Finding Value in Intel’s Cheapest Core Chip

Here at AnandTech, we tend to focus on the high end of Intel’s core CPU product stack, but the company has a much more comprehensive lineup than we usually have time to look at. There are flagship models that feature the highest core counts, clock speeds, and overclocking support, such as. On the other hand, for those who need less cores but want other performance Intel has the Core i7 and Core i5 series and the enthusiast K series with a variety of his SKUs including his parts It’s ready.

However, away from those fanatics, Intel has quite a few non-vanilla, non-K-series chips. These parts typically have a good balance of performance, power consumption, and efficiency at every level. This is also where you’ll find the Core i3 series, Intel’s cheapest parts that don’t have enthusiastic variants. Aimed at the entry-level market, i3 parts are built around four performance (P) cores, offering entry-level users a cheaper alternative for less critical and less demanding tasks Instead, we’re removing efficiency cores.

In this generation Intel only offers the i3-13100 which is technically a single i3 tier. This is further split into three configurations. i3-13100F. We’ll be looking at the latter chip today, with a suggested retail price of $109 making it the cheapest chip in the 13th Gen Core lineup, making it a true entry-level part for this generation.

From a hardware perspective, the Core i3-13100F offers 4 P-cores with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.5 GHz, backed by 12 MB of L3 cache. As mentioned, the only feature difference in this part is that the Core i3-13100F does not include the integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 730) normally found in the i3-13100. As a result, it is intended for use with discrete graphics. .

As the cheapest of Intel’s 13th Gen Core series SKUs, is it really worth it? And does the i3-13100F offer enough performance to justify users on a budget? Today finds out if the Core i3-13100F is good enough to claim the top quad-core crown, and how it compares to Intel and AMD’s entries into the midrange.

Before we dive into the Core i3-13100F review, here’s a list of detailed Intel 13th Gen Core/Raptor Lake coverage.

Intel Core i3-13100F: Apples to Apples, Alder Lake Refresh?

Intel and AMD have options for the entry-level market with their Core i3 and Ryzen 3/5 series. We’ve seen a number of these high-end and flagship SKUs from both parties over the past few months, but the entry-level range is probably where the best value can come from, especially for users and gamers. tight budget.

Of course, moving from an i3 with 4 P cores to a Core i9 processor with 24 cores (8P+16E), there is a huge performance gap in terms of raw computing performance, and the top Core i9/i7 series is definitely Munch on without. Speeds up tasks such as video rendering and encoding. For workloads or tasks where more than 4 cores can be used, it may be more advantageous for hobbyists and professionals to choose the Core i9/i7 series, but of course not all users want that much power is not required.

The Intel Core i3-13100F is for the type of user who isn’t meant to run heavy workloads but wants a functional system that offers solid performance at a lower overall cost than Intel’s high-end chips Interesting suggestion. It is based on his four performance cores based on Intel’s Golden Cove microarchitecture, which are the same cores as the performance cores in Intel’s 12th Generation Core series.

The Core i3-13100F’s performance cores feature a base clock of 3.5 GHz and an all-core turbo of 4.5 GHz. In direct comparison to the Core i3-12300 we reviewed last year. The Core i3-13100/13100F features the same cores, the same 12 MB Intel Smart L3 cache and the same 89 W turbo power rating. The biggest difference between the top-of-the-line Intel 12th Gen Core i3 and the latest 13th Gen Core i3 is the 100 MHz variation in core frequency. -100 MHz at base clock but increases by 100 MHz at turbo clock speed. All of Intel’s 13th and 12th generation Core i3 series chips can support DDR5-4800 or DDR4-3200 memory. This adds some flexibility regarding available platform support, especially for users on a tight budget.

Given that the Core i3-13100F and Core i3-12300 both feature the same Golden Cove cores, very similar core clock speeds, and similar TDPs, the 13th Gen Core i3 series is essentially the 12th It would be reasonable to think of it as a generational refresh. It’s hard to argue the point here. But hardware underpinnings aside, this reflects how Intel has compressed the i3 product stack for this generation of chips. Intel’s previous 12th Gen Core i3 series came in two variants, the (12)300 and (12)100 SKUs, but Intel renamed it the 13100, one primary SKU line for the 13th Gen Core i3. Rolled down to series. This means that the i3 family actually offers only one performance level, even though there are a total of three variants. These are the baseline Core i3-13100, the Core i3-13100T for low-power computing, and the ultra-budget Core i3-13100F without integrated graphics that we’re reviewing today.

