Intel Core i3-8100 vs Intel Core i5-8250U

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i3-8100 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i5-8250U
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i5-8250U

CPU comparison

Intel Core i3-8100 or Intel Core i5-8250U - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i3-8100 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz. Up to 64 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i3-8100 was released in Q4/2017.

The Intel Core i5-8250U has 4 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.40 GHz. The CPU supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i5-8250U was released in Q3/2017.
Intel Core i3 (202) Family Intel Core i5 (328)
Intel Core i 8000 (20) CPU group Intel Core i 8000U (7)
8 Generation 8
Coffee Lake S Architecture Kaby Lake U Refresh
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
Intel Core i3-7100 Predecessor --
Intel Core i3-9100 Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-8100 has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-8100 is 3.60 GHz while the Intel Core i5-8250U has 4 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i5-8250U is at 1.60 GHz (3.40 GHz).

Intel Core i3-8100 Characteristic Intel Core i5-8250U
4 Cores 4
4 Threads 8
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
3.60 GHz Frequency 1.60 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.40 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 2.30 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i3-8100 Characteristic Intel Core i5-8250U
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i3-8100 or Intel Core i5-8250U has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620
0.35 GHz GPU frequency 0.30 GHz
1.10 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.10 GHz
9.5 GPU Generation 9.5
14 nm Technology 14 nm
3 Max. displays 3
24 Compute units 24
192 Shader 192
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory 16 GB
12 DirectX Version 12

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i3-8100 can use up to 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 38.4 GB/s. The Intel Core i5-8250U supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 38.4 GB/s.

Intel Core i3-8100 Characteristic Intel Core i5-8250U
DDR4-2400 Memory DDR4-2400
64 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
38.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 38.4 GB/s
Yes ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
6.00 MB L3 Cache 6.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
16 PCIe lanes 12
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 11.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i3-8100 is 65 W, while the Intel Core i5-8250U has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i3-8100 Characteristic Intel Core i5-8250U
65 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-8100 is manufactured in 14 nm and has 6.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i5-8250U is manufactured in 14 nm and has a 6.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i3-8100 Characteristic Intel Core i5-8250U
14 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
LGA 1151-2 Socket BGA 1356
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2017 Release date Q3/2017
117 $ Release price 385 $
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 6 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 7 CPU benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
912 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
897 (98%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
3618 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
3118 (86%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
971 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
753 (78%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
3134 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
2956 (94%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
1265 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
1127 (89%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
3627 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
3311 (91%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
364 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
348 (96%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
1444 (96%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
1509 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
Intel UHD Graphics 630 @ 1.10 GHz
422 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
Intel UHD Graphics 620 @ 1.10 GHz
422 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
6179 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
5901 (96%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
422 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
361 (86%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
1579 (94%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 1.60 GHz
1680 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
154 (98%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
157 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
616 (100%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
549 (89%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
46 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i3-8100
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-8250U Intel Core i5-8250U
4C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
705.3 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i3-8100 Intel Core i5-8250U
Unknown Acer Aspire
Acer Chromebook
Acer Spin
Acer Swift
Acer TravelMate
Asus UX410UA
Asus Vivobook 15
Asus ZenBook 13
Asus ZenBook 14
Dell Inspiron 13
Dell Inspiron 14
Dell Inspiron 15
Dell Inspiron 17
Dell XPS 13
Fujitsu Lifebook
Fujitsu Lifebook U938

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