Intel Core i3-8100 Review

The Core i3-8100 is one of Intel's entry-level Desktop processors. It was released in 2017 with 4 cores and 4 threads. With base clock at 3.6GHz, max speed at 3.6GHz, and a 65W power rating. The Core i3-8100 is based on the Coffee Lake 14nm family and is part of the Core i3 series.

Core i3-8100 is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i3-7100 processor that was based on the Kaby Lake-S and 14nm process and was released in 2017.

In our mind, the best processors are the ones that deliver outstanding performance at a reasonable price point. And, the Core i3-8100 absolutely nails this concept.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t quite translate to as strong of a single-core performance, even if Intel is closer than it’s ever been to matching AMD core for core. In our single-core GeekBench and Cinebench tests, the Core i3-8100 scored a 3834 and 154, respectively. This is definitely a huge leap over the Core i3-7100, but it’s slower than the Ryzen 3 2200G, which scored a 3896 and 142 in the same tests. But, that’s still not a huge difference, so the multi-core gains generally outweigh them.

The Intel Core i3-8100 was rolled out on Oct 2017 for $117, which puts it in the same general price range as the last-generation Core i3-7100. This means that at least we're not seeing any considerable price jumps from generation to generation.

Bear in mind, however, that if you already have something like the Core i3-7100, this generation doesn't offer the biggest boost in performance. You might want to wait another year or so before dropping a few hundred bucks, or even opt to splurge on a higher-end but pricier chip.

One of the nice things about the Intel Core i3-8100 processors is that the retail boxed models come with a CPU cooler. So, you can pick something like the Intel Core i3-8100 up for $117 and don’t need to spend any extra money on CPU cooling.

The Intel Core i3-8100 retail boxed processor comes with the traditional ‘pancake’ CPU cooler. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done on this processor which is rated at 65W TDP. You do not need to have an aftermarket cooling solution unless you want to.

Our look today at the Intel Core i3-8100 showed that it is a very capable processor. A 4-core processor sounds like it would be really under-powered these days, but we were pleasantly surprised with a snappy and very capable system. Having just 4 cores had this processor coming in at the back of the pack for heavily threaded workloads, but it performed better than some of its more expensive siblings in lightly threaded workloads where it shined thanks to its high base clocks.

The gaming tests with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti installed in the test system showed the Intel Core i3-8100 was more capable than many might have expected. The basic entry-level processor from Intel that can be picked up for $117 was able to out perform the Ryzen 3 2300X that runs $141 shipped in the three games we tested on. We know that you can’t test on just three games and declare something the overall victor, but it just goes to show that 4-core processors can still manage to get by today. Being able to play current game titles and stream to Twitch on the Core i3-8100 was something we give playable results, but we were pleasantly surprised. As games become more threaded the ‘value’ in a 4-core processor continues to go down, but you can still get by with something like the Core i3-8100 in a pinch.

The Intel Core i3-8100 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 Ryzen 3 2200G 4-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon Vega 8 graphics ($99 shipped).

Bottom Line, the Intel Core i3-8100 does not get much media attention since it is entry-level 8 Gen Core Coffee Lake processor, but it is a very capable processor that still delivers a good computing experience for entry-level users.

By comparison, AMD’s current 4-core processor is the Ryzen 3 2300X, which runs for a significantly higher $141 price tag. Going back a generation to Summit Ridge doesn’t make 4-core processors that much cheaper either, with the ageing AMD Ryzen 3 1300X running for $129.

Now the biggest question is can Intel’s Core i3 processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 84% in our benchmarks.

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 i3-8100 processors, which the company is making available as of Oct 2017.