I don’t believe there is a performance difference between the Core i3-13100F and the Core i3-13100, but they have the same cores, same clock speeds, and everything else is the same except the iGPU. The Core i3-13100F is a simple Intel CPU stack improvement, especially its Current retail price is $100The Core i3-13100F replaces the $97 Core i3-12100F and offers 200 MHz of turbo headroom for essentially the same street price. Otherwise, Intel’s official MSRP would at least try to place the i3-13100F as a higher end chip, but the i3-13100F could move faster, especially as the market for consumer tech spending softens. If you want it, you have to fill it with $100.

In any case, just like Intel’s 12th Gen Core i3 processors, retail versions of the 13th Gen Core i3 series CPUs will also come with Intel’s Laminar RM1 stock cooler. This reduces the overall system cost as it eliminates the need for aftermarket coolers but since the 89W CPU doesn’t need a full tower his cooler like his AIO or Noctua NH-D15 this is also Good way. Admittedly, the Intel Laminar RM1 cooler doesn’t have flashy LEDs or RGB. Still, the point is that the Core i3 series is designed as a mainstream product that offers a proportional level of compute performance at an entry-level price.

Entry-level segment: Core i3-13100F vs AMD Ryzen 3 5300G

Scaling up the competition, it’s worth noting here that Intel’s entry-level 13th Gen Core i3 parts will be a much cheaper product segment than those available in AMD’s flagship Ryzen 7000 lineup. AMD hasn’t released a Ryzen 3 grade quad-core part for its latest Ryzen 7000 series, so Intel isn’t even looking to take on current generation AMD chips as a direct competitor.

Instead, the recently launched 4-core AMD Ryzen processor is the Ryzen 3 5300G processor, which was actually OEM only when it launched in 2021. Zen 3-based processors are now available at retailers such as Amazon $100 Likewise, it is the anchor for AMD’s budget processor lineup and a direct competitor to the i3-13100F.

The good news for Intel here is that this means that the 13th Gen i3 processors will be going up against the older Zen 3 design rather than AMD’s revamped Zen 4 hardware. So this is basically the Alder Lake vs Zen 3 quad core battle all over again. Fight Intel won last time. The not-so-good news for Intel is that it means AMD offers a decent integrated GPU in a $100 chip, and Intel doesn’t.

Intel Core i3-13100F CPU-Z Screenshots

Otherwise, the next step up in the AMD stack is the Ryzen 5 5500G ($138), a 6-core version of the same die used in the 5300G. The two extra CPU cores are a big win among these budget processors, but the $38 extra is also a huge leap in price, relatively speaking.

AMD’s cheapest Zen 4 processor, the Ryzen 5 7600 ($229). At more than double the price of the i3-13100F, there’s a clear divide between the price of the part and the expected performance. Still, with six Zen 4 CPU cores speeding up to 5.1 GHz, it’s a chip that’s guaranteed to have a seat at the table, if only for potential spoiler effect.

The Core i3-13100F is an interesting proposition for users and gamers on a tight budget. Core i3-13100F and other 13th Gen Core series processors are supported by affordable motherboards and much lower prices than AMD Ryzen 7000 offerings. To create this review and a level playing field, we tested the Core i3-13100F (and all Intel’s 13th Gen CPUs) with DDR5-4800 memory according to his JEDEC specs for the chip.

Current CPU test suite

The Intel Core i3-13100F was tested using the following test system:

The updated CPU suite for 2023 includes a variety of benchmarks, tests, and workloads designed to show the performance differences between different processors and architectures. These include UL’s latest Procyon suite, CineBench R23, Dwarf Fortress, Blender 3.3, and C – Includes Ray 1.1.

In the meantime, we’ve also carried over some older (but still relevant and enlightening) benchmarks from the CPU 2021 suite. This includes benchmarks such as Dwarf Fortress, Factorio and Dr. Ian Cutres’ his 3DPMv2 benchmark.

We’ve also updated our game pool for 2023 and beyond, including the latest F1 2022 racing game, the CPU-heavy RTS Total War: Warhammer 3, and the popular Hitman 3.