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Intel Core i3-6100H

Intel Core i3-6100H: Overview and Recommendations for Users in 2025

Processor for Basic Tasks or an Obsolete Chip?

In 2025, the laptop market is filled with processors based on a 5nm process technology, neural accelerators, and hybrid architectures. However, even now, some budget devices continue to use time-tested solutions like the Intel Core i3-6100H. Let’s explore who might find this processor relevant in 2025, what tasks it can handle, and what compromises must be made.

1. Architecture and Process Technology: Skylake in the Era of AI and 5G

The Intel Core i3-6100H is a representative of the Skylake generation (2015), manufactured using a 14nm process technology. It is a dual-core processor supporting Hyper-Threading (4 threads) with a base frequency of 2.7 GHz. There is no Turbo Boost mode, which limits its potential under short bursts of load.

Architecture Features:

- Skylake Cores: Improved IPC (instructions per cycle) by 10-15% compared to the previous Broadwell generation.

- Integrated Graphics Intel HD Graphics 530: 24 execution units, support for DirectX 12, 4K@60 Hz via HDMI 1.4/DisplayPort.

- Memory Support: DDR4-2133, LPDDR3-1866 (up to 64 GB).

How Does It Compare to Modern Chips?

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0 (only PCIe 3.0).

- Lack of hardware acceleration for AI tasks (e.g., background blurring in Zoom).

- Limited scalability: 2 cores create a bottleneck in multi-threaded scenarios (rendering, streaming).

2. TDP 35W: A Balance Between Performance and Heating

The 35W TDP positions the i3-6100H as a processor suited for thin laptops with passive or modest active cooling. However, in 2025 this figure seems excessive:

- Modern chips with similar performance (e.g., Intel Core i3-N305) have a TDP of 15W.

- In idle mode, the power consumption of Core i3-6100H is about 5-7W, which is higher than competitors at 7nm (2-3W).

Practical Consequences:

- Laptops with this CPU require large heatsinks, which increases weight (1.8-2.2 kg).

- Under load, fans can be noisy (up to 40 dB).

3. Performance: What to Expect in 2025?

Office Tasks:

- Document processing (Word, Excel), browser (10-15 tabs), Zoom — the processor can handle it, but running multiple applications simultaneously may cause slowdowns.

- Example: Running Excel + 15 Chrome tabs + Telegram consumes 80-90% of the CPU.

Multimedia:

- Watching 4K video: stable, thanks to decoding capabilities of the iGPU.

- Editing in DaVinci Resolve: only simple projects (1080p, 2-3 tracks). Rendering a 10-minute video will take 25-30 minutes (compared to 5-7 minutes on a Core i5-1240P).

Gaming:

- CS:GO — 720p, low settings, 40-50 FPS.

- Fortnite — 720p, 30 FPS with drops.

- Modern AAA titles (Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield) — unplayable even on minimum settings.

Turbo Mode: Absent, so brief loads (like opening a "heavy" website) do not receive acceleration.

4. Use Cases: Who Should Consider i3-6100H in 2025?

- Students: For lectures, writing reports, Zoom sessions.

- Office Workers: Working with 1C, Excel spreadsheets, corporate messengers.

- Users of "Digital Minimum": Surfing, YouTube, social media.

Not Recommended For:

- Gamers (except indie game enthusiasts).

- Freelancers working with graphics or video.

- Owners of 4K monitors (Windows interface may lag).

5. Battery Life: How Long Will the Laptop Last?

Average battery life for devices with i3-6100H is 4-6 hours (web surfing, 50% brightness). The reason is the high power consumption of the outdated 14nm architecture.

Power Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency reduction at idle.

- C-States: Shutting down unused cores.

Tips to Increase Battery Life:

- Install an SSD (HDD increases power consumption).

- Disable background applications (e.g., OneDrive).

- Use "Battery Saver" mode in Windows.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 3 3200U (2019):

- 2 cores/4 threads, Vega 3 GPU.

- Pros: Better graphics (20-30% better), supports PCIe 3.0.

- Cons: Higher price for used devices ($250 vs. $200).

Apple M1 (2020):

- 4 cores/4 threads, 5nm process technology.

- Pros: 3-4 times higher performance, 18 hours of battery life.

- Cons: macOS only, new devices start at $800.

Intel Core i3-1115G4 (2020):

- 2 cores/4 threads, 10nm, Iris Xe Graphics.

- Pros: Supports Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 4.

- Cons: On the secondary market, priced at $300-400.

7. Pros and Cons of Core i3-6100H

Strengths:

- Low cost of laptops (new models from $400).

- Adequate performance for basic tasks.

- 4K video support.

Weaknesses:

- Obsolete process technology (14nm vs. 5-7nm for competitors).

- No headroom for future software updates.

- Limited multitasking capabilities.

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

Types of Devices:

- Budget Laptops: For example, HP 255 G8 ($450) — 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 15.6" screen (1366x768).

- Ultrabooks: Dell Inspiron 14 3493 ($500) — plastic casing, weight 1.7 kg.

What to Look For:

- Cooling: Check reviews for overheating issues.

- Screen: Full HD is preferable to HD (less strain on the eyes).

- Upgrade potential: Presence of slots for adding RAM and replacing SSD.

9. Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i3-6100H in 2025 is a choice for those who:

- Are looking for the cheapest new laptop.

- Do not plan to run "heavy" applications.

- Are willing to accept 4-5 hours of battery life.

Key Benefits:

- Savings of $200-300 compared to modern equivalents.

- Reliability of a proven architecture.

Alternative: If the budget allows for $600-700, consider laptops with Intel Core i5-1235U or AMD Ryzen 5 7530U — these will provide a performance buffer for 3-4 years ahead.

Conclusion: The Core i3-6100H is a compromise justified only under strict budget constraints. For most users in 2025, it’s better to consider more modern solutions, even if they come with less RAM or SSD space.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

July 2015

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.

i3-6100H

Code Name

SkyLake

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

2.70 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.

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

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1440

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

35 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.

DDR4-2133 | LPDDR3-1866 | DDR3L-1600

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

64 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).

34.1 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® HD Graphics 530

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.

900 MHz

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.

4096x2304@24Hz

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.

4096x2304@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.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

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.

3 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 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 Flex Memory Access

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

885

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1837

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

514

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1059

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1543

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

3041

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon D-2752TER

978 +10.5%

Xeon E5-2667 v3

928 +4.9%

Core i3-6100H

885

Xeon D-1541

821 -7.2%

Xeon D-1587

761 -14%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-7600U

2167 +18%

Core i5-7300U

1982 +7.9%

Core i3-6100H

1837

Core m3-7Y32

1673 -8.9%

PRO A12-9800E

1517 -17.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Athlon X4 845

550 +7%

A8-6500

529 +2.9%

Core i3-6100H

514

FX-6100

500 -2.7%

Xeon E5620

488 -5.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Athlon II X3 460

1212 +14.4%

Celeron G3930T

1113 +5.1%

Core i3-6100H

1059

Xeon E5-2680 v3

966 -8.8%

Atom x7-E3950

875 -17.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

A10-6800K

1607 +4.1%

Xeon E5-2630 v2

1573 +1.9%

Core i3-6100H

1543

PRO A6-9500

1501 -2.7%

A8-7670K

1483 -3.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

PRO A8-9600

3359 +10.5%

A10-7800

3200 +5.2%

Core i3-6100H

3041

Athlon Silver 3050C

2879 -5.3%

Core m3-7Y32

2709 -10.9%