Is i3 10th Gen Good?
Intel i3 10th gen processors are the entry-level processor from Intel and are mainly used in budget and everyday use laptops. These processors are meant to fulfill the basic needs of any computer or laptop and are not meant for heavy workloads.
These processors provide great value because of their price and performance. Even though the 10th generation is quite old now with Intel’s 12th gen launch, 10th gen i3 processors are still used in many laptops, especially in the budget segment.
Intel i3 10th generation processors usually have 4 cores or 2 cores, depending on the type of processor. There are a lot of different processor variants even within the i3 10th generation. But is i3 10th gen good? Let’s find out!
Why Do You Need A Good Processor?
Any modern laptop performance majorly depends on two things: processor and GPU (graphics card). The processor is the main component that holds everything together and makes it work. Any process that happens in a laptop requires the processor to “process” it.
The faster your processor is, the faster your system is. But a processor is not great at graphics-intensive tasks like 3D rendering. Although every laptop processor has a graphics unit built into it, it is not as powerful as the dedicated graphics card. Well, that’s a whole different topic.
The performance of a processor is mainly dependent on these two factors: The number of cores and the Clock speed. The more cores you have, the more efficient your processor is. The higher your clock speed is, the faster your processor is.
The basic answer to “why do you need a good processor” is simple. For speed and smooth experience. A better and faster processor will complete your tasks faster and more efficiently. Apart from that, the performance also depends on how power efficient the processor is. A better processor will have better power efficiency and higher power delivery, improving performance.
The performance of the processor also depends on the architecture. A good architecture allows the processor to use all the cores and threads efficiently, leading to consistent performance across various tasks. In short, you need a good processor because of these reasons:
- Higher processing speed
- Efficient performance without any lags and slowdown
- Better power delivery and power efficiency lead to better battery life
- Consistent performance across different tasks.
Intel Core i3 10th Generation Features
Intel i3 10th generation is about two generations old at this point, but it isn’t as old as it sounds. The i3 10th gen is called Comet Lake and is manufactured on Intel’s 14nm Skylake process. The 9th generation processors are called ‘Ice Lake’ while the 11th gen processor is called ‘Tiger Lake’
I3 10th generation processors have either 4 cores or 2 cores. While the desktop processors have 4 cores, the laptop processors only have 2 cores. The 10th gen i3 processors for laptops are low-powered processors with their TDPs of 9W or 15W.
This is mainly because these are not performance processors but are meant to be used in small factor devices like 13-inch notebooks and budget laptops. The desktop processors are also fairly low-powered, with a TDP of 65W.
The max CPU and base clock will vary with the SKU, but the maximum for laptops never crosses 4.2 GHz. The base clock varies between 1.1 GHz and 2.1GHz. For desktops, the clock speeds are higher, which can vary between 3.8 GHz to 4.9GHz. The base clock, however, varies between 3.0 GHz to 3.9 GHz. All the i3 10th gen laptop processors have 4MB of cache, and the desktop processors have 8 MB of cache.
Is Intel i3 10th Gen Good?
Now you know the specs of Intel i3 10th gen processors, but the main question remains unanswered. Is intel i3 10th gen any good? In general, every processor is good, but the answer depends on what you want to use it for. Gaming? Video Editing? Daily school work? The next sections will address this.
1. Is i3 10th Gen Good for Gaming?
Gaming usually requires three things from a processor. Clock speed, power, and cache. The higher the clock speed, power, and cache, the better the gaming performance.
In the case of i3 10th gen processors, the cache is relatively less, and the clock speed isn’t too high, but it is enough for gaming. AS for the power, 65W is good enough for gaming, but 10th gen processors are not exactly meant for their power efficiency.
In short, a desktop i3 10th gen processor can be used for gaming, but it will bottleneck (hold back the performance) the GPU if used with more powerful graphics cards.
As for the laptop i3 10th gen processors, those aren’t meant for gaming, and you will find running any games difficult. This is why many people later change their processor to Intel i7 or get a new generation processor.
2. Is i3 10th Gen Good for Programming?
Programming is mainly a CPU-bound task which means that it doesn’t need graphics power to complete this task and majorly depends on the processor power. Programming doesn’t need a lot of processing power or a high number of cores.
Although, it is recommended to have at least 4 cores and a fairly high base frequency. A desktop i3 10th gen processor meets all these requirements and can be used for programming. It should be noted that, while it can be used well for programming, serious coding or programming will take longer to compile codes.
As for the laptop processors, they only have 2 cores which can seriously limit the program compilation speed on a laptop. Plus, the base clock frequencies aren’t that high. Even though a laptop is capable of programming, it will not be able to do serious programming.
