Intel Core i3-4330T vs Intel Core i3-6100 Comparison

The Intel Core i3-4330T and the Intel Core i3-6100 are two dual-core, four-thread desktop processors separated by two architectural generations, and the recorded data delivers a result that runs against the usual expectation that newer means faster. Across every head-to-head benchmark in the database, the older Haswell-based 4330T beats the Skylake-based 6100 by a strikingly consistent margin of roughly 18 to 19 percent, despite the 4330T being the low-power part of the pair. This comparison walks through why that happens, what the two chips share, and where the 6100 still earns its place.

The Verdict

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the Core i3-4330T wins all five recorded head-to-head contests. In Cinebench R15 multi-core it scores 265 against 224 for the 6100, an advantage of 18.3 percent. In Cinebench R20 multi-core the margin is 18.6 percent, in R20 single-core it is 19.1 percent, in R23 multi-core 18.6 percent, and in R23 single-core 18.5 percent. The older, lower-TDP processor is faster in both lightly threaded and fully threaded rendering workloads, and by nearly the same amount everywhere.

Anyone choosing strictly on performance should therefore pick the 4330T. Its average benchmark score of 908 also edges out the 6100's average of 888, and both chips sit in the 24th percentile versus all CPUs in the database, so neither is a performance champion in the broader market. The 4330T's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10110Y and the AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, both with identical average scores, plus the AMD PRO A12-9800E a fraction behind and the AMD A10-7860K a fraction ahead. The 6100's neighborhood is populated by considerably older silicon: the Intel Xeon X5550, the Intel Pentium G4560T, the AMD PRO A8-8650B, and the Intel Core i7-860, all within a fraction of a percent of its average.

Where the 6100 makes its case is platform. It is the only one of the two listed as an active part, it uses Socket 1151 rather than the Socket 1150 of the 4330T, it supports DDR4 memory with a recorded bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s while the 4330T supports DDR3, and its integrated graphics are the newer Intel HD 530 rather than the Intel HD 4600. For a builder who wants the newer platform features, the more current graphics, and DDR4, and who can accept measurably lower CPU performance, the 6100 is the rational choice. For pure throughput per the recorded data, the 4330T is the pick.

Architecture Differences

The Core i3-4330T is a Haswell design built on Intel's 22 nm process, while the Core i3-6100 is a Skylake design on Intel's 14 nm process. The node shrink shows up in the physical data: the Skylake die measures 150 mm² against 177 mm² for Haswell, an interesting result given that both chips pack the same 1,400 million transistors. The 4330T was released on August 31, 2013, and the 6100 exactly two years later, on August 31, 2015.

Both processors have identical core and thread counts, two cores and four threads, and neither has a boost clock or an unlocked multiplier, so both run at their base frequency at all times. The 4330T is a 35 W part clocked at 3.00 GHz, while the 6100 is a 51 W part clocked at 3.70 GHz. That contrast is central to the story: on paper the 6100 runs substantially faster and consumes more power, yet the benchmark data shows the 4330T delivering roughly 18 to 19 percent higher scores across the board. Haswell's architecture, in this dataset and in these specific tests, extracts more work per megahertz than Skylake does here, more than offsetting the newer chip's clock advantage.

Cache configurations are identical between the two: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 4 MB of shared L3. Both use dual-channel memory buses, both lack ECC support, and both provide PCI Express Gen 3, though the 6100's entry specifies 16 lanes from the CPU. The memory support differs meaningfully: DDR3 on the 4330T, DDR4 on the 6100, with the 6100 recording 34.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth and no equivalent figure recorded for the 4330T. The integrated graphics also differ by generation, Intel HD 4600 versus Intel HD 530. Sockets are mutually exclusive, 1150 versus 1151, so the two chips cannot share a motherboard.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The Core i3-4330T. It wins all five head-to-head tests, with advantages of 18.3 percent in Cinebench R15 multi-core, 18.6 percent in R20 multi-core, 19.1 percent in R20 single-core, 18.6 percent in R23 multi-core, and 18.5 percent in R23 single-core.

Q: How can the older, lower-power chip be faster?

A: The 4330T is a 35 W Haswell part running at 3.00 GHz, while the 6100 is a 51 W Skylake part at 3.70 GHz. Despite the newer chip's higher clock and more advanced 14 nm process, the recorded data shows Haswell delivering consistently higher scores in these Cinebench tests, indicating better per-clock throughput in this workload set.

