Intel Core i5-8260U vs Intel Core i3-10100F

Processor comparisons   03-04-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-8260U vs Intel Core i3-10100F and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing, rendering. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like MATLAB, 3DMark, Furmark, Blender, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Handbrake, 7zip, SuperPi, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-10100F or Intel Core i5-8260U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-8260U

52%

Core i3-10100F

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8260U

52%

Core i3-10100F

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.3	92.9
Valorant	104.9	105.6
Cyberpunk 2077	58.7	59.1
Apex Legends	98.6	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	78.7	79.2
Overwatch	85.0	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.4	72.8
DOOM Eternal	52.4	52.8
Warzone	81.8	82.3
Assassin's Creed	88.1	88.7
Valheim	87.1	87.6

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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. 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 i5-8260U

221%

Core i3-10100F

58%

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 i5-8260U is more energy efficient than the Core i3-10100F as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 can 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 i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10100F
Cinbench 15 Single-core	157	191
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	596	1001
Cinbench 20 Single-core	409	448
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2046	2284
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1029	1142
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4033	4436

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

	Intel Core i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10100F
Single-Core	2385	2585
Multi-Core	7652	8876

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

	Intel Core i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10100F
Single-Core	997	1150
Multi-Core	4222	4808

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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 can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10100F
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	October 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1528	FCLGA1200
Core name	Coffee Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	10
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.3 MHz
Frequency	1.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	4 GT/s OPI	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1900 millions	2600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	6 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-10100F is 55% better than Core i5-8260U 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 i5-8260U is better: 1
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-10100F is better: 30
However, it should be realized that all the number in the table 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 of people who bought Intel Core i5-8260U and Intel Core i3-10100F before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-8260U - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-8260U specs and review.

• Intel Core i3-10100F specs and review.