Intel Core i3-N300 vs Intel Core i5-10600K

Processor comparisons 29-09-2022

   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i3-N300 vs Intel Core i5-10600K and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, WPrime, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, SuperPi, Furmark, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, MATLAB, Blender, 7zip, 3DMark, PassMark, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, AIDA64.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-10600K or Intel Core i3-N300.

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-N300

54%

Core i5-10600K

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-N300

52%

Core i5-10600K

55%

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 little game result, 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, Control, Monster Hunter World, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.1	97.0
Valorant	104.7	110.2
Cyberpunk 2077	58.6	61.7
Apex Legends	98.4	103.6
Call of Duty Warzone	78.5	82.7
Overwatch	84.8	89.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.2	76.1
DOOM Eternal	52.4	55.1
Warzone	81.7	86.0
Assassin's Creed	88.0	92.6
Valheim	86.9	91.5

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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-N300

498%

Core i5-10600K

39%

To make a final resolution 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-N300 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-10600K since it has less power consumption: 7W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its 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 find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in 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-N300	Intel Core i5-10600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	201	215
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1403	1615
Cinbench 20 Single-core	467	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3172	3629
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1079	1376
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10430	10379

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

	Intel Core i3-N300	Intel Core i5-10600K
Single-Core	2510	2967
Multi-Core	15340	14674

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

	Intel Core i3-N300	Intel Core i5-10600K
Single-Core	1047	1495
Multi-Core	4058	8815

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. 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 economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-N300	Intel Core i5-10600K
Announcement date	January 25, 2023	April 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1264	FCLGA1200
Core name	Alder Lake-N	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	13	10
Turbo Frequency	3.8 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	1.74 MHz	4.1 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	7 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4 3200 MT/s DDR5 4800 MT/s LPDDR5 4800 MT/s	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	16 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	45.8 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	384KB
L2 cache	2MB
L3 cache	6 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	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 i5-10600K is 57% better than Core i3-N300 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i3-N300 has 2 more core than Core i5-10600K. 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-N300 is better: 12
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-10600K is better: 24
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-N300 and Intel Core i5-10600K before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-N300 - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-N300 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-10600K specs and review.