Q: Do these two CPUs work in the same motherboard?

A: No. The 4330T uses Intel Socket 1150 and the 6100 uses Intel Socket 1151. They require different platforms.

Q: What memory does each support?

A: The 4330T supports DDR3 on a dual-channel bus. The 6100 supports DDR4, also dual-channel, with a recorded bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s.

Q: Which chip is still listed as an active product?

A: The Core i3-6100 carries an active production status in the database. The 4330T has no production status listed.

Q: How do they compare to the wider CPU market?

A: Both sit in the 24th percentile versus all CPUs in the database. The 4330T's average score is 908, matching the Intel Core i3-10110Y and AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, while the 6100's average of 888 places it alongside the Intel Xeon X5550 and Intel Core i7-860.

Specification Differences

Only the fields where the two processors differ are listed below; everything else in the database, including core count, thread count, cache sizes, transistor count, ECC support, and multiplier locking, is identical.

| Specification | Core i3-4330T | Core i3-6100 |

|---|---|---|

| Base clock | 3.00 GHz | 3.70 GHz |

| TDP | 35 W | 51 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1150 | Intel Socket 1151 |

| Architecture | Haswell | Skylake |

| Process node | 22 nm | 14 nm |

| Die size | 177 mm² | 150 mm² |

| Memory support | DDR3 | DDR4 |

| Memory bandwidth | Not recorded | 34.1 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 3 | Gen 3, 16 lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated graphics | Intel HD 4600 | Intel HD 530 |

| Release date | August 31, 2013 | August 31, 2015 |

| Production status | Not listed | Active |

| Part number | SR1NK | SR2HG |

| Average benchmark score | 908 | 888 |

The pattern is clear. The 6100 advances every platform-facing specification: newer architecture, smaller node, smaller die, newer memory standard, newer graphics, and a longer runway as an active product. The 4330T's advantages are operational, a much lower TDP, and, as the benchmarks show, higher measured performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Every recorded head-to-head test is a Cinebench rendering benchmark, and every one goes to the 4330T, with the winning margin confined to a remarkably narrow band between 18.3 and 19.1 percent.

The multi-core results are the headline. In Cinebench R15, the 4330T posts 265 points to the 6100's 224, an 18.3 percent gap. Cinebench R20 stretches it slightly, 1108 versus 934, or 18.6 percent. Cinebench R23 repeats the pattern almost exactly, 2639 versus 2226, again 18.6 percent. Because both chips are dual-core, four-thread parts with no boost behavior, these multi-core scores directly reflect sustained throughput on identical thread budgets, and the older chip simply delivers more of it.

The single-core results are arguably the more revealing set, because they isolate per-thread performance. In Cinebench R20 single-core the 4330T scores 156 against 131, a 19.1 percent advantage, the largest gap of the entire comparison. Cinebench R23 single-core lands at 372 versus 314, an 18.5 percent advantage. A Skylake part running at 3.70 GHz losing single-threaded contests to a Haswell part at 3.00 GHz by nearly a fifth is the defining anomaly of this matchup in the recorded data, and it explains why the 6100 cannot recover anywhere else: its deficit is architectural in these tests, not a threading limitation.

The 6100's recorded results extend beyond Cinebench, with Geekbench scores of 1605 multi-core and 785 single-core, but no equivalent Geekbench entry exists for the 4330T, so no direct comparison can be drawn there. Within the tests where both chips were measured, the 6100 records zero wins against five for the 4330T.

For context, both processors occupy the same 24th percentile against the full database, so this is a fight between two entry-level parts rather than a contest for the leaderboard. The 4330T's average of 908 places it in the company of the Intel Core i3-10110Y and AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, both dead-even, with the AMD PRO A12-9800E essentially tied and the AMD A10-7860K essentially tied as well. The 6100's average of 888 puts it next to the Intel Xeon X5550, Intel Pentium G4560T, AMD PRO A8-8650B, and Intel Core i7-860, all within a fraction of a percent.

The bottom line from the data: if CPU performance is the criterion, the 2013-era, 35 W Haswell chip is the stronger performer in every recorded test, by a consistent margin of roughly a fifth. If platform currency matters more, the 6100 brings DDR4 support with 34.1 GB/s of bandwidth, the HD 530 graphics, Socket 1151, and active production status, at the cost of measurable performance and higher rated power draw.