Intel Core i3-6100 Review

The Core i3-6100 is one of Intel's entry-level Desktop processors. It was released in 2015 with 2 cores and 4 threads. With base clock at 3.7GHz, max speed at 3.7GHz, and a 51W power rating. The Core i3-6100 is based on the Skylake-S 14nm family and is part of the Core i3 series.

Core i3-6100 is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i3-4150 processor that was based on the Haswell Refresh and 22nm process and was released in 2014.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the Intel Core i3-6100 finally dethrones the A6-7470K as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Core i3-6100 doesn't reach the same single-core performance as AMD, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

Intel Core i3 6th Generation, and the Skylake-S architecture itself, is notable because it leads 14nm processors to the mainstream for the first time. But, there’s a lot more going on under the hood than just a smaller manufacturing node.

We covered the deep dive details of the Skylake-S chip design in our Intel Core i3-6300 and Core i3-6098P review, so head there for more information on the Core i3-6100's architecture, which is identical to the Core i3-6098P.

As the higher-priced version of the Core i3-6098P, the Core i3-6100 has higher base and Boost frequencies of 3.7 and 3.7 GHz, respectively. That's an increase in base frequency and a bump to boost clocks, but the real advantage should lay in the higher Package Power Tracking (PPT) envelope, which is a measurement of the maximum amount of power delivered to the socket. The Core i3-6098P's PPT tops out at 54W, while the motherboard can pump up to 142W to the Core i3-6100 at peak performance. That opens up much more aggressive boost behavior, on both single and multiple cores, that could widen the performance gap beyond what we see on the spec sheet.

But, like most humans, if you do things other than gaming, the Core i3-6100 offers a better mixture of performance in single- and multi-threaded applications. The Core i3-6100 offers twice the threads of the price-comparable A6-7470K, and it wields them to great effect in threaded workloads. As such, rendering and encoding remain a strong suit of the Core i3 chips, and Intel's improvements to AVX throughput have yielded impressive results.

Intel Core i3 6 Generation is finally here, and the Intel Core i3-6100 might just be the poster child for what this generation of processors has in store for consumers. Sure, it might have stuck with the 2-core, 4-thread setup, which it inherited from its predecessor, the Core i3-4150. However, with the new 14nm manufacturing process, it delivers a far better performance at lower power consumption.

This decision to 14nm has brought a beefy 15% boost to IPC (instructions per clock) performance. Effectively, compared to a Core i3 4-Generation processor at the same clock speed, you will get a straight 15% increase in performance. That’s not big enough to be evident in day-to-day workloads, but it does still mean something.

The Intel Core i3-6100 seems to be a decent performing chip that is readily available for $117 at your favorite retailer. The main competition for this processor is the A6-7470K 2-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon R5 (on die) graphics ($215.7 shipped).

Bottom Line, the Intel Core i3-6100 does not get much media attention since it is entry-level 6 Gen Core Skylake-S processor, but it is a very capable processor that still delivers a good computing experience for entry-level users.

If extended overclocking and boost frequencies are trivial matters to you, Intel also offers the Core i3-6098P at $117. It’s still outfitted with 2-cores and 4-threads, but clocks in at a slower 3.6GHz and maxes out at only 3.6GHz.

That said, to squeeze out all the potential of this surprisingly potent entry-level chip, you’ll want (and need) to splurge on an enthusiast-grade Z270, Z370, Z390 motherboard.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i3 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the entry-level with its Core i3-6100 processors, which the company is making available as of Oct 2015.