Intel Core i3-6100 vs Intel Core i7-2600

Processor comparisons   04-02-2023
   For example you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i3-6100 vs Intel Core i7-2600 tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here you can find all information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as Blender, Blender, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, WPrime, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, PassMark, SuperPi, Handbrake, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, PCMark 10, Prime95, VeraCrypt.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-2600 or Intel Core i3-6100.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-6100

51%

Core i7-2600

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-6100

51%

Core i7-2600

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.3	91.3
Valorant	102.6	103.7
Cyberpunk 2077	57.5	58.1
Apex Legends	96.5	97.5
Call of Duty Warzone	77.0	77.8
Overwatch	83.1	84.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.8	71.6
DOOM Eternal	51.3	51.9
Warzone	80.1	80.9
Assassin's Creed	86.2	87.1
Valheim	85.2	86.1

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-6100

68%

Core i7-2600

29%

To make a finishing choice 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 Core i3-6100 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-2600 since it has less power consumption: 51W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i7-2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	152	124
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	392	568
Cinbench 20 Single-core	368	257
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	916	1824
Cinbench 23 Single-core	538	759
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	2090	3647

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

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	2256	1751
Multi-Core	4180	5341

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

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	1050	844
Multi-Core	2271	3227

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce 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!

	Intel Core i3-6100	Intel Core i7-2600
Announcement date	September 17, 2015	October 01, 2010
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	LGA1155
Core name	Skylake	Sandy Bridge
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	6
Turbo Frequency		3.8 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	2460 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	51 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR3 1066/1333
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	21 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	3 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-6100 is 8% better than Core i7-2600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-2600 has 2 more core than Core i3-6100. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-6100 is better: 13
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-2600 is better: 22
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-6100 and Intel Core i7-2600 before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-6100 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-6100 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-2600 specs and review.