Core i3-8100T vs Core i5-2500K
Aggregate performance score
i3-8100T outperforms i5-2500K by a significant 28% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1654 | 1504 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.32 | 4.53 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Core i5 (Desktop) | Intel Core i3 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) |
| Release date | 3 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 2 April 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $216 | $117 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i3-8100T has 1316% better value for money than i5-2500K.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 4 (Quad-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Bus support | no data | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 6 MB | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 216 mm2 | 126 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 995 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | 1155 | 1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 64 GB |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | 38.397 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 3000 | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 16 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Core i3-8100T outperforms Core i5-2500K by 28% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i3-8100T outperforms Core i5-2500K by 28% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 41%
Core i3-8100T outperforms Core i5-2500K by 67% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 41%
Core i3-8100T outperforms Core i5-2500K by 59% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 2.66 | 3.41 |
| Integrated graphics card | 0.66 | 3.09 |
| Recency | 3 January 2011 | 2 April 2018 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 35 Watt |
i3-8100T has a 28.2% higher aggregate performance score, 368.2% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 7 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 171.4% lower power consumption.
The Core i3-8100T is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2500K in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Core i3-8100T, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
