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Is Intel i3 outdated?

Should i3 CPUs be considered outdated?

Updated: Jan 30, 2023 10:43 am
Is Intel i3 outdated?

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Intel has been making strides in the CPU industry lately. They’ve outdone themselves again with the launch of a very successful and competitive Raptor Lake lineup.

This time, though, all the attention seems to be going toward the very flashy and refined core i5s and i9s.

Is it time now for us to leave the humble i3 series behind?

Intel i3 – what the specs look like

Intel is still releasing core i3 CPUs each year. In fact, they only recently released the core i3-13100 in Q1 2023.

Intel Core i3-13100

Intel Core i3 13100

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i3

Cores (Threads)

4 (8)

CPU Speed

4.5 GHz

CPU Socket

LGA 1151

It features:

  • 4 cores
  • 8 threads
  • 3.7GHz base clock
  • 4.5GHz boost clock
  • 60-watt base TDP

Those specs are … decent. Not great, but not bad either. 8 threads is below the standard today but still very capable of carrying out light to moderate intensity tasks.

Unfortunately, i3 processors struggle in more CPU-intensive workloads, particularly ones that rely upon a CPU having more threads to complete in a timely manner.

Are Intel core i3 CPUs finally outdated?

Generally speaking, no. Core i3 CPUs are not outdated. They may not be able to do it all, but i3 CPUs have their use cases, and they do excel in certain areas.

Office work

Office work places little to no burden on a processor. Things like sending emails, managing documents and spreadsheets, scheduling meetings, communicating via professional platforms, and pretty much everything else that may fall under the traditional definition of office work. All of it can be done by an i3.

Office computers are typically equipped with either Celeron, Pentium, or i3 processors. Out of the three of these, it’s the i3 CPUs that offer the best performance and most versatility while maintaining a very budget-friendly price point.

Gaming

Modern-day i3 CPUs can run games surprisingly well. Ever since Intel upgraded the i3 to a hyperthreaded quad core with Comet Lake (10th generation), i3s have been a viable option for use in entry-level gaming PCs.

Gaming does not utilize very many threads. The bulk of a game’s processing is carried out on only a few threads, while the rest do comparatively little, which is why thread count isn’t a huge concern in gaming performance once you have a certain number of threads.

And that number seems to be somewhere around 8, because i3 CPUs can comfortably provide 60 FPS or more in the top titles today when paired with a mid-range GPU such as the 3050.

Core i3 CPUs, such as the i3-13100F, are still very capable entry-level gaming processors that will offer you an incredible bang for your buck.

Streaming and content creation

Unfortunately for the i3 lineup, streaming and content creation are workloads that benefit greatly from being carried out on a CPU with a high thread count.

The 8-threaded i3 CPU simply won’t be able to cut it in this department, unfortunately.

But, it still wouldn’t be correct to say that the i3 is “outdated” when it comes to content creation because i3 processors were never designed for or intended to be used in content creation in the first place.

Final thoughts

Core i3 CPUs are not outdated by any means. They still have their place, and they make for excellent processors for office work and entry-level gaming.

They’re also very versatile. The i7 and i9 CPUs are likely overkill for a lot of people, whereas Pentium and Celeron can’t run games, so they’re out of the equation by default.

The choice boils down to i3 vs. i5 for most people. And for those on a budget, an i3 is perfect.


As a Junior Staff Writer, Jack is involved in writing and maintaining a bunch of hardware guides & reviews. With an interest in PC gaming, he now focuses on writing about monitors, headsets, and more.

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