Core i3-4100 vs AMD A10-7850K

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the Core i3-4100 scores 12.5 and the AMD A10-7850K scores 12, about 4% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The Core i3-4100 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD A10-7850K has 4 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the AMD A10-7850K help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.1 GHz and 4 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i3-4100 uses the LGA1155 socket and the AMD A10-7850K uses FM2+, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 65 W for the first and 95 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

We do not have launch prices for both chips, so we cannot compare value.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the Core i3-4100 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 980 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD A10-7850K reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-4100 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the AMD A10-7850K if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.