Key Features
- Two-cores with Hyper-Threading
- 3.57GHz clock speed
- 6th generation Core, Skylake architecture
- 14nm manufacturing process
- 3MB cache
- Manufacturer: Intel
- Review Price: £94.00
What is the Intel Core i3-6100?
Skylake is Intel’s latest processor architecture and, not surprisingly, it debuted in expensive quad-core chips: the Intel Core i5-6600K and Core i7-6700K took the lead.
Now,
though, a full range of dual and quad-core processors is available,
starting from the £95.99 Core i3-6100T. The Core i3-6100 sits just above
that entry level model, coming in at £98.99. It's only a dual-core part
but crucially it runs at a fairly rapid 3.7GHz and it includes Intel's
Hyper-Threading technology for improved multi-threaded performance.
The
upshot is a processor that might be ideal for those looking to build a
fast rig but that don't need the multi-core power of a quad-core –
believe it or not that's actually most of us, including gamers.
Intel Core i3-6100 – Specs and Design
The Core i3-6100 is a full Skylake
processor – not just a renamed older generation part. As such it has a
host of new features, most of which you can read about in our full Intel Skylake review.
The
main jump over previous generation chips, though, is that the
manufacturing process has improved from the 20nm of Haswell (4th
generation Core) to 14nm, and upgrades to the silicon are designed to
improve performance while reducing the amount of electricity required.
This
is still a lower-end chip though, so there are some compromises. The
most obvious limitation, aside from there only being two cores is that
Core i3 parts don’t have Turbo Boost.
That means they can’t
dynamically overclock to run at higher speeds. In contrast, something
like the Core i5-6400 can Turbo Boost from its 2.7GHz base clock to
3.3GHz, while the i5-6600K can tweak itself to a top speed of 3.9GHz.
However,
that's part of the secret to why the i3-6100 may be ideal for some
users, as it already runs at 3.7GHz even without Turbo Boost. That's
pretty fast and, as most programs and games are still single-threaded,
single-core speed is still the dominant factor in day to day computing.
Nonetheless,
there are a few other areas where the i3-6100's cost-saving is clear.
It's not a K-edition chip so doesn't have an unlocked multipler for easy
overclocking – it will overclock a bit but it's much more difficult.
Halving the number of cores also means it only has half the amount of L2
cache, from 1MB to 512KB, plus its L3 cache is only 3MB. That's 1MB
less than some of the more expensive Core i3 chips and half as much as
the Core i5 chips.
The latest i3 is equipped with the Intel HD
Graphics 530 integrated core. The 530 variant sits in the middle of
Intel’s new integrated range, and it’s got 24 execution units and a
clock that runs between 350MHz and 1,050MHz. This is another area where
the Core i3 could overhaul more affordable Core i5 chips like the
i5-6400. That CPU has the same HD Graphics 530 GPU, but it’s held back
to a top speed of 950MHz.
Thanks to only having two cores, the
i3’s power requirements are modest. The i3-6100 has a 51W TDP, which
compares well with the 65W or 91W required by different Core i5s. Rival
AMD chips, meanwhile, require 95W or 125W.
The Core i3’s £94 price puts it right between the £90 AMD A10-7700K and A10-7850K,
which costs £99.Both AMD parts are unlocked, so they can be
overclocked, and both have impressive specifications elsewhere. The
former part runs at between 3.4GHz and 3.8GHz using AMD’s boosting
technology, and the latter ranges between 3.7GHz and 4GHz. Both have
four native cores, both have more L2 cache than the i3-6100, and both
have variants of AMD’s Radeon R7 graphics – the cheaper chip has 384
stream processors, and the pricier part has 512 stream processors.
The
Core i3-6100 also faces competition from AMD’s FX processors. The
closest competitor is the FX 6350, which costs £99 and has three cores
that can address six concurrent threads. That chip has 8MB of L3 cache
and a 3.9GHz core that can overclock itself to 4.2GHz, although it’s not
unlocked for manual overclocking. Spend a little more and the £114 FX
8320 Black Edition arrives: an unlocked, quad-core chip with a 3.5GHz
core and a 4GHz top speed. Note, though, that AMD FX chips don’t have
any integrated graphics.
Buy Now at Amazon.co.uk from £92 | Amazon.com from $117.99
Intel Core i3-6100 – The Skylake Ecosystem
Skylake
doesn’t just herald a new range of processors – Intel has released a
new socket and chipset alongside these chips. The wealth of new hardware
is a double-edged sword: it means upgrading to the new processors is
more expensive, but it ushers in a range of new features.
The Z170
chipset makes several key changes designed to future-proof PCs. It has
many more PCIe 3.0 lanes than previous chipsets – 20 in total – which
means there’s more bandwidth available for graphics cards, PCIe-based
storage devices and Thunderbolt peripherals.
There’s
more support for USB 3.0, better networking options, and Thunderbolt
3.0 debuts here – along with better overclocking options. Support for
DDR4 memory is also included.
There are other chipsets that have
more restrictive feature sets. Parts like H170, B150 and H110 don’t
support multiplier-based overclocking, and include fewer USB 3.0
connections. They also have lesser support for PCIe 3.0 slots, with
fewer lanes – and some don’t support RAID options for storage.
The
arrival of a new socket and chipset also means the market is flooded
with new motherboards. Even the cheapest new boards have more features
than older models, from PCIe 3.0 slots to M.2 SSD connectors. They also
tend to have more USB 3.0 (including the latest Type-C versions) and
SATA connectors too – perfect for taking advantage of Z170’s bandwidth
improvements.
Z170-based boards aren’t cheap. The most affordable
PCBs start at just over £80, and for that money you’ll get a more basic
feature set: fewer PCIe slots and USB connectors, less likelihood of M.2
storage support, and a more modest backplate. At the top end of the
market are extreme gaming and overclocking boards that cost over £200 –
they come with every port, slot and connector imaginable, as well as
on-board buttons, displays and overclocking features.
Boards with
the H170, B150 and H110 chipsets are far more affordable. Slabs with the
H110 chipset cost less than £60, and most boards with H170 and B150
come in under £100.
This does mean that costs can add up once a
new motherboard is added to the mix – but the Skylake ecosystem still
compares well to AMD’s offerings. Its A-Series APUs and FX processors
don’t support DDR4 memory, for starters. The A88X chipset included on
most APU boards also lags behind on USB 3.0 ports and PCI-Express 3.0
lanes.
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