AMD Ryzen 3 3100 vs Intel Core i7-8700K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 3 3100 vs Intel Core i7-8700K and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Blender, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, RealBench, 7zip, Blender, SuperPi, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, Gears 5, PassMark, AIDA64.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Fallout 76
Apex Legends
Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto V
Borderlands 3
Halo Infinite
Death Stranding
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Fortnite
Watch Dogs Legion
Cyberpunk 2077
Valheim
Rainbow Six Siege
Last Man Standing
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Valorant
Overwatch
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
DOOM: Eternal

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 3 3100.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 3 3100

53%

Core i7-8700K

54%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-8700K is 1% better than Ryzen 3 3100. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 3 3100

53%

Core i7-8700K

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.7	95.7
Valorant	106.5	108.7
Cyberpunk 2077	59.6	60.9
Apex Legends	100.1	102.2
Call of Duty Warzone	79.8	81.6
Overwatch	86.2	88.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.5	75.0
DOOM Eternal	53.2	54.4
Warzone	83.0	84.8
Assassin's Creed	89.4	91.3
Valheim	88.4	90.3

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 3 3100

64%

Core i7-8700K

49%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 3 3100 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-8700K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 3100	Intel Core i7-8700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	179	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1019	1447
Cinbench 20 Single-core	437	487
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2351	3689
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1105	1209
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	5423	8960

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 3100	Intel Core i7-8700K
Single-Core	2464	2760
Multi-Core	11783	13949

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 3100	Intel Core i7-8700K
Single-Core	1266	1402
Multi-Core	5567	7536

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 3 3100	Intel Core i7-8700K
Announcement date	May 27, 2020	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Matisse	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	3	8
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	3800 millions	3200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	256KB
L2 cache	2MB
L3 cache	16MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000284 100-100000284BOX 100-100000284MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-8700K is 2% better than Ryzen 3 3100 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-8700K has 2 more core than Ryzen 3 3100. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 3 3100 is better: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700K is better: 29
The summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 3 3100 and Intel Core i7-8700K before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 3 3100 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8700K specs and review.