CPU Comparison

# Intel Core i3-9100T vs AMD Opteron 6380

The Intel Core i3-9100T and AMD Opteron 6380 represent two very different eras and design philosophies in desktop computing. The i3-9100T is a modern 14 nm Coffee Lake part built for efficiency, while the Opteron 6380 is a 32 nm Piledriver server chip with 16 cores. Benchmark data reveals a consistent pattern: the Opteron 6380 wins every single head-to-head test, but the i3-9100T offers a dramatically lower launch MSRP of $122 compared to the Opteron's $1088. The data shows the Opteron leads by roughly 15.7% to 16.2% across all Cinebench tests, yet the i3-9100T achieves 39th percentile ranking versus the Opteron's 40th, indicating they sit at nearly identical positions in the overall performance distribution.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Opteron 6380 has 16 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core i3-9100T has 4 cores and 4 threads. The Opteron offers four times the core count and thread count of the i3-9100T.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The Opteron 6380 has an average benchmark score of 1643, while the i3-9100T scores 1620. That puts the Opteron approximately 1.4% higher on average, though individual head-to-head tests show a much larger gap of around 15.7% to 16.2% in favor of the Opteron.

Q: How do they compare in single-core performance?

A: The Opteron 6380 wins every single-core Cinebench test. In Cinebench R15 single-core, it scores 80 versus 67 for the i3-9100T, a 16.2% lead. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Opteron scores 802 versus 675, a 15.8% advantage.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: Both processors support ECC memory. The i3-9100T supports DDR4 memory with ECC, while the Opteron 6380 supports DDR3 memory with ECC.

Q: What are the power consumption figures?

A: The i3-9100T has a TDP of 35 watts, while the Opteron 6380 has a TDP of 115 watts. The i3-9100T draws significantly less power, making it more suitable for compact or efficiency-focused builds.

Q: Does the i3-9100T have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the i3-9100T includes UHD Graphics 630. The Opteron 6380 has no integrated graphics, which is typical for a server/workstation processor.

The Verdict

The data tells a clear story: the AMD Opteron 6380 outperforms the Intel Core i3-9100T in every benchmark recorded. With 6 wins out of 6 head-to-head tests, the Opteron is the stronger performer across both multi-core and single-core workloads. The Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 suites all show the Opteron leading by margins between 15.7% and 16.2%. For users who need maximum compute throughput, especially in multi-threaded server or workstation tasks, the Opteron 6380 is the data-backed choice.

However, the i3-9100T is not without its merits. It has a 35-watt TDP versus the Opteron's 115 watts, making it far more power-efficient. It also includes integrated graphics, which the Opteron lacks entirely. The i3-9100T uses DDR4 memory and PCIe Gen 3, while the Opteron uses DDR3 and PCIe Gen 2. For a desktop user building a low-power system with integrated graphics, the i3-9100T makes sense despite its lower raw performance.

The percentile rankings are nearly identical, 39th for the i3-9100T and 40th for the Opteron, suggesting that in the broader CPU landscape, these two processors occupy a similar performance tier. The average benchmark scores (1620 vs 1643) reinforce this, showing only a 1.4% difference in aggregate. Yet the head-to-head Cinebench results show a consistent 16% gap. This discrepancy highlights that the Opteron's advantage is most pronounced in the specific Cinebench workloads tested, while other factors may narrow the overall gap. The choice depends on priorities: raw multi-core performance favors the Opteron; power efficiency and integrated graphics favor the i3-9100T.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Opteron 6380 wins all six head-to-head benchmark comparisons. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Opteron scores 572 against the i3-9100T's 482, a delta of -15.7% from the i3's perspective. The single-core R15 test shows a similar pattern: 80 versus 67, a -16.2% delta. These margins are consistent across newer benchmark versions.

Cinebench R20 multi-core results show the Opteron at 2386 versus the i3-9100T at 2010, a -15.8% delta. The R20 single-core test produces 336 versus 283, also a -15.8% delta. Moving to Cinebench R23, the multi-core score is 5683 for the Opteron against 4788 for the i3-9100T, again -15.7%. The R23 single-core test shows 802 versus 675, a -15.8% delta.

The consistency of these results is striking. Across three generations of Cinebench benchmarks, the Opteron maintains a lead of approximately 15.7% to 16.2% in both single-core and multi-core tests. This uniformity suggests a fundamental performance advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk. The Opteron's 16 cores at 2.50 GHz base and 3.40 GHz boost clearly deliver more compute throughput than the i3-9100T's 4 cores at 3.10 GHz base and 3.70 GHz boost, despite the i3's higher clock speeds.

Notably, the i3-9100T does not win a single benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. Its wins total 0, while the Opteron accumulates 6. For users relying on Cinebench as a proxy for real-world rendering performance, the Opteron is the superior processor by a meaningful margin.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every specification category. The i3-9100T has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the Opteron 6380 has 16 cores and 16 threads. Base clocks differ: 3.10 GHz for the i3 versus 2.50 GHz for the Opteron. Boost clocks are closer: 3.70 GHz versus 3.40 GHz, respectively. TDP is a major differentiator, with the i3 at 35 watts and the Opteron at 115 watts.

Memory support differs fundamentally. The i3-9100T uses DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus and 38.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Opteron 6380 uses DDR3 with a quad-channel bus and 59.7 GB/s bandwidth. Both support ECC, but the memory technology and channel configuration are entirely different.

PCIe support also differs: the i3-9100T has PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while the Opteron has PCIe Gen 2. The i3 includes integrated UHD Graphics 630; the Opteron has no integrated graphics. The i3 uses the Intel Socket 1151, while the Opteron uses the AMD Socket G34. The i3 has a die size of 126 mm², whereas the Opteron has a die size of 2x 315 mm². The Opteron contains 2,400 million transistors, while the i3's transistor count is not listed. The launch MSRP for the i3-9100T was $122; for the Opteron 6380 it was $1088.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is substantial. The i3-9100T is built on Intel's 14 nm process node, manufactured by Intel itself. Its architecture is Coffee Lake, part of the Core i3 (Coffee Lake Refresh) generation. The Opteron 6380 uses AMD's 32 nm Piledriver architecture, codenamed Abu Dhabi, and is manufactured by GlobalFoundries. It belongs to the Opteron 6000 series and the Opteron (Abu Dhabi) generation.

Cache hierarchies differ significantly. The i3-9100T has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The Opteron 6380 has 768 KB of L1 cache total, 2 MB of L2 cache per module, and 8 MB of L3 cache per die. The Opteron's L3 cache is distributed across two dies, reflecting its multi-die server design.

The market segments are distinct: the i3-9100T targets desktop use, while the Opteron 6380 is aimed at server and workstation applications. Release dates are separated by nearly six years, the i3-9100T launched in August 2018, while the Opteron 6380 launched in November 2012. Both are end-of-life products with no unlocked multipliers.

The process node difference is particularly notable: 14 nm versus 32 nm. This generational gap explains the i3-9100T's dramatically lower TDP of 35 watts despite higher clock speeds. The Opteron's older 32 nm process requires more power to achieve lower clocks. The i3-9100T also benefits from a newer memory standard (DDR4) and faster PCIe generation (Gen 3 versus Gen 2). However, the Opteron's quad-channel memory bus provides higher theoretical bandwidth at 59.7 GB/s versus 38.4 GB/s for the i3's dual-channel setup. This bandwidth advantage likely contributes to the Opteron's consistent lead in Cinebench workloads, which can be memory-sensitive.