Intel Core i3-13100T vs Intel Core i5-11500T Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data presents an unusually close contest between these two T-series processors. The Intel Core i5-11500T wins 7 of the 8 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, while the Intel Core i3-13100T takes a single victory. However, the magnitude of those wins tells a more nuanced story. In the Cinebench suite, the i5-11500T leads by margins of only 0.1% to 0.2%, which is effectively a statistical tie across all six Cinebench tests. The decisive separation appears in Geekbench, where the i5-11500T leads by 15.6% in multi-core performance, while the i3-13100T counters with a 4.7% lead in Geekbench single-core performance.

The overall average benchmark score places the i5-11500T at 3288 against the i3-13100T's 3198, a difference of about 2.8%. Both processors sit at the 53rd percentile among all CPUs in the database. The i5-11500T is the better choice for mixed multi-threaded workloads, particularly those that resemble the Geekbench multi-core test, where it holds a substantial advantage. The i3-13100T is the pick for lightly threaded applications where single-core Geekbench performance matters most, though its advantage there is modest. For buyers constrained to the older platform, the i5-11500T remains competitive despite being end-of-life, while the i3-13100T is the active production part with a newer socket.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-11500T wins every Cinebench test by a hair: R15 multi-core 1093 to 1092, R20 multi-core 4558 to 4552, R23 multi-core 10854 to 10840, and the single-core variants at 154 to 154, 643 to 642, and 1532 to 1530 respectively. These are negligible differences, within 0.2% in all cases. The Geekbench multi-core result is the outlier: the i5-11500T scores 5774 against the i3-13100T's 4993, a 15.6% margin. This suggests the i5-11500T's two additional physical cores and four additional threads provide a real benefit in workloads that scale well across cores and that Geekbench multi-core exercises this scaling more aggressively than Cinebench does.

The i3-13100T wins only Geekbench single-core, 1780 to 1696, a 4.7% advantage. This aligns with its higher boost clock of 4.20 GHz versus 3.90 GHz on the i5-11500T. For single-threaded tasks that resemble the Geekbench single-core workload, the i3-13100T is the faster part. In pure Cinebench single-core tests, however, the two are indistinguishable, with scores of 154, 642, and 1530 versus 1532. The i3-13100T also carries a higher 2.50 GHz base clock compared with 1.50 GHz on the i5-11500T, which may translate to snappier response in short bursts of lightly threaded activity even if sustained benchmark scores do not always show it.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different generations and use different underlying designs. The i5-11500T is a Rocket Lake part, built on Intel's 14 nm process with a die size of 276 mm². The i3-13100T is Raptor Lake, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 163 mm². The process advantage for the i3-13100T is significant: a smaller die on a more advanced node, which typically improves power efficiency per unit area, though both parts are rated at 35 W TDP.

Core counts differ substantially. The i5-11500T offers 6 cores and 12 threads, while the i3-13100T offers 4 cores and 8 threads. This explains the Geekbench multi-core gap. Cache configurations also differ. Both share 12 MB of L3 cache, but the L2 cache per core is different: the i5-11500T has 511 KB per core, while the i3-13100T has 1.25 MB per core. L1 cache is the same at 80 KB per core. The larger L2 on the i3-13100T may contribute to its single-core efficiency.

Memory support diverges. The i5-11500T supports only DDR4, with dual-channel memory and a recorded memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The i3-13100T supports both DDR4 and DDR5, also dual-channel, but no memory bandwidth figure is recorded for it. The i3-13100T therefore offers a newer memory path, but the i5-11500T has a documented bandwidth advantage on DDR4. Both lack ECC support.

