Core i3-4130 vs Core i3-4330

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Core i3-4130 and the Core i3-4330 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Core i3-4130 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i3-4330 has 2 cores and 4 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 3.4 GHz and 3.5 GHz.

Platform, power and price

Both chips use the LGA1150 socket, so they fit the same motherboards. You can swap one for the other without changing the board.

Rated power is 54 W for the first and 54 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the Core i3-4130 cost $122 and the Core i3-4330 $138, which gives 13.1 and 11.6 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

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

At 1080p the Core i3-4130 can feed a card up to the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i3-4330 reaches the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-4130 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core i3-4330 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.