This is the Intel Core i3-6100 processor. No, it’s actually the box of the said processor but well at least you know it’s not an Engineering Sample.
So here’s the processor itself, there’s really nothing much to show about processor but the article would look very empty without them. Plus it’s just to prove that I actually have it with me. 😛
CPU-Z? Of course, here it is.
Overclocking
The Core i3-6100 does not have unlocked multiplier, it is possible to overclock with boards that support BCLK overclocking. This will be covered in an upcoming article.
Test Setup
| RAM | HyperX Savage DDR4 3000 |
| Motherboard | ASRock Z170 Pro4 |
| Power Supply | Cooler Master V700 |
| Operating System | Windows 10 64bit |
The Benchmarks
x264 – 10bit to 8bit Video Conversion
The source video is a 720p MKV file that is 90 seconds in duration. x264 settings at the slowest.
| Processor | Time Taken (seconds) |
| Intel Core i3-6100 | 315 |
| Intel Core i5-6600K | 197 |
| Intel Core i7-6700K | 141 |
Cinebench R15
Default settings
| Processor | CB |
| Intel Core i3-6100 | 300 |
| Intel Core i5-6600K | 602 |
| Intel Core i7 6700K | 927 |
WinRAR
Speed of archiving some almost 1GB worth of CR2 and MOV file.
| Processor | Time Taken (seconds) |
| Intel Core i3-6100 | 65 |
| Intel Core i5-6600K | 44 |
| Intel Core i7 6700K | 30 |
Temperature
X264 10bit to 8bit conversion was used to stress the card. Fan settings are at Auto. Room set to ~25c.
| Processor | Idle(°C) | Load (°C) |
| Intel Core i3-6100 | 28 | 50 |
Power Consumption
The stress was done with X264 10bit to 8bit conversion and Prime95. Power consumption reading was taken from the watt-meter, actual power draw by the entire system from the wall point. I’m using an Cooler Master 700W with ~90% efficiency.
| Benchmark | x264 | Prime95 |
| Wall Draw | 47 | 62 |
| Estimated Actual Draw | 42 | 55 |
The Verdict
The Intel Core i3-6100 retails at around RM 510, pretty good price if you consider you’re paying just half of a Core i5-6600K and get just about half the performance. What I like about it is the low power draw, the system runs so cooling that even the stock cooler doesn’t go on high RPM to maintain it under 50c.
The Core i3-6100 certainly holds great value when if you calculate the number of seconds against the price, a Core i7 processor costs 3 times more but only to reduce processing time by half while a Core i5 processor costs double but reduces processing time by a third.
