Core i3-4150 vs Core i5-3570K

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the Core i3-4150 scores 17 and the Core i5-3570K scores 16, about 6% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The Core i3-4150 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i5-3570K has 4 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the Core i5-3570K help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.5 GHz and 3.8 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i3-4150 uses the LGA1150 socket and the Core i5-3570K uses LGA1155, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 54 W for the first and 77 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the Core i3-4150 cost $122 and the Core i5-3570K $212, which gives 13.9 and 7.5 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 i3-4150 can feed a card up to the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i5-3570K reaches the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-4150 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the Core i5-3570K if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.