Home / Intel Core i3 / Intel Core i3-10105: Performance and Specs

Intel Core i3-10105

Intel Core i3-10105: A Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

Updated: April 2025

Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i3-10105 processor, released in 2021, remains a popular choice for budget builds. Despite its age, its specifications are still relevant for basic tasks.

Architecture and Process Technology

- Codename: Comet Lake (10th generation Intel).

- Process Technology: 14 nm — considered outdated by 2025, but ensures stability.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores, 8 threads with Hyper-Threading.

- Cache: 6 MB L3.

- Base Frequency: 3.7 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 4.4 GHz.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 (base frequency 350 MHz, dynamic up to 1.1 GHz).

Performance

- Geekbench 6: 1489 (Single-Core), 4672 (Multi-Core).

- Real-World Tasks: In 2025, the processor handles office applications, browsing (20+ tabs), 4K video, and light gaming (for example, CS:GO on low settings achieves 60-80 FPS).

Key Features

- Support for DDR4-2666.

- Energy efficiency (TDP 65 W).

- Compatibility with Windows 11 and Linux.

Compatible Motherboards

The processor uses the LGA 1200 socket, which limits motherboard options to older chipsets.

Chipsets

- H410/B460: Budget options without overclocking (price: $60-80). Example: ASUS Prime H410M-K.

- H470/Z490: Advanced features (PCIe 3.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2). Example: MSI Z490-A Pro ($120-150).

Selection Considerations

- An H410/B460 board is sufficient for the i3-10105.

- If planning an upgrade to an i5/i7 10th generation — choose Z490.

- Check for M.2 NVMe support (not available on all H410).

Supported Memory

- Type: Only DDR4 (up to 2666 MHz). DDR5 is not supported.

- Recommendations:

- 16 GB (2x8 GB) — optimal for multitasking.

- Budget modules (e.g., Kingston Fury Beast DDR4-2666, $35 for 16 GB).

Limitations: Frequencies above 2666 MHz are locked on H410/B460 chipsets.

Power Supply: Calculation and Recommendations

With a TDP of 65 W and no powerful discrete graphics card, a PSU of 400-450 W is sufficient.

Examples:

- For a PC with a graphics card like the NVIDIA GTX 1650: Corsair CX450 (450 W, 80 Plus Bronze, $55).

- Without discrete graphics: EVGA 400 BR (400 W, $35).

Tip: Don't skimp on the PSU — cheap models may operate unstably with Turbo Boost.

Pros and Cons of the Processor

Pros:

- Price: $100-120 (new, 2025).

- Energy efficiency (suitable for mini PCs).

- Integrated graphics for basic tasks.

Cons:

- 14 nm compared to 7-10 nm competitors.

- No PCIe 4.0/5.0.

- Memory frequency limitation.

Use Cases

1. Office and Study: Document work, Zoom, browsing.

2. Multimedia: 4K viewing, streaming services.

3. Light Gaming: Dota 2, Minecraft, indie projects.

4. Home Server: Low power consumption suitable for NAS.

Example Build: A $300 setup:

- i3-10105 ($110) + H410 ($70) + 16 GB DDR4 ($35) + 512 GB SSD ($40) + 450 W PSU ($55).

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD Ryzen 3 3300X (4 cores/8 threads, 7 nm):

- Better in multi-threaded tasks (Geekbench Multi-Core ~5200).

- Price: $130-150 (difficult to find new in 2025).

2. Intel Core i5-10400 (6 cores/12 threads):

- 30-40% more powerful, but more expensive ($160-180).

Conclusion: The i3-10105 wins on price but falls short on performance.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient (temperature under load up to 70°C).

2. Storage: Choose NVMe SSDs (e.g., Kingston NV1 500 GB, $40).

3. Upgrade: Plan ahead for a potential upgrade to i5-10400 or i7-10700.

4. Case: A compact Mini-Tower will do (Deepcool MATREXX 30, $45).

Final Verdict: Who is the Core i3-10105 For?

This processor is an ideal choice for:

- Budget PCs: If the goal is to build a system under $400.

- Office Workstations: Reliability and low power consumption.

- Home Media Centers: Streaming video, light tasks.

Why You Might Avoid It?

For gaming with AAA titles, 4K editing, or working with AI, it’s better to consider the Ryzen 5 7600 or Core i5-12400F.

Final Judgment: The Core i3-10105 in 2025 is a time-tested option for those who value a balance of price and basic performance.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

March 2021

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.

i3-10105

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

3.70 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.

4.40 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.40 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

1489

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4672

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1101

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3994

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2683

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

8546

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-1135G7

1603 +7.7%

Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G

1548 +4%

Core i3-10105

1489

Core i7-10750H

1439 -3.4%

Xeon W-3223

1387 -6.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-1334U

5372 +15%

Ryzen Embedded V2546

4976 +6.5%

Core i3-10105

4672

Xeon E5-2630L v3

4420 -5.4%

Xeon E3-1270 v3

4164 -10.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i9-10940X

1144 +3.9%

Core i3-8350K

1118 +1.5%

Core i3-10105

1101

Xeon E3-1270 v5

1075 -2.4%

Core i9-9820X

1057 -4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2630L v4

4456 +11.6%

Xeon E5-2648L

4238 +6.1%

Core i3-10105

3994

Core i7-1165G7

3810 -4.6%

Core i3-10300T

3671 -8.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-9600K

2754 +2.6%

Xeon W-3275

2717 +1.3%

Core i3-10105

2683

Core i5-9500F

2646 -1.4%

Ryzen 5 4500

2597 -3.2%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-1145GRE

9428 +10.3%

Ryzen 5 1500X

9092 +6.4%

Core i3-10105

8546

Xeon E5-2665

8248 -3.5%

Xeon E3-1575M v5

7928 -7.2%