Is Intel Core i3 worth it?

Are Intel Core i3 CPUs worth buying?

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The Intel Core i3 family of processors features the company’s most affordable consumer-grade options. Core i3 processors remain very popular these days and are excellent options for first-time PC builders or those on a tight budget.

However, they do also offer much lower performance when compared to same-generation counterparts from the higher Core i5, i7, and i9 lineups. Is Intel Core i3 worth it?

How good are Intel Core i3 processors?

We know that Core i3 processors are cheap, but is their price justified by their performance, or would you be better off paying the extra to get a much more powerful Core i5?

Of course, you always have to compare individual processors to find out what’s right for you. But generally speaking, Core i3 processors offer consumers interested in casual computer usage and light gaming amazing value for their money.

How so? Well, Core i3 CPUs really only lack in one department – they don’t have many physical cores and threads. But the thing is, many types of workloads can run just fine on a few threads, and gaming is the perfect example.

The hyperthreaded quad-core (4 cores, 8 threads) setup featured by the newest Core i3 processors is excellent for gaming at 1080p, 60FPS – even in 2024.

Core i3 processors are by no means high-end. But for gaming at least, they can offer you a passable level of performance at a very low price, especially if you’re clever about pairing them up correctly with an equally powerful GPU.

With an inexpensive GTX 1660 Ti or an RX 6600, you end up with a slight GPU bottleneck, making for a very price-efficient system optimized for gaming.

Is an Intel Core i3 processor right for me?

An Intel Core i3 processor is right for you if you’re looking for a budget gaming processor. For single-threaded workloads where the lack of physical cores and threads doesn’t really matter, modern Core i3 processors are indeed worth it.

However, for multicore workloads such as those carried out on a workstation, a Core i3 processor is severely underpowered. You would be stuck waiting forever for your tasks to finish processing and suffer from a very limited capacity for multitasking, hampering your productivity.

So, in essence, if all you’re interested in is gaming, consider a modern Core i3 processor to get amazing bang for your buck. If you’re interested in carrying out CPU-intensive workloads such as content creation, video editing, and 3D rendering, the moderately pricier Core i5 processors will better suit your needs.

Best value Intel Core i3 processor

Interested in getting a Core i3 processor? Here’s what offers you the best value for your money.

Core i3-13100F

Intel Core i3-13100F

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i3

Cores (Threads)

4 (8)

CPU Speed

4.5 GHz

CPU Socket

LGA 1151

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The 13100F is the newest addition to the Core i3 lineup. A 4-core, 8-thread processor with a boost clock of 4.5GHz and a retail price of just over $100, the 13100F offers you impressive specs for its price point.

This processor can run all the latest games comfortably, although at high utilization, which means you won’t be able to do much else in the background or multitask extensively.

It’s also worth noting that we’ve listed down the “F” variant of the 13100 processor. The 13100F does not have an iGPU, which means you will need a discrete graphics card to get a display. However, it is cheaper than the standard 13100 with identical specs otherwise.