Is Intel i3 good for web development?
Is Intel i3 good for web development? Let's find out
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Intel i3 is a favorite among budget-conscious users. Not only does it offer a fair degree of performance, but it does so at an affordable price point. We want to find out is Intel i3 good for web development.
Noe Read: Is core i3 good for gaming?
If you’re a web developer looking to get a new processor for your computer, the Intel i3 is one entry-level option you could go for.
But before you go ahead and make the purchase, it’s worth giving some thought to your requirements and figuring out whether or not the Intel i3 can satisfy them. We’re here to help.
Is Intel i3 good enough for web development in 2024, or do you have to go for a better processor?
Intel i3 – typical specs
A processor’s thread count determines its ability to multitask. The newer Intel core i3 processors are hyperthreaded quad-core. In simpler words, they have 4 cores and 8 threads. This is somewhat below the current average, but it’s about what you can expect for their price.
In terms of clock speed, the core i3 CPUs feature a decent 4GHz+ boost clock. The most recent i3, the 13100, has a 4.5GHz boost clock, which is fair.
Other than that, there’s not much that stands out about the i3 CPUs. They tend to have a small cache, but that’s in line with their low thread count. And since they’re slower processors with fewer cores, they use little energy, even under high workloads.
How CPU-intensive is web development?
Fortunately, web development is not very demanding on the CPU at all. While the core i3 has minimalist specs, the fact that web development is a light activity means you’ll be able to carry it out with on i3 processors efficiently.
There are a select few actions associated with web development that may require more from your CPU. File compression and decompression, for example.
If you offer graphics, especially 3D graphics or videos, as a double service, your processor could struggle at times. Content creation with an i3 will be time-consuming. But then again, web developers usually don’t have to take care of content creation. They just do the design.
Web development itself is an undemanding activity that you can carry out on an i3 processor without a problem.
How good is Intel i3 for web development?
There are certain benefits to using an Intel i3 processor for web development. The obvious one is the fact that you’ll have to pay a minimal amount to have an operational system.
With an i3 processor, you won’t need any flashy features, such as support for overclocking, so feel free to go with a bare-bones, entry-level motherboard. This will help lower your setup costs even further.
Decent performance
An i3 isn’t as lacking in terms of performance as you may think. You can actually game on i3 processors at 60FPS. If you’re interested in gaming, an i3 will serve you better than a Celeron or Pentium processor.
If web development is your only concern, you could probably save a few extra bucks by going for a Pentium CPU, but I’d still recommend the i3 to get better value for your money.
Good power efficiency and thermals
Core i3 processors have decent power efficiency. They typically only use up to around 60 watts of power when under full load.
The Alder Lake and Raptor Lake i3s can momentarily use up as much as 90 watts to deliver extra performance in short bursts, but your average power usage will still be closer to 60 watts.
In an era where consumer-grade processors have begun consuming as much as an absurd 320 watts of power, I’d say 60 watts is pretty good.
Thermals are also a factor if you’re on a laptop. With an i3 CPU, you’re unlikely to run into overheating problems.
