Blog

Today, we’ll delve deeper into the May 2019 release of the Intel Core i3-9100 quad-core desktop processor. The Intel Core i3 9100F is available from Intel with or without integrated graphics. The Intel Core i3-9100F, which costs $89.99 shipping and is perfect for individuals who intend to use it in a system with a dedicated graphics card, is the base model.

For $119.99 delivered, you can acquire the Intel Core i3-9100 with Intel UHD Graphics 630 if you’re looking for a CPU with integrated graphics. The only difference between the two processors is whether the graphics block is enabled or disabled.

The retail packaged models of the Intel Core i3-9100F processors include a CPU cooler, which is one of their nicer features. Therefore, you can purchase a processor like the Intel Core i3 9100F for $74 and avoid having to pay extra for CPU cooling.

The conventional “pancake” CPU cooling is included with the Intel Core i3 9100F retail packaged chip. On this processor with a 65W TDP rating, it’s nothing spectacular, but it works. If you don’t want to, you don’t need an aftermarket cooling system.

We examined the Intel Core i3-9100F today, and found it to be a very competent processor. A 4-core processor may seem incredibly underpowered in today’s world, but we were pleasantly pleased by a quick and powerful system. With only 4 cores, this processor lagged behind some of its more expensive siblings in heavily threaded applications, but its high base clocks helped it shine in lighter threaded workloads, where it outperformed them.

At your preferred vendor, the Intel Core i3 9100F appears to be a reasonably performing processor that is easily accessible for $74.00. The Ryzen 3 3200G 4-Core desktop processor with Radeon Vega 8 graphics ($89 delivered) is the major rival to this chip.

In conclusion, even though the Intel Core i3 9100F is a 9 Gen Core Coffee Lake Refresh entry-level CPU, it is a very competent processor that nevertheless provides entry-level users with a pleasant computing experience.

Intel Core i3 9100F Specs

Launched in April 2019, the Intel Core i3 9100F is a desktop CPU with 4 cores. It is a member of the Core i3 family and utilizes Socket 1151 and the Coffee Lake Refresh architecture.The Intel Core i3 9100F has 6MB of L3 cache and operates at 3.6 GHz by default, although it may be overclocked to 4.2 GHz depending on the workload. The Core i3-9100F is being produced by Intel using a 14 nm manufacturing process; the number of transistors is unknown. The multiplier on Core i3-9100F is locked, which restricts overclocking.

The Core i3-9100F consumes standard power levels for a contemporary PC with a TDP of 65 W. Dual-channel DDR4 memory is supported by Intel’s processor. With overclocking (and the appropriate memory modules), you can increase the officially supported memory speed of 2666 MHz even more. Core i3-9100F connects via PCI-Express Gen 3 to communicate with other parts of the computer. You will require a separate graphics card because this processor lacks integrated graphics.

The Intel Core i3 9100F supports hardware virtualization, which significantly boosts virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is allowed, enabling direct host hardware usage by guest virtual machines. This processor can run programs that make use of Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), which improves performance for applications that require lots of calculations. Along with AVX, Intel also supports the more recent AVX2 standard, but not AVX-512.

Essential information

Product Collection	9th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors
Code Name	Products formerly Coffee Lake
Vertical Segment	Desktop
Processor Number	i3-9100F
Status	Launched
Launch Date	Q2’19
Lithography	14 nm
Recommended Customer Price	$97.00
Use Conditions	PC/Client/Tablet

Intel Core i3 9100F specifications

Total Cores	4
Total Threads	4
Max Turbo Frequency	4.20 GHz
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency	4.20 GHz
Processor Base Frequency	3.60 GHz
Cache	6 MB Intel® Smart Cache
Bus Speed	8 GT/s
TDP	65 W

Memory specs

Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)	64 GB
Memory Types	DDR4-2400
Max # of Memory Channels	2
Max Memory Bandwidth	37.5 GB/s

Intel Core i3 9100F performance & gaming

Over the previous five years, this benchmark for STH has had the most requests. The assignment was straightforward; we used the Linux 4.4.2 kernel from kernel.org and a typical auto-generated configuration file, utilizing all of the system’s threads.

