Home / Intel Core i3 / Intel Core i3-6100T: Performance and Specs

Intel Core i3-6100T

Intel Core i3-6100T in 2025: Is it worth buying an outdated processor for a budget PC?

Architecture, Performance, and Key Features

Main Specifications

The Intel Core i3-6100T processor, released in 2015, is based on the Skylake microarchitecture (6th generation) and is manufactured using a 14nm process. It is a dual-core CPU with support for Hyper-Threading (4 threads), which looks modest in 2025 but remains relevant for basic tasks. The base clock speed is 3.2 GHz (no Turbo Boost), and it has a TDP of 35W, making it one of the most energy-efficient solutions of its time.

The integrated graphics Intel HD Graphics 530 supports 4K video (via HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2) and handles less demanding games like CS:GO or Dota 2 at low settings. In Geekbench 6 tests (2025), the processor scores 1041 points in single-core and 2071 in multi-core modes—equivalent to modern budget processors like the Intel Celeron G6900, but with limitations due to only having two cores.

Key Features:

- Support for hardware video decoding for VP9 and HEVC (useful for 4K streaming).

- Energy-saving technologies: Intel SpeedStep, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology.

- Compatibility with Windows 10/11 and Linux distributions.

Compatible Motherboards

The processor uses the LGA 1151 (v1) socket. Suitable chipsets include:

- H110, B150, H170, Z170 — for basic builds, it's better to choose H110 boards (e.g., ASUS H110M-K), for memory overclocking—Z170 (though the i3-6100T does not support overclocking).

Important: By 2025, new motherboards for LGA 1151 are no longer manufactured. On the second-hand market, such models cost $20–40 (e.g., used ASRock B150M-HDV). When purchasing, check for DDR4 support and the availability of current ports (USB 3.0, M.2 for NVMe—not all boards have these).

Choosing Tips:

- The H110 chipset supports only DDR4-2133, while Z170 supports memory overclocking up to 2400 MHz.

- Some boards can accommodate NVMe drives through an adapter, but speed will be limited to PCIe 3.0 x2.

Supported Memory

The i3-6100T works with DDR4-1866/2133 MHz (in dual-channel mode) and DDR3L-1600. In 2025, DDR4-2133 is considered outdated, but 8–16 GB modules (e.g., Kingston ValueRAM) are available for $25–50 for a 16 GB kit.

Recommendations:

- Use a dual-channel configuration (2×8 GB) to boost performance in gaming and applications.

- DDR5 and modern standards are not supported.

Power Supplies

With a TDP of 35 W, the processor consumes minimal power. For a system without a discrete graphics card, a PSU of 300–400 W will suffice (e.g., be quiet! System Power 10, 400W, $45).

Tips:

- If you plan to install a GPU like the GTX 1650, choose a PSU rated at 450–500 W (Corsair CX450, $55).

- Cheap noname PSUs can damage components—don't skimp on this aspect.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Energy efficiency—ideal for HTPC or office PCs.

2. Integrated graphics—no need to buy a separate graphics card.

3. Low secondary market price ($30–50 for the CPU).

Cons:

1. Only 2 cores—multitasking is limited.

2. No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2.

3. Outdated platform—upgrading to newer processors is not possible.

Use Cases

- Office Tasks: Document work, browser, Zoom—the processor handles these easily.

- Media Center: Streaming 4K video, Netflix—thanks to HEVC decoding.

- Light Gaming: Minecraft, GTA V (on low settings, 30–40 FPS).

- Servers: NAS or home server based on Linux.

Not suitable for:

- Modern games (Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2).

- Video editing, 3D rendering.

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD A10-7890K (2016): 4 cores, but weaker in single-threaded tasks (Geekbench 6 Single Core ~800). In games—on par with i3-6100T, but with a TDP of 95 W.

2. Intel Pentium G4560 (2017): 2 cores/4 threads, cheaper, but lacks AVX2 support.

3. Ryzen 3 3200G (2019): 4 cores, Vega 8—by 2025 priced at $100–120 (new), but significantly more powerful.

Conclusion: In 2025, the i3-6100T falls short against even budget newcomers but holds the advantage in the second-hand market price.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Look for used components: Motherboards, memory, and processors are cheaper when bought second-hand.

2. SSD is essential: Even a SATA SSD (Kingston A400, 480 GB, $35) will speed up the system.

3. Don't overpay for cooling: The stock cooler is quiet enough for a TDP of 35 W.

4. Optimize for tasks: For a media center, add a TV tuner or Wi-Fi adapter.

Example Build (2025):

- CPU: i3-6100T ($40, used).

- Motherboard: ASUS H110M-K ($30, used).

- Memory: 16 GB DDR4-2133 ($35, used).

- Storage: 500 GB NVMe (via adapter, $40).

- PSU: be quiet! 400W ($45, new).

- Case: Mini-Tower ($25).

Total: ~$215.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i3-6100T?

This processor is a choice for those who:

- Are building a cheap PC for office use, study, or browsing.

- Need an energy-efficient system (e.g., a home server running 24/7).

- Want to upgrade an old computer without significant investment.

Why Is It Still Relevant in 2025?

With a price of $30–50 in the second-hand market, the i3-6100T remains one of the most affordable options for basic tasks. However, for gaming or professional work, it’s better to add $100–150 and opt for a Ryzen 3 5300G or Intel Core i3-12100F.

Final Verdict: Yes, if the budget is strictly limited. No—if a “safety net” for the future is needed.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

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.

i3-6100T

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

3.20 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.

FCLGA1151

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

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.

DDR4-1866/2133 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V

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.

Yes

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.

950 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 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

1041

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2071

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

737

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1534

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1888

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

3670

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i3-8130U

1123 +7.9%

Xeon E5-2690

1084 +4.1%

Core i3-6100T

1041

Athlon 220GE

993 -4.6%

Ryzen 5 3550H

940 -9.7%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2658 v4

2506 +21%

Core i7-3720QM

2298 +11%

Core i3-6100T

2071

Core i3-4150

1890 -8.7%

Opteron 6276

1729 -16.5%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-4370

776 +5.3%

Xeon E5-2658 v3

753 +2.2%

Core i3-6100T

737

Ryzen 7 2800H

718 -2.6%

Xeon E5-4617

694 -5.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-2400S

1738 +13.3%

Pentium Gold G5420T

1630 +6.3%

Core i3-6100T

1534

Pentium G4600T

1460 -4.8%

Core i5-8210Y

1383 -9.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-8121U

1945 +3%

Core i5-8250U

1914 +1.4%

Core i3-6100T

1888

Xeon Gold 5120T

1849 -2.1%

FX-9590

1810 -4.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-7660U

4100 +11.7%

Ryzen Embedded R2312

3865 +5.3%

Core i3-6100T

3670

Xeon E5-2407

3504 -4.5%

Core i3-6100E

3315 -9.7%