AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or Intel Core i3 10100F: The Best Budget CPU Options for Gamers

When it comes to budget CPU for gaming, two names that come to mind are the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 and the Intel Core i3 10100F. These two CPUs have been on the top priority list for budget and for all the right reasons. The quad-core sub-gaming CPU genre was held by Intel for a long time with the help of Intel Core i3 9100F and 10100F. This changed with the launch of the AMD Ryzen CPU. These processors are very similar when it comes to the spec-sheet.

Both the processors are quad-core processors that come with 4-core and 8-threads. This configuration is good to deliver decent performance in gaming. However, a major distinguishing factor between the two processors is the price. The Intel Core i3 10100F comes at the price of around INR 7400 and the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 costs around INR 9700. The price gap between the two processors can be a defining factor for consumers, especially those who are aiming for a budget build.

The similarities between these two processors continue as both of them do not come with an IGPU, so it becomes absolutely necessary to add an external GPU to both these processors to get a display output. When it comes to the clock speeds, the Intel processor comes with a boost clock of up to 4.3-gigahertz whereas the Ryzen processor comes with a boost clock of 3.9-gigahertz. This, however, isn't the end of the story. Users have an advantage with the Ryzen 3 3100, which is the ability to overclock. The Intel processor is clocked and can not be overclocked for some extra performance.

If you want to go by only CPU performance, then a clear choice would be the AMD Ryzen 3 3100. According to Cine bench R15, the Ryzen processor gets a score of 1004 whereas the Intel processor gets a score of 711. This is a stark difference and shows the raw processing power of the Ryzen CPU. Therefore, when it comes to CPU intensive task like video editing or extracting zip files, the Ryzen CPU outshines Intel.

Talking about raw gaming performance, even with a budget GPU like the Nvidia GTX 1650 Super, the Ryzen CPU is capable of delivering 5-10% more FPS than its Intel counterpart. If you pair the CPUs with a slightly higher grade GPU like the Nvidia 1660 Super, the bottleneck will be very visible in Intel's case. The Ryzen processor will be able to provide enhanced performance and provide a good experience.

It all comes down to the price and the tasks that you're planning on doing with the system.