Is Intel i3 better than Ryzen 3?
Is Intel i3 better than Ryzen 3? Let's find out.
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Intel i3 and Ryzen 3 – both entry-level processor lineups competing for the same market. They have very similar specs and retail at about the same price points. However, there are differences to point out and comparisons to make. Today, we’ll be putting the best of both lineups against each other. Is Intel i3 better than Ryzen 3?
Now Read: Is Core i3 good for programming?
So, let’s get started: Is Intel i3 better than Ryzen 3?
What is Intel i3?
Intel’s core i3 series features its entry-level processors, a cut above the bare-bones Celeron and Pentium processors offered by the company, but not quite at the level of the more advanced i5 CPUs.
Core i3 CPUs used to be hyper-threaded duo cores. 2 cores and 4 threads, that is. However, Intel gave the i3 series a much-needed upgrade with the release of Comet Lake (10th gen), likely to better compete with AMD’s highly popular Ryzen 3 offerings.
To give you an idea of Intel i3’s specs, I’ll use the i3-12100 as an example
- Core Count: 4 (Hyperthreading enabled)
- Thread count: 8
- Base clock: 3.3GHz
- Boost clock: 4.3GHz
- Cache: 12 MB
- Default TDP: 60 watts
- Max TDP: 89 watts
- iGPU: Intel UHD Graphics 730
Very moderate specs, as you can see.
What is Ryzen 3?
Ryzen 3 is AMD’s entry-level offering, a direct competitor to Intel i3. Unlike i3, Ryzen 3 processors have always been quad-cores, most of them multi-threaded. This means any Ryzen 3 processor will outperform an Intel i3 generation 1 to 7 processor with fair ease.
We’ve seen some great Ryzen 3 CPUs over the years. For this comparison, we’ll be using the Ryzen 3 5300G, a Zen 3 processor.
We don’t have a Ryzen 3 7000 CPU yet, and although the release of one is rumored, there’s no official word from AMD.
The 5300G is the current best the Ryzen 3 has to offer. Here are the processor’s specs:
- Core count: 4 (Multithreading enabled)
- Thread count: 8
- Base clock: 4.0GHz
- Boost clock: 4.2GHz
- Cache: 8MB
- TDP: 65 watts
- iGPU: Vega 6 Graphics
That’s remarkably similar to the above i3-12100!
Intel i3 – is it better than Ryzen 3?
Now that we’ve taken a look at the specs for both CPUs, let’s find out which is better.
Single core performance
Single-core performance is determined largely by a CPU’s boost clock. So while the Ryzen 3 5300G has a higher core clock, the i3-12100 wins out in this category by a slight margin due to its 100MHz higher boost clock.
Single-core performance is most felt in activities that can’t fully utilize multiple threads. Gaming is a perfect example.
Practically speaking, a 100MHz difference isn’t huge and could very well go by unnoticed. However, in CPU-bound circumstances, the i3-12100 will be able to squeeze out a few more frames per second, giving it the edge over the 5300G.
Based on benchmarks such as Cinebench and Geekbench, the i3-12100 is approximately 20% faster than the 5300G in single-core applications.
Multicore performance
Both processors have 4 cores and 8 threads, so the multicore performance, in this case, will also boil down to the processor’s clock speeds. However, the boost clock is less of an influencer this time around, since not all cores can run at the boost clock simultaneously.
When multiple cores are being pushed to their limit, they’ll run at a clock speed that’s below the base and boost the clock.
Overall, things are about equal in this category. The i3-12100 does win out by a hair, as it also has the benefits of being a more recent processor.
Power efficiency
Both processors have excellent power efficiency at a 60 and 65-watt TDP. Using just the base TDP, the i3 12100 seems to be more efficient. However, this newer CPU can momentarily draw up to 89 watts to give the PC short bursts of extra performance.
We’ll call this one a draw.
Integrated graphics
This is where things get interesting. Both CPUs have integrated graphics. However, Intel’s UHD 730 Graphics provide minimal performance – just enough to carry out everyday work and stream videos.
Vega 6, on the other hand, can match the performance of a dedicated low-end GPU. It’s quite impressive what this iGPU is able to achieve, given that it’s located on the same chip as the rest of the CPU.
Roughly speaking, Vega 6 will provide you twice to thrice the FPS that Intel UHD 730 does. That’s a stark difference. Of course, it doesn’t really matter if you’ll be using a dedicated GPU, but many entry-level builds don’t have one.
Final Word
Overall, the Intel i3 is marginally better than Ryzen 3, at least with the way things stand currently. That may change when AMD releases a 7000 series Ryzen 3, but for now, Intel i3 is indeed ahead, particularly in single-core performance.
However, Ryzen 3 does have a better iGPU – making it the better option for minimalist builds without a dedicated graphics card.
