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Intel Pentium G4600

Intel Pentium G4600: Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

Updated: April 2025

Introduction

Even nearly 8 years after its release (2017), the Intel Pentium G4600 remains a popular choice for budget PCs. Its key advantages include a low price (around $60-80 for a new unit), energy efficiency, and support for modern technologies. However, in 2025, its relevance is being questioned. Let's explore who might want to consider this model and who should look for alternatives.

1. Key Specifications

Architecture and Process Technology

The Pentium G4600 is built on the Kaby Lake microarchitecture (7th generation Intel) using a 14nm process technology. This is the last generation before Intel transitioned to 10nm (Cannon Lake).

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores / 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Frequency: Base clock of 3.6 GHz; no turbo mode.

- Cache: L3 cache of 3 MB (minimum size for basic application performance).

- TDP: 51 W—suitable for compact systems.

Performance

- Geekbench 6: Single-Core score of 736, Multi-Core score of 1530. For comparison, the modern budget Intel Celeron G6900 (2023) scores approximately ~1100/2100.

- Real-World Tasks:

- Streaming 4K video (with hardware decoding via Intel HD Graphics 630).

- Working with office applications (Excel, browser with 10+ tabs open).

- Light gaming (CS:GO, Dota 2 on low settings — up to 60 FPS with a discrete graphics card like the GTX 1650).

Key Features

- Support for DDR4-2400 — relevant for budget builds.

- Integrated graphics HD Graphics 630 — sufficient for basic tasks and image output.

- Technologies: Intel Virtualization, AES-NI, but lacks support for AVX2 and PCIe 4.0.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket and Chipsets

- Socket: LGA 1151 (version v2, not compatible with motherboards for 8-9 generations!).

- Chipsets:

- H110: Budget option (no USB 3.1 Gen2, max 2 RAM slots). Example: ASUS H110M-K ($50-60).

- B250/H270: Optimal choice (4 RAM slots, M.2 for NVMe). Example: Gigabyte B250M-DS3H ($70-80).

- Z270: For enthusiasts (memory overclocking, more ports), but excessive for Pentium.

Selection Considerations

- Ensure that the motherboard's BIOS is updated to a version supporting Kaby Lake (by 2025, most new boards will have the current firmware).

- To save costs, you can purchase a used board, but new models are still available (for example, ASRock H270M Pro4 — $75).

3. Memory Support

- Type: Only DDR4 with speeds up to 2400 MHz (overclocking is unsupported).

- Modes: Dual-channel — use 2 modules to boost performance (e.g., 2x8 GB instead of 1x16 GB).

- Maximum Capacity: 64 GB (but for an office PC, 8-16 GB is sufficient).

Example Configuration:

- Kingston Fury Beast DDR4-2400 8GB x2 ($40 for the set).

4. Power Supply Recommendations

With a TDP of 51 W, even a modest PSU rated at 300-400 W is sufficient, but consider other components:

- Without a discrete graphics card: EVGA 400 N1 (400 W, $35).

- With a graphics card (e.g., GTX 1650): Corsair CX450 (450 W, $55) — headroom for future upgrades.

Tip: Don’t skimp on the PSU! Cheap models (like Apevia) may not perform reliably under load.

5. Pros and Cons

Pros

- Price: One of the most affordable processors with Hyper-Threading.

- Energy Efficiency: Suitable for mini-PCs and systems with passive cooling.

- Compatibility: Works with Windows 10/11 and Linux.

Cons

- 2 cores: Multitasking is limited (streaming + gaming = lags).

- Outdated architecture: Underperforms even against budget AMD Ryzen 3 5300G (4 cores / 8 threads).

- Lacks PCIe 4.0 and AVX2: Not suitable for modern workloads (rendering, machine learning).

6. Use Scenarios

Office and Multimedia

- Document work, video conferencing, streaming Netflix in 4K (with DRM support).

- Example: Office PC based on G4600 + 8 GB RAM + 256 GB SSD — ideal for accounting tasks.

Gaming

- Without a graphics card: Minecraft, League of Legends (30-40 FPS on low settings).

- With a graphics card: GTA V, Fortnite (60 FPS with GTX 1650).

Note: In 2025, even indie games like Hades II may require more cores.

Home Server

- Due to its low TDP, it's suitable for NAS or media servers (Plex, Home Assistant).

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Athlon 3000G (2023)

- Price: $55.

- Advantages: 2 cores / 4 threads, Vega 3 graphics (stronger than HD 630), PCIe 3.0 support.

- Disadvantages: No AVX.

Intel Celeron G6900 (2023)

- Price: $75.

- Advantages: 2 cores / 2 threads, but higher IPC (single-thread performance +30%).

Conclusion: The Pentium G4600 is worthwhile only when purchasing used components or in pre-assembled OEM systems.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

- Cooler: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider replacing it with an Arctic Alpine 12 ($15).

- Storage: An SSD is essential (Crucial BX500 240 GB — $25).

- Upgrade: If you plan to add a graphics card, choose a motherboard with PCIe x16 3.0.

Example Build for $250:

- CPU: G4600 ($70).

- Motherboard: ASUS H110M-K ($60).

- Memory: 8 GB DDR4-2400 ($25).

- Storage: 240 GB SSD ($25).

- PSU: EVGA 400W ($35).

- Case: Deepcool MATREXX 30 ($35).

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the Pentium G4600 For?

This processor should only be considered in three scenarios:

1. Building an ultra-budget PC for office or educational purposes.

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

3. Projects with minimal power consumption (home server, media center).

Alternative: If your budget allows, add $20-30 and opt for an AMD Athlon 3000G or used Intel Core i3-8100 — they offer better performance and upgrade prospects.

Conclusion

In 2025, the Pentium G4600 is a niche solution. It lags behind modern alternatives but remains a straightforward way to build a PC for basic tasks without unnecessary expenses. The key is to understand its limitations and not to expect miracles in gaming or heavy applications.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2017

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.

G4600

Code Name

Kaby 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

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

L3 Cache

3 MB

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

51 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.

DDR4-2133/2400 | 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

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

GPU Name

Intel® HD 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.

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

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

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 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.

4.4

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

736

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1530

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

906

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1978

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2179

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

3624

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

EPYC 7301

862 +17.1%

Xeon E5-2660 v3

805 +9.4%

Pentium G4600

736

Core i7-4930K

679 -7.7%

Core i3-6006U

643 -12.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-4330T

1847 +20.7%

Athlon Silver 7120U

1698 +11%

Pentium G4600

1530

Core i5-6440EQ

1376 -10.1%

A10-7850K

1217 -20.5%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-8100

938 +3.5%

Xeon Platinum 8280

925 +2.1%

Pentium G4600

906

Core i7-4910MQ

890 -1.8%

Ryzen 5 PRO 2400GE

875 -3.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-2860QM

2287 +15.6%

Opteron 4334

2119 +7.1%

Pentium G4600

1978

Core i3-6100

1863 -5.8%

A8 PRO-7600B

1710 -13.5%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Gold 6134

2237 +2.7%

Ryzen 3 3200G

2206 +1.2%

Pentium G4600

2179

Ryzen Embedded V1756B

2151 -1.3%

Core i7-7820HQ

2125 -2.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-2720QM

4028 +11.1%

Core i5-2380P

3797 +4.8%

Pentium G4600

3624

Core i7-6600U

3446 -4.9%

Core i7-6500U

3279 -9.5%