

- Budget option: ASUS Prime H410M-K (~$60-70). Suitable for basic builds but limits RAM frequency to 2666 MHz.

- For upgrades: MSI B460M-A Pro (~$90). Allows memory overclocking to 2933 MHz and has more ports.

- Premium: Gigabyte Z490 UD (~$120). Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 for NVMe drives, but is excessive for the i3-10100F.

Advice: Choose B460 if you plan to upgrade to more powerful Comet Lake processors (e.g., i5-10400F). For a purely budget build, H410 will suffice.

Supported Memory: DDR4 and Its Features

The i3-10100F works only with DDR4, with maximum frequency depending on the chipset:

- H410: up to 2666 MHz;

- B460/Z490: up to 2933 MHz.

Recommendations:

- Optimal size is 16GB (2×8 GB). For example, Crucial DDR4-2666 (~$45 for the set).

- For gaming with a discrete GPU, the difference between 2666 MHz and 2933 MHz is almost negligible, so there's no need to overpay for faster memory.

Important: DDR5 and PCIe 4.0 are not supported – this is the main drawback of the processor in 2025.

Power Supply: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 65W and no integrated GPU, the minimum power supply wattage depends on the graphics card. Examples:

- Without discrete graphics: 300W (although such scenarios are rare due to the "F-version").

- With GTX 1650 or RX 6400: 450W (for example, EVGA 450 BR, ~$55).

- With RTX 3050: 550W (Corsair CX550M, ~$75).

Tips:

- Choose power supplies with an 80+ Bronze certification and overload protection.

- Avoid cheap noname models – they can jeopardize other components.

Pros and Cons of the Processor

Pros:

1. Low price (~$80-100 in 2025).

2. Energy efficiency – suitable for compact cases.

3. Sufficient performance for 1080p gaming at medium settings (e.g., CS2 – 120 FPS, GTA V – 60 FPS).

4. Support for Hyper-Threading for multitasking.

Cons:

1. 4 cores compared to 6-8 in competitors (e.g., Ryzen 5 5500).

2. 14nm process – high heats under load.

3. No PCIe 4.0 – limiting for modern SSDs and GPUs.

Usage Scenarios

1. Gaming:

The processor can handle most 2023-2024 titles paired with an RTX 3050 or RX 6600 graphics card. In Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, medium settings), it achieves about ~50-60 FPS. For streaming or gaming at 144Hz, it falls short.

2. Work Tasks:

- Office applications and browsers with dozens of tabs – no problems.

- Video editing in DaVinci Resolve: rendering 1080p videos takes twice as long compared to Ryzen 5 5600.

- Programming: comfortable to work in IDEs, but building large projects (e.g., in C++) will be slower.

3. Multimedia:

Streaming video (Netflix, YouTube), photo work in Lightroom. For 4K video editing, it’s better to choose something more powerful.

Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 3 3300X:

Costs ~$100, 4 cores / 8 threads, but on a 7nm process. Slightly faster in games (+10-15%), supports PCIe 4.0. However, it's harder to find for sale in 2025.

- Intel Core i3-13100F:

Newer (2023), 4 cores / 8 threads on Raptor Lake architecture. Performance is 25-30% higher, price ~$120. Best choice if budget allows.

- AMD Ryzen 5 5500:

6 cores / 12 threads, ~$130. Ideal for multitasking and future upgrades.

Conclusion: The i3-10100F wins only on price. If the difference from the i3-13100F is less than $30, it’s better to opt for the new generation.

Practical Build Tips

1. Motherboard: Get B460 for future-proofing (e.g., for upgrade to i5-10400F).

2. Cooling: The standard cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider the DeepCool Gammaxx 400 (~$20).

3. Storage: Choose an NVMe SSD (e.g., Kingston NV1 500GB, ~$40) – the speed difference from SATA is noticeable.

4. Case: A mini-ITX build is possible, but ensure good ventilation.

Example budget build ($400-500):

- CPU: i3-10100F ($90)

- GPU: GTX 1660 Super (used, ~$150)

- RAM: 16GB DDR4-2666 ($45)

- SSD: 500GB NVMe ($40)

- PSU: EVGA 500W ($60)

- Motherboard: ASRock B460M-HDV ($80)

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

This processor should only be considered in two cases:

1. Ultra-budget build (up to $500) for office work, study, or light gaming.

2. Upgrading an old PC on LGA 1200 socket without replacing the motherboard.

Who It Is Not Suitable For:

- Gamers planning to play new releases in 2025.

- Professionals working with rendering or virtualization.

In 2025, the i3-10100F is a compromise option for those whose priority is saving money. However, if your budget allows for an additional $50-70, it’s better to choose more modern models.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 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.

i3-10100F

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.

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.

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 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 OS Guard

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1426

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4400

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1056

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3822

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2593

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

8774

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E-2224G

1534 +7.6%

Core i5-9500F

1479 +3.7%

Core i3-10100F

1426

Xeon E-2176M

1379 -3.3%

Core i7-8650U

1348 -5.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon W-2125

4939 +12.3%

Ryzen 7 2700E

4640 +5.5%

Core i3-10100F

4400

Xeon E5-2680 v2

4147 -5.8%

Xeon W-1290TE

3915 -11%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

EPYC 7713P

1097 +3.9%

Xeon Platinum 8276L

1074 +1.7%

Core i3-10100F

1056

Core i9-9960X X-series

1031 -2.4%

Xeon W-3223

1008 -4.5%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-5775C

4277 +11.9%

Core i5-1140G7

4018 +5.1%

Core i3-10100F

3822

Xeon E-2276ME

3686 -3.6%

Ryzen 5 2500X

3573 -6.5%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

2677 +3.2%

Xeon E-2276M

2639 +1.8%

Core i3-10100F

2593

Ryzen 3 4300GE

2554 -1.5%

Ryzen 5 7520U

2518 -2.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-1068NG7

9594 +9.3%

Core i7-1265UE

9195 +4.8%

Core i3-10100F

8774

Xeon E3-1270 v5

8363 -4.7%

Core i3-10300T

8036 -8.4%