Intel Core i3-8100 vs Intel Core i7-11700K

Processor comparisons 04-02-2023

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i3-8100 vs Intel Core i7-11700K and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming. Here you can find useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like 7zip, 3DMark, Gears 5, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, PassMark, Furmark, SuperPi, Blender, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-11700K or Intel Core i3-8100.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-8100

52%

Core i7-11700K

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-11700K is 10% better than Core i3-8100. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-8100

52%

Core i7-11700K

56%

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 play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ghostrunner, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Control, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.7	100.2
Valorant	104.2	113.8
Cyberpunk 2077	58.4	63.7
Apex Legends	98.0	107.0
Call of Duty Warzone	78.2	85.4
Overwatch	84.4	92.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.9	78.5
DOOM Eternal	52.1	56.9
Warzone	81.3	88.8
Assassin's Creed	87.5	95.6
Valheim	86.5	94.5

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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So 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

Core i3-8100

53%

Core i7-11700K

47%

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 Core i3-8100 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-11700K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

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

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-11700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	154	262
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	616	2507
Cinbench 20 Single-core	364	612
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1444	5618
Cinbench 23 Single-core	792	1596
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3076	14869

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

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	2223	3562
Multi-Core	6698	27126

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

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	1052	1793
Multi-Core	3633	11929

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. 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 even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-11700K
Announcement date	December 24, 2017	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCLGA1200
Core name	Coffee Lake	Rocket Lake-S
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	11
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	4	8
Threads	4	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s	12 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	8200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	64 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		4 MB
L3 cache	6 MB	16 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. Another difference is that Core i7-11700K has 4 more core than Core i3-8100. 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 i3-8100 is better: 4
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-11700K is better: 32
Although it should be understood that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-8100 and Intel Core i7-11700K before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-8100 - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-8100 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-11700K specs and review.