We can see a rather intriguing outcome in this case. Compared to the Core i3-9100 and Core i3-9100F, the Intel Core i3-8300 features a slightly faster base clock but no turbo clock speeds. The difference in cache size between it and the Core i3-9100F—which is significant in this case—is 8MB. This workload is not only core/clock dependant, as we witnessed in our recent AMD EPYC 7642 assessment, but big deltas in cache sizes can also have an influence. When the EPYC 7642 has a 256MB L3 cache and 24MB of L2 cache, 2MB might not seem like much, but it is also 33% more than the Core i3-9100F. Cache matters in our compile test; clock speed is not everything.

A popular cross-platform software for compression and decompression is 7-zip. We began utilizing the application when we first started testing Windows. Now it is a component of Linux-Bench.

Due to the turbo clock rates, the Intel Core i3-9100F performs noticeably better than the Core i3-8300 in this instance. In fact, the four quick cores can outperform the eight-core Intel Atom C3758.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is the first game we have for playing on a low-end CPU. The 9100F performs no better than the 7600K in this game, which punishes quad-core processors. Even though the quad-core CPUs still offer playable performance, frame stuttering will be considerably more noticeable.

The Ryzen processors are 24% quicker than the Core i3 in the 1600 AF, which is silky smooth with 1% lows of approximately 60 fps and an average frame rate of 77 fps.

Far Cry New Dawn isn’t a CPU-intensive game, at least not in terms of how well it makes use of core-heavy CPUs. However, we purposefully included this game since it serves as a nice illustration of how some older games interact with contemporary CPUs.

It’s also crucial to point out that even though the 9100F is 14% faster than the 1600 AF, the Ryzen 5 processor still managed to keep the frame rate at or above 60 fps at all times, and the game ran quite smoothly.

Conclusion on Intel Core i3 9100F

There are presently 20 distinct 9th Gen processors available from Intel under the Core i3/i5/i7/i9 lineup, with suggested retail prices for the Core i3-9100F and Core i3-9100 starting at $122. The Intel Core i3-9100F is currently only $89.99 shipping on the open market. We examined the Intel Core i3 9100F today and found it to be a highly competent processor.

A quad-core processor may seem incredibly underpowered in today’s world, but we were pleasantly pleased by a quick and powerful system. With only four cores, this CPU was at the bottom of the pack for intensively threaded applications, but because to its high base clocks, it outperformed some of its more costly siblings in lighter threaded workloads.

Is Intel Core i3-9100F worth it?

The Intel Core i3-9100F is an entry-level, Coffee Lake-based quad-core CPU for desktop computers. It only supports four threads on its four cores, which are clocked at 3.6 to 4.2 GHz without HyperThreading or SMT support. The CPU is still made in 14nm++ and lacks an integrated graphics processor. 

The performance of the Intel Core i3-9100F is around 10 to 15 percent better than that of the Core i3-8100. Therefore, the CPU is better suited for straightforward office chores than for demanding or high-end games.

It works well for simple jobs and some medium-level games. To work without any stutters with a graphics card like a GTX 1070 or a GTX 1660 Ti, the (single-threaded) quad-core turbos to 4.2GHz.

The majority of the 9100F’s existence was as a $79 CPU. It has recently been advertised for more over $130. Given that the hyperthreaded quad-core i3-10100 is only $115, this pricing is outrageous. Why would you bother with the more expensive, inferior (not to mention outdated) product?

Even when they are both by themselves at the bottom of the stack in heavily threaded operations, the i3-10100 annihilates the Intel Core i3-9100F.

For the most of last year, I suggested the 9100F for low-cost builds because to its $75 (or occasionally $71) pricing, but with so many better alternatives available in 2023, it is no longer justified at that price.

Is Intel Core i3-9100F good for gaming?

To compete with AMD, Intel usually has a low-cost CPU line, and this time they did an excellent job. A very excellent work.

It’s hard to beat the Intel Core i3-9100F as a CPU. The majority of AMD supporters will consider purchasing an R5 1600 since it has 6 cores and over 200% more threads than the previous generation, as well as 100% more cache. Also a gaming processor, that. not like 9100F, though.

Although the Intel Core i3-9100F lacks an iGPU, it is a low-grade CPU (like the 1300X, 2200G, and 3200G). However, the 9100f is your only option if you have a limited budget and want a gaming PC that is future-proof.