PCIe capabilities differ by generation. The i5-11500T provides PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only). The i3-13100T provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only). The newer PCIe generation on the i3-13100T matters for future expansion, though the lane count is identical. Integrated graphics differ as well: the i5-11500T has UHD Graphics 750, while the i3-13100T has UHD Graphics 730. Sockets are incompatible: the i5-11500T uses Intel Socket 1200, the i3-13100T uses Intel Socket 1700. The i5-11500T is end-of-life, released in March 2021, while the i3-13100T is active, released in January 2023.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: The i5-11500T leads in Geekbench multi-core by 15.6% (5774 vs 4993). In Cinebench multi-core tests, the i5-11500T leads by only 0.1% in all three versions, with scores of 1093 vs 1092 in R15, 4558 vs 4552 in R20, and 10854 vs 10840 in R23.

Q: Which processor has better single-core performance?

A: The i3-13100T wins Geekbench single-core with 1780 vs 1696, a 4.7% advantage. In Cinebench single-core tests, the two are effectively tied: 154 to 154 in R15, 643 to 642 in R20, and 1532 to 1530 in R23.

Q: What are the core and thread counts?

A: The i5-11500T has 6 cores and 12 threads. The i3-13100T has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Do these processors support the same memory types?

A: No. The i5-11500T supports only DDR4 with dual-channel memory and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The i3-13100T supports both DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel mode, with no bandwidth figure recorded.

Q: Are these processors socket compatible?

A: No. The i5-11500T uses Intel Socket 1200, while the i3-13100T uses Intel Socket 1700.

Q: Which processor is still in production?

A: The i3-13100T is marked as active, released in January 2023. The i5-11500T is end-of-life, released in March 2021.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench R15 multi-core test opens the comparison with the i5-11500T scoring 1093 against 1092 for the i3-13100T, a 0.1% margin. The single-core R15 test is a dead tie at 154 for both. Moving to Cinebench R20, the i5-11500T again leads multi-core 4558 to 4552 (0.1%) and single-core 643 to 642 (0.2%). Cinebench R23 follows the same pattern: multi-core 10854 to 10840 (0.1%) and single-core 1532 to 1530 (0.1%). Across all six Cinebench tests, the largest delta is 0.2%, making these parts functionally identical under that benchmark suite.

The Geekbench results break the pattern. In multi-core, the i5-11500T scores 5774 versus 4993 for the i3-13100T, a 15.6% lead. This is the single largest performance gap in the entire comparison. The i5-11500T's 6 cores and 12 threads likely drive this result, as the test appears to scale well with additional cores. For users whose workloads resemble the Geekbench multi-core mix, the i5-11500T offers a clear and measurable advantage.

Geekbench single-core flips the result in favor of the i3-13100T, which scores 1780 against 1696, a 4.7% margin. This is the only test the i3-13100T wins. Its higher boost clock of 4.20 GHz versus 3.90 GHz on the i5-11500T, combined with the larger 1.25 MB L2 cache per core, likely explains the result. The i3-13100T's newer 10 nm process and smaller 163 mm² die also suggest better per-core efficiency, even though both parts are rated at 35 W TDP.

The average benchmark scores in the database, 3288 for the i5-11500T and 3198 for the i3-13100T, reflect the overall balance. The i5-11500T's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon E-2374G at 3278 (0.3% delta), the Intel Core i3-12100T at 3277 (0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 at 3303 (-0.5%). The i3-13100T's nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-9700E at 3197 (0% delta), the Intel Core i5-1240P at 3202 (-0.1%), and the Intel Xeon E-2136 at 3193 (0.2%). Both parts sit in the same performance tier relative to the broader CPU landscape, with the i5-11500T holding a slight edge in average score.

The wins tally, 7 for the i5-11500T and 1 for the i3-13100T, is somewhat misleading given how narrow most of those wins are. Six of the seven i5-11500T wins are under 0.2%, which is well within run-to-run benchmark variance. The decisive data point is Geekbench multi-core, where the i5-11500T's 15.6% lead is large enough to influence purchasing decisions for multi-threaded use cases. Conversely, the i3-13100T's 4.7% single-core Geekbench win, while smaller in percentage terms, is the only meaningful single-core separation in the dataset, since Cinebench single-core scores are effectively identical.