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We are halfway through 2023, and it's time to check out the best budget chip for gaming so far. There are many new and old chips from both the red and blue teams. So far, the top three contenders in the budget-gaming-chip category are - Intel Core i5 8600, Intel Core i3 12100, and AMD Ryzen 3 4100.
The Core i5 8600 is much older than the other two chips and was launched in 2016. The Core i3 12100 is from the first quarter of 2022, and the AMD Ryzen 3 4100 is also from 2022's second quarter. There are enough differences in the specifications between the three to confuse anyone looking for the best budget chip for gaming in 2023.
That's why our detailed comparison will take cover all the necessary points, so you can choose a winner by the end of it. Without further ado, let's see which CPU wins the title of the best budget chip for gaming in 2023.
Best budget chip for gaming in 2023: Intel Core i5 8600 vs Intel Core i3 12100 vs AMD Ryzen 3 4100 - Specs, features, performance, and price comparison
Specs will play a major part in determining the best budget chip for gaming in 2023. Now, we will point out some major differences between the Intel Core i5 8600, the Intel Core i3 12100, and the AMD Ryzen 3 4100. The i5 8600 belongs to the Intel 8th gen Coffee Lake Core i series processors. The i3 12100 belongs to the much newer Intel 12th gen Alder Lake Core i series processors. The Ryzen 3 4100 is from AMD's 4th gen Renoir series CPUs based on the Zen 2 architecture.
First and foremost, the i5 8600 has six cores and six threads. On the other hand, both the i3 12100 and the Ryzen 3 4100 come with four cores and eight threads. We can also see that the Ryzen 3 4100 has the highest base and maximum frequency. But, both the Intel chips have better max frequency on single-core performance, with the i3 12100 having the highest.
Belonging to last year's 12th generation Intel Core i series, the i3 12100 supports DDR5 memory up to 4800Mhz, while the other two processors are limited to DDR4. Both the Intel chips come with UHD graphics, but the AMD Ryzen 4100 doesn't. This means you will need a separate GPU to run the Ryzen 3 4100.
Now let's get into the basic CPU architecture. Both the Intel chips are based on a monolithic design, while the Ryzen 3 4100 is created on AMD's latest chiplet design. The i5, the i3, and the Ryzen processors are based on 14nm, 10nm, and 7nm technology, respectively, which makes Team Red's offering more efficient than the other two.
We can also see a minor difference in the TDP. Both the i5 8600 and the Ryzen 3 4100 have a maximum of 65 watts, while the i3 12100 turns out to be pretty efficient with only 60 watts. Also for those who need to know, the Ryzen 3 4100 doesn't support hardware acceleration for many photo and video codecs; including HEVC, AVC, JPEG, AV1, h264, and more.
One of the most important feature differences between these chips is that both the Intel CPUs don't support overclocking, while the Ryzen 3 4100 can be overclocked with a good cooler.
From the above-mentioned specifications, we can see that the Intel Core i3 12100 is the best budget chip for gaming in 2023 so far, at least in technically.
Intel Core i5 8600 vs Intel Core i3 12100 vs AMD Ryzen 3 4100: Performance comparison
Here are the single-core and multi-core performances of the i3, the i5, and the Ryzen 3 CPUs on Cinebench R15 and Geekbench 6:
On overall performance (including gaming and day-to-day tasks), the Ryzen 3 4100 is about 20% weaker than the i5 8600, while the i3 12100 is around 7% more powerful than it. Hence we can conclude that performance-wise the i3 12100 wins the best budget chip for gaming in 2023.
Intel Core i5 8600 vs Intel Core i3 12100 vs AMD Ryzen 3 4100: Price comparison
In the budget segment, price is one of the major determining factors. So let's check out which CPU turns out to be the best budget chip for gaming in 2023 in terms of price-to-performance ratio. Starting with the highest one, the i5 8600 is priced at around $240 in the market for new parts, the i3 12100 costs around $115, and the Ryzen 3 4100 is available at $65.
If you can get a used i5 8600 for a good price, it can be a great deal, otherwise, there is no point in buying a new one. On the other hand, despite the $40 price difference, the i3 12100 still has a better price-to-performance ratio than the Ryzen 3 4100.
m the above-mentioned comparison, you must have already seen the best budget chip for gaming in 2023 - the i3 12100. Not only does it have better features, but it also has a better price-to-performance ratio than all the other offerings in this range. The Ryzen 3 also needs a special mention as the best budget chip for gaming in 2023 under $70. We hope we will also get to see many more exciting budget CPUs by the end of this year.
