Intel Core i3-8100 vs Intel Core i7-2600

Processor comparisons   04-02-2023
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i3-8100 vs Intel Core i7-2600 and understand which is better for games or simple use for streaming, machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis 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 special testing software such as 7zip, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, WPrime, Gears 5, MATLAB, Prime95, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, Furmark, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, Blender, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-2600 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 i7-2600

51%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i3-8100 is 1% better than Core i7-2600. 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 i7-2600

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.7	91.3
Valorant	104.2	103.7
Cyberpunk 2077	58.4	58.1
Apex Legends	98.0	97.5
Call of Duty Warzone	78.2	77.8
Overwatch	84.4	84.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.9	71.6
DOOM Eternal	52.1	51.9
Warzone	81.3	80.9
Assassin's Creed	87.5	87.1
Valheim	86.5	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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 i3-8100

53%

Core i7-2600

29%

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 i7-2600 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i7-2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	154	124
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	616	568
Cinbench 20 Single-core	364	257
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1444	1824
Cinbench 23 Single-core	792	759
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3076	3647

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

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	2223	1751
Multi-Core	6698	5341

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

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-2600
Single-Core	1052	844
Multi-Core	3633	3227

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-8100	Intel Core i7-2600
Announcement date	December 24, 2017	October 01, 2010
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	LGA1155
Core name	Coffee Lake	Sandy Bridge
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8
Turbo Frequency		3.8 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	4	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)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400	DDR3 1066/1333
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	21 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 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 i3-8100 is 5% better than Core i7-2600 in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-2600 is better: 6
All the number in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-8100 and Intel Core i7-2600 before making a choice which of the CPUs 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 i7-2600 specs and review.