3. Is i3 10th Gen Good for Students?
When used for basic tasks like MS Office or browsing or checking email, a 4-core processor is more than enough. In fact, i3 10th gen processors are perfect for students since they are cheaper and provide adequate performance for basic, everyday tasks.
Because of this, i3 10th gen processors are good value processors, especially desktop processors. For laptop processors, i3 10th gen processors come with 2-cores, which is also enough for basic tasks that a student will do. Since laptops with i3-10th gen processors are affordable, it offers another advantage in price. Hence a laptop with I3 10th gen processor is ideal for students.
4. Is i3 10th Gen Good for Video Editing?
Video editing is a little tricky to judge only based on the processor. Video editing depends on the processor, graphics card, and RAM. But, if you are using these processors for video editing, 4 cores may not be enough to keep the render time low.
While the i3 10th gen processor can be used for video editing, it is not ideal. As for the laptop, video editing can be pretty hard on just 2 core processors. But it can do some light video editing but may have inconsistent performance or freeze during the rendering process.
Best i3 10th Gen Processors
If you are convinced that i3 10th gen processors are good enough for your work or your PC. You might get confused about the different types of i3 processors. Hence, to help you choose the best i3 processor, we have created a list based on the price-performance ratio of the i3 processors.
1. Intel Core i3-10100
Intel Core i3 processors are entry-level, low-budget processors from Intel and are great for budget builds or simple home PCs. Given their cores, they can even put in decent work in gaming PCs, although in budget gaming PCs.
Intel Core i3-10100 comes with integrated graphics but does not overclock. This processor’s base clock and boost clock are 3.6GHz and 4.1GHz, respectively. For an i3 processor, it has quite a higher TDP at 65W, which, compared to the competition, Ryzen 3 3100, is quite high.
For a budget build, I would like to have my PC at lower power, and if it bothers you, i3-10100 might not be ideal.
Intel i3-10100 might be three generations old now, but it does come at a deeply discounted price of less than 10000 and doesn’t perform badly for the price. I did note that the processor did get quite hot under an all-core load.
It is the only disadvantage of this processor, but if you use a good CPU cooler, you won’t face any issues. If you can get i3-10100 under 10000 for cheap, it can be a good processor to consider.
2. Intel i3 10105
This was also released in Q1 of 2021 and is similar to the 10320 specifications, but it can be bought for a cheaper rate. It is also an entry-level processor with the same integrated graphics Intel UHD 630.
Although it is not meant for gaming on its own, it can run games when paired with a good graphics card. It is ideal for office PCs since it can handle programs like MS Office, browsing, media consumption, etc., very smoothly.
This processor has a base CPU clock of 3.7 GHz and a boost clock of 4.4 GHz, which is good enough for basic tasks or even video editing. You can only use a DDR4 RAM with a maximum speed of 2666 MHz with this processor and up to a maximum RAM of 128 GB. Overall, it can be a nice budget upgrade from much older generations of Intel processors.
3. Intel i3 10100F
This was one of the most popular processors for budget gaming PCs because of its price and performance. While being very cheap, it provided massive performance gains over its previous generation i3 processors.
With a base clock of 3.6 GHz and 4.3 GHz, it can be used for gaming paired with any mid-range graphics card to avoid any bottleneck. Since it has no integrated graphics unit, it needs a discrete graphics card for display output and other graphical tasks.
You can use DDR4 RAM with a maximum speed of 2666 MHz which is good enough for casual and mid-level gaming, and a maximum of 128 GB of RAM. Overall, a great value gaming processor perfect for budget gamers and PCs.
Why Should you Buy Intel Core i3 10th Generation Processors?
1. Price
The price of i3 10th gen processors is really low, making it perfect for budget-conscious setups. It is not just cheap. It does provide the performance for the price and doesn’t disappoint in that matter.
2. Availability
Since the launch of 12th gen Intel processor, the older generation processors have become cheaper, and you can find them much cheaper in secondhand markets. Although Intel has stopped manufacturing this older processor, you can still find them on the market for a much lower price.
3. Perfect for Home PC
I3 10th generation processors are perfect for home or office PCs since they are very cheap and don’t require a discrete graphics card or a costly motherboard to pair them with.
Conclusion
Is i3 10th gen good overall? Yes, it is. These processors are perfect for students, programming, office laptops/systems, and even casual to mid-range gaming. The performance-to-price ratio is really good, making it a worthwhile purchase and cost less, especially now with a newer generation processor in the market. If you are looking for a budget processor, the i3 10th gen processors are the way to go.
