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Intel Core i3-6300T

Intel Core i3-6300T: Review and Recommendations for PC Building in 2025

Relevance in 2025: Despite its age, the processor remains a viable option for budget and energy-efficient systems.

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

Skylake Architecture and 14 nm Process Technology

The Intel Core i3-6300T was released in 2015 and is based on the Skylake microarchitecture (6th generation). The 14 nm process technology has reduced power consumption (TDP 35W) while maintaining acceptable performance. This is a dual-core processor with Hyper-Threading support (4 threads), improving multitasking. The base clock speed is 3.3 GHz (there is no turbo mode).

Key Features:

- Integrated graphics: Intel HD Graphics 530 (base frequency 350 MHz, maximum 950 MHz).

- Support for AVX2 and SSE4.2 instructions to accelerate computations.

- Virtualization (Intel VT-x) support for working with virtual machines.

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: 1094 (single-core), 2327 (multi-core).

- In 2025, the processor handles office tasks, web browsing, and light applications. For instance, working in Google Docs or streaming 4K video on YouTube. However, it lacks the power for gaming and heavy editors (Photoshop, Blender).

2. Compatible Motherboards

LGA 1151 Socket and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 socket (v1 version, not compatible with Coffee Lake motherboards). Suitable chipsets include:

- H110, B150, H170, Z170 — for basic tasks.

- Q170 — corporate solutions with vPro support.

Recommendations:

- ASUS H110M-K (about $60 in 2025) — a compact board for office PCs.

- MSI B150M Mortar ($70-80) — 4 DDR4 slots and an M.2 connector.

- Gigabyte Z170-HD3 ($90-100) — supports RAM overclocking (but the i3-6300T itself cannot be overclocked).

Important: New LGA 1151 v1 boards are hardly being produced anymore. Look for leftovers in warehouses or trusted refurbished options.

3. Supported Memory

DDR4-2133 and Limitations

The processor works with DDR4-2133 MHz (dual-channel mode). The maximum volume is 64 GB (depends on the motherboard).

Tips:

- Use 2 modules of 8 GB each for dual-channel mode (for example, Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4-2133).

- DDR3L (1.35V) is theoretically compatible, but DDR4 is preferred for its stability.

4. Power Supply Recommendations

Energy Efficiency and Power Calculation

With a TDP of 35W and integrated graphics, the minimum load on the power supply unit (PSU) is low.

Examples:

- For a system without a discrete graphics card: Corsair CV450 (450W, 80+ Bronze, $50).

- With a GPU like the NVIDIA GT 1030: EVGA 500 W1 (500W, 80+, $45).

Important: Do not skimp on the PSU. Cheap models can damage components.

5. Pros and Cons of the Intel Core i3-6300T

Pros:

- Low power consumption (suitable for mini-PCs and media centers).

- Integrated graphics for basic tasks.

- Affordable price (around $80-100 for new units in 2025).

Cons:

- Only 2 cores — weak multi-threaded performance.

- Outdated architecture — lagging behind modern Celeron or Ryzen 3.

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0 and DDR5.

6. Use Cases

Who is the processor relevant for in 2025?

- Office PCs: Document work, video conferences, cloud services.

- Home Theater: Streaming 4K (via HDMI 1.4), music, light emulators (RetroArch).

- Entry-Level Servers: NAS based on OpenMediaVault or file hosting.

Limitations:

- Gaming: only older titles (CS:GO — 40-50 FPS on low settings).

- Video editing: rendering in 1080p will take 3-4 times longer than on a Core i5 of the 12th generation.

7. Comparison with Competitors

Analogues from 2015-2016

- AMD A10-7890K (2016): 4 cores, Radeon R7, but TDP 95W. Better for gaming but power-hungry. Price: $90-110.

- Intel Pentium G4560 (2017): 2 cores/4 threads, HD Graphics 610. Cheaper ($60) but weaker in single-threaded tests (Geekbench 6: ~900).

Conclusion: The i3-6300T outperforms the Pentium in performance but lags behind AMD in multi-threaded performance.

8. Practical Building Tips

Optimal Configuration

- Motherboard: ASUS H110M-K + BIOS updated to the latest version.

- Memory: 16 GB DDR4-2133 (2x8 GB).

- Storage: Kingston A400 480 GB (SATA SSD, $35) for fast OS loading.

- Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 (Mini-ITX, $50) for compactness.

What to Avoid:

- Discrete graphics cards more powerful than GTX 1650 — the processor will become a bottleneck.

- Expensive cooling systems — the stock cooler is sufficient.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i3-6300T in 2025?

This processor is worth considering only in two cases:

1. Building a budget PC for office work, studying, or a media center with minimal expenses ($200-300).

2. Upgrading an old system on LGA 1151 without replacing the motherboard.

Alternatives: If the budget allows, it's better to opt for a modern Intel Core i3-N305 (8 cores, 6W) or AMD Ryzen 3 8300G (RDNA 3 graphics) for $120-150.

Conclusion: The Intel Core i3-6300T in 2025 is a niche solution. It suits those who value low power consumption and minimalism but are not willing to overpay for new components.

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.

i3-6300T

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

3.30 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.

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.

4 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

1094

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2327

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

790

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1699

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2019

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4003

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

EPYC 7662

1166 +6.6%

Xeon E5-2697 v3

1129 +3.2%

Core i3-6300T

1094

Xeon Silver 4214

1051 -3.9%

Core i3-4170

1001 -8.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-6500T

2838 +22%

Core i7-990X

2554 +9.8%

Core i3-6300T

2327

Core i5-3330

2097 -9.9%

Opteron 6274

1922 -17.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen Embedded V1756B

825 +4.4%

Ryzen 3 PRO 1300

808 +2.3%

Core i3-6300T

790

Xeon E3-1225 v3

775 -1.9%

Core i7-3930K

750 -5.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Pentium G4560

1969 +15.9%

Athlon PRO 200GE

1844 +8.5%

Core i3-6300T

1699

Core i5-7260U

1594 -6.2%

Core i3-4160T

1494 -12.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E3-1265L v4

2073 +2.7%

Core i5-3570K

2047 +1.4%

Core i3-6300T

2019

Ryzen 7 3700U

1991 -1.4%

Core i5-3550S

1965 -2.7%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Athlon 220GE

4429 +10.6%

Core i3-8140U

4227 +5.6%

Core i3-6300T

4003

Core i3-7100T

3790 -5.3%

Core i3-4170

3592 -10.3%