You may even plug in larger RTX cards as long as you use a better motherboard (such as a lower-grade H310 or B350 with an LGA 1151 socket and a high-wattage PSU, such as a 550W or a 650W). The processor is inexpensive and only has a quad core, but even the budget Ryzen 3200G features a gaming Vega 8 GPU.

Aside from that, practically every game requires 4 cores. The Intel Core i3-9100F also boasts a respectable 6MB cache, which is sufficient for all games to operate at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions. The 9100f doesn’t emit any problems at all, even when compared to other R5s and R7s on YouTube. It acts just how a gaming processor ought do.

Currently, the R5 2600 and 3600 are the next best processors for gaming at 10K and under, followed by the 9400f at 10K and lower.

It’s worthwhile. It’s a fantastic CPU for beginning players. It presently competes against the superior Ryzen 3 3100, which costs around $25 more. Choose the i3 9100F if money is really tight and you want to save every last bit you can.

A excellent method to start PC gaming would be to pair it with a 1650 Super.

Can you overclock Intel Core i3-9100F?

Actually, no. That CPU is locked. indicating that Intel has disabled the device’s manual clock rate adjustment.

Some motherboards could let you modify the base clock’s minimum speed. indicating that the CPU never decreases. However, if any effects are felt, they are minimal. Since the base typically only occurs while nothing is running, you virtually ever notice benefits, but it boosts nonetheless when forced to execute additional tasks.

A general rule is that manual overclocking isn’t possible if the model number doesn’t begin with a K. Whatever the boost algorithm automatically provides you is what you’re stuck with. I.e., automated overclock that is factory-preset.

Over the years, there have been a few exceptions, but not this one.

Making sure you have adequate cooling and a nice motherboard with robust VRMs will give you the best chance of enhancing performance on an i3-9100F so the boost can last as long as feasible at the highest setting. There isn’t anything that can’t withstand its maximum boost forever, so I’d probably just replace the cooler with a slightly bigger one for that particular model.

It is in fact an inexpensive CPU. one not designed for great performance.

Technically, a Intel Core i3-9100F can be overclocked, but only on motherboards with the Z370 and Z390 chipsets, and only by raising the “base clock,” which typically only works up to a 2-4% boost. Although there is very little room for overclocking, it is still technically viable. The 9100F’s CPU clock multiplier is locked, making it impossible to overclock the processor any faster than the base speed permits.

What temperature should an Intel Core i3-9100F run at?

Typical CPU temperatures while operating at full capacity: range from about 40C (104F) to 80C (176F). With “decent” cooling, at least. what you would find on a well designed desktop. Because a laptop has little room to cool down, it frequently sees temperatures rise to over 100C (212F). This is perhaps its worst “feature”.

Keep in mind that every CPU has a maximum “safe” temperature. They all immediately shut down if they hit that temperature, at least for the past 20 years or more. Depending on the manufacturer and model, it might be higher or lower than 100C (212F).

Your CPU is often throttled prior to that. Lower clock rate, or the same amount of energy flowing through it less often per second. reducing the speed in an effort to prevent the temperature from reaching that maximum level. It switches off if that doesn’t work.

Because 95F is much lower than the regular temperature and it is cool, it should be operating well. The normal CPU temperature when gaming should be between 122F and 158F, or from 50C to 70C, respectively. Therefore, what you meant may have been 95C instead of 95F.

When gaming, a CPU temperature of 95°C is deemed to be too high and may short-circuit the Intel Core i3 processor for a while. It’s advisable to keep it lower to be safe because the maximum working temperature for the majority of Intel Core i3 CPUs is normally about 100°C at the Tjunction temperature.

How much power does Intel Core i3-9100F draw?

My experience has shown me how important it is to precisely calculate the wattage of the power supply required for both your CPU and other components. The Core i3-9100F CPU’s peak wattage may be calculated using its peak TDP rating, PL2 (Power Level 2).

The power used at the CPU’s highest turbo boost frequency is measured by the turbo boost TDP (PL2). We may infer from the PL2 that the Intel Core i3-9100F CPU has a maximum boost frequency of 4.20 GHz and a maximum peak power consumption of 82 watts.