Core i3-8100 vs Ryzen 3 2300X

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Core i3-8100 and the Ryzen 3 2300X are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Core i3-8100 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the Ryzen 3 2300X has 4 cores and 4 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 3.6 GHz and 4 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i3-8100 uses the LGA1151 socket and the Ryzen 3 2300X uses AM4, 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 65 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 i3-8100 can feed a card up to the GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Ryzen 3 2300X reaches the GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-8100 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Ryzen 3 2300X if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.