Intel Core i5-8260U vs Intel Core i3-10300T

Processor comparisons 03-04-2021

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-8260U vs Intel Core i3-10300T and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, machine learning, streaming, video editing, rendering. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Blender, Furmark, RealBench, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Handbrake, PassMark, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-10300T 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 i3-10300T

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8260U

52%

Core i3-10300T

52%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, Control, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.3	91.7
Valorant	104.9	104.3
Cyberpunk 2077	58.7	58.4
Apex Legends	98.6	98.0
Call of Duty Warzone	78.7	78.2
Overwatch	85.0	84.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.4	71.9
DOOM Eternal	52.4	52.1
Warzone	81.8	81.3
Assassin's Creed	88.1	87.6
Valheim	87.1	86.5

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 i5-8260U

221%

Core i3-10300T

98%

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 i3-10300T since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 35W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, 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 turns on all threads and cores 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 check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10300T
Cinbench 15 Single-core	157	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	596	885
Cinbench 20 Single-core	409	408
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2046	2001
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1029	1064
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4033	4134

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

	Intel Core i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10300T
Single-Core	2385	2380
Multi-Core	7652	8272

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

	Intel Core i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10300T
Single-Core	997	1031
Multi-Core	4222	3667

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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-8260U	Intel Core i3-10300T
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	April 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	3.9 MHz
Frequency	1.6 MHz	3 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	35 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	8 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 i3-10300T is 46% 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: 16
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-10300T is better: 14
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-8260U and Intel Core i3-10300T before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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 i3-10300T specs and review.