Core i5-2300 vs Core i3-4100

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the Core i5-2300 scores 13 and the Core i3-4100 scores 12.5, about 4% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The Core i5-2300 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i3-4100 has 2 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the Core i5-2300 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.1 GHz and 3.1 GHz.

Platform, power and price

Both chips use the LGA1155 socket, so they fit the same motherboards. You can swap one for the other without changing the board.

Rated power is 95 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 i5-2300 can feed a card up to the Radeon RX 6500 XT before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i3-4100 reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i5-2300 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core i3-4100 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.