Intel’s 10th Gen Comet Lake processors arrived in 2020, and in 2021, the line-leading i5 is still our top pick.
Intel is moving forward with its 11th generation desktop platform, but the 10600K offers more of the performance of its next-generation counterpart at a significantly lower price.
Also, the 10600K is compatible with cheaper motherboards, is much less demanding on the power supply, and more fantastic.
The 10600K has a base speed of 4.1GHz and a maximum single-core boost clock of 4.8GHz. The TDP is slightly higher than the previous generation model at 125W, but with intelligent power management, no, it gets much hotter.
It doesn’t include a stock cooler, so be sure to buy one with this top pick (our best processor cooler guide has a few options).
In benchmarks, the 10600K nearly matches Intel’s Core i7-9700K, an eight-core, eight-threaded chip for $ 300 and older. It compares well to a competing AMD processor (the 3600X), with six cores and 12 threads for $ 290.
It doesn’t perform as well as AMD’s $ 300 Ryzen 5600X, but the 10600K can hold its own in gaming. One surprising facet of this processor is its overclocking capabilities.
With proper cooling and settings, you can hit frequencies well above 5.0 GHz, to begin with, and gaming performance close to that of the original 10900K, a processor that costs almost twice as much.
Overall, the 10600K offers a great return on your investment, especially if you intend to overclock. It’s not much slower than the Core i7-10700K, which is ideal if you want to save some money and get a good performance.
Please note that this chip only works on LGA 1200 socket, so if you are interested, you will need to buy a mainboard with the Z490 or Z590 chipset.
In this sector are the Ryzen 3 and Core i3 processors and some Ryzen 5 and, from time to time, a Core i5. It is a relatively varied and disparate section among processors, ranging from four cores without multithreading at around 50 euros to six cores between 120 and 150 euros.
Core i3-10100F
The Core i3-10100 is a compelling quad-core model with multithreading for games, although its price must be checked quite well against the AMD alternatives. The Core i3-10100F is a version without an integrated graphics unit.
Core i3-10100F
Intel Core i3-10100F
Four cores (8 threads) at 3.6-4.3 GHz
LGA1200 socket
N / A
Comet Lake S (14 nm)
65 W
Core i3-10100
LGA1200 socket
UHD Graphics 630
Comet Lake S (14 nm)
65 W
File
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Flag 154.82 EUR + free shipping
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Flag 147.60 EUR + free shipping
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Flag 129.90 EUR + shipping (18.9 EUR)
Ryzen 3 3100
The AMD Ryzen 3 3100 is a powerful multithreaded quad-core processor, running at a base frequency of 3.6 GHz and a maximum turbo of 3.9 GHz. It can serve quite well as a base for a team for a moderately powerful graphics card such as a GTX 1660 Super.
Ryzen 3 3100
AMD Ryzen 3 3100
Four cores (8 threads) at 3.6-3.9 GHz
Socket AM4
N / A
Zen 2 (7 nm)
65 W
File
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Flag 114.90 EUR + shipping (3.95 EUR)
Ryzen 3 3200G
The power of its GPU is around 20% lower than an RX 550, although, in some games, the difference may be more significant and in others less. It is an exciting processor to play cheaply, although rather you will have to play at 720p and low quality at 30 or 40 FPS, and some games will allow you to play at 720p and 60 FPS, or even at 1080p and 60 FPS with low quality, like Heroes of the Storm and similar esports titles.
As a processor, it is somewhat below a Ryzen 3 1300X, but due to the price, it can be an excellent option to mount an inexpensive computer, whether you put a dedicated graphics card later or not. It is also a good option for office equipment that performs well and allows you to reproduce 4K videos without problems and basic graphic design tasks.
Ryzen 3 3200G
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
Four cores (4 threads) at 3.6-4 GHz
Socket AM4
Radeon Vega 8
Zen + (12 nm)
65 W
File
Ryzen 5 3400G
Four cores (8 threads) at 3.6-4 GHz
Socket AM4
Radeon RX Vega 11
Zen + (12 nm)
65 W
File
Athlon 3000G
The Athlon 3000G is a competitive AMD APU that includes two Ryzen cores with multithreaded – four logical cores – with a frequency of 3.5 GHz (without turbo) and includes a Radeon Vega 3 graphics unit. It is a more exciting purchase option because the GPU part has more power than the iGPUs of Intel processors, although they also do not give to play titles beyond 720p with low details. It has a thermal design power of only 35 W, making it equally interesting for creating multimedia centers, servers, etc.
Athlon 3000G
AMD Athlon 3000G
Two cores (4 threads) at 3.5 GHz
PGAAM4 socket
Radeon Vega 3
Zen + (14 nm)
35 W
Pentium Gold G6400
The Pentium Gold G6400 is a multithreaded dual-core processor that can be useful for creating entry-level office equipment and games with weak graphics cards, such as a GTX 1650.
Pentium Gold G6400
Intel Pentium Gold G6400
Two cores (4 threads) at 4.0 GHz
LGA1200 socket
UHD Graphics 610
Comet Lake S (14 nm)
58 W
File
For 9th generation processor motherboards, you can look at the G5400 instead, similar in performance.
Pentium Gold G5400
Intel Pentium Gold G5400
Two cores (4 threads) at 3.7 GHz
LGA1151 socket
UHD Graphics 610
Coffee Lake (14 nm)
54 W
The Core i3-9100F is a processor without an integrated graphics unit, with a quad-core configuration and base frequency of 3.6 GHz and 4.2 GHz turbo. It is a powerful enough processor to move mid-range graphics cards at a price below 70 euros (Oct 2020).