Intel Core i3-6100 vs Intel Pentium G4600T Comparison

The Intel Pentium G4600T and Intel Core i3-6100 are both dual-core, four-thread desktop processors on the Intel Socket 1151 platform, but the benchmark data reveals a clear and consistent performance hierarchy between them. Despite the Core i3 branding carrying a higher base clock, the newer Pentium G4600T wins every single head-to-head benchmark in the database. The average benchmark scores are close — 895 for the Pentium versus 888 for the Core i3 — but the Cinebench results show a decisive, generation-driven gap that flips the expected hierarchy on its head.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking finding is that the Pentium G4600T wins all five recorded Cinebench comparisons with a consistent margin of roughly 17%. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Pentium scores 262 against the Core i3's 224, a 17% advantage. That pattern holds almost identically in Cinebench R20 multi-core, where the Pentium posts 1092 versus 934, a 16.9% lead. The single-core results are even more revealing: Cinebench R20 single-core shows the Pentium at 154 and the Core i3 at 131, a 17.6% gap, which is the largest delta in the entire head-to-head set. This is not a case of multi-threaded scaling compensating for a single-core deficit; the Pentium wins outright in both metrics.

The Cinebench R23 results reinforce the trend with remarkable consistency. Multi-core scores are 2602 for the Pentium and 2226 for the Core i3, a 16.9% difference, while single-core scores are 367 and 314 respectively, another 16.9% gap. The fact that the delta percentage is nearly identical across R20 and R23 multi-core tests suggests a fundamental architectural efficiency difference rather than a workload-specific quirk. Interestingly, the Core i3-6100 has additional Geekbench scores in its benchmark list — 1605 multi-core and 785 single-core — but the Pentium G4600T has no Geekbench entries in the data, so no direct comparison can be made on that test.

When placed in the broader context of their nearest rivals, both CPUs occupy the same percentile ranking at 24% of all CPUs, meaning they are statistically peers in the overall performance distribution. The Pentium's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-5300U and AMD PRO A10-8770E, both with an identical average score of 895 and 0% delta, while the Core i3-6100's nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon X5550 and Intel Pentium G4560T, also at 888 with 0% delta. The head-to-head data, however, tells a different story than the aggregate percentiles — within this specific pairing, the Pentium G4600T is unequivocally faster.

The Verdict

From the data alone, the Intel Pentium G4600T is the superior processor in every benchmarked category. It delivers a 17% or better performance advantage across all Cinebench tests, both single-core and multi-core, with no test where the Core i3-6100 manages to pull ahead. The wins tally is 5 for the Pentium and 0 for the Core i3, which is a complete sweep. The average benchmark score of 895 versus 888 gives the Pentium a slim 0.7% edge on aggregate, but that figure understates the consistency of the Cinebench results.

Who should pick which? A user prioritizing raw compute performance in rendering or CPU-bound tasks should choose the Pentium G4600T without hesitation, based on its 16.9% to 17.6% margins in multi-core and single-core workloads. The Core i3-6100 holds no performance advantage in any recorded test, so its appeal would have to rest on factors outside the benchmark suite — but even there, the Pentium matches it on threads, memory support, and PCIe lanes. The Core i3 does have a higher base clock at 3.70 GHz versus 3.00 GHz, yet the Pentium's newer architecture clearly overcomes that clock deficit. For anyone choosing strictly on benchmark performance, the Pentium G4600T is the data-backed winner.

Architecture Differences

The most fundamental architectural difference is the process generation: the Pentium G4600T is built on Kaby Lake, while the Core i3-6100 is Skylake. Both use a 14 nm process node from Intel, so the difference is not in lithography but in the microarchitecture refinements Kaby Lake introduced over Skylake. These refinements appear to deliver higher instructions-per-clock, which explains how the Pentium outperforms the Core i3 despite a 0.70 GHz lower base clock.

Cache configuration also favors the Core i3 in one respect: it has 4 MB of shared L3 cache versus the Pentium's 3 MB. The L1 and L2 caches are identical at 64 KB per core and 256 KB per core respectively. The Core i3 also has documented transistor count and die size figures — 1,400 million transistors on a 150 mm² die — while those fields are absent for the Pentium, making a direct die-level comparison impossible from the data. Both processors feature dual-channel DDR4 memory support, but the Pentium has a higher memory bandwidth rating at 38.4 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s for the Core i3, which could contribute to its performance edge in memory-sensitive workloads.

The integrated graphics differ as well: the Pentium G4600T ships with Intel HD 630, while the Core i3-6100 has Intel HD 530. Both are desktop parts with a Gen 3, 16-lane PCIe implementation, no ECC memory support, and locked multipliers. The TDP is another significant split — 35 watts for the Pentium versus 51 watts for the Core i3 — which means the Pentium achieves higher performance while drawing less power, a notable efficiency gain. The release dates are also telling: the Core i3 launched in August 2015, while the Pentium arrived in January 2017, giving the latter nearly a year and a half of architectural maturation.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-6100 faster than the Pentium G4600T in any benchmark?

A: No. In the head-to-head data, the Pentium G4600T wins all five Cinebench tests, with scores of 262, 1092, 154, 2602, and 367 versus the Core i3's 224, 934, 131, 2226, and 314 respectively. The wins tally is 5 to 0.

Q: How much does the Pentium G4600T lead by in multi-core performance?

A: The lead is consistent at 17% in Cinebench R15 multi-core (262 vs 224) and 16.9% in both Cinebench R20 multi-core (1092 vs 934) and Cinebench R23 multi-core (2602 vs 2226).

Q: Which processor has a higher base clock?

A: The Intel Core i3-6100 has a base clock of 3.70 GHz, while the Pentium G4600T runs at 3.00 GHz. Despite this 0.70 GHz deficit, the Pentium still wins every benchmark.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory and expansion?

A: Yes, both support DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes, and do not support ECC memory. They differ in memory bandwidth, with the Pentium rated at 38.4 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s for the Core i3.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The Pentium G4600T has a TDP of 35 watts, while the Core i3-6100 has a TDP of 51 watts. The Pentium delivers higher benchmark scores while consuming less power.

Q: Are these CPUs in the same performance percentile overall?

A: Yes, both are at the 24th percentile of all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are very close, 895 for the Pentium and 888 for the Core i3. However, the direct head-to-head tests show a consistent 17% advantage for the Pentium.

Where Each One Wins

The Pentium G4600T is the clear winner in every performance category measured. It excels in multi-core rendering workloads, as evidenced by its 17% advantage in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core tests. It also wins in single-core performance, with 17.6% and 16.9% leads in Cinebench R20 and R23 single-core respectively. This makes it the better choice for CPU-bound applications that rely on both multi-threaded scaling and single-thread responsiveness, such as rendering, video encoding, and general productivity tasks.

The Core i3-6100, by contrast, has no benchmark wins to claim in this comparison. Its only potential advantages lie outside the performance data: it has a higher base clock of 3.70 GHz, which might appeal to users who believe clock speed matters more than architecture, and it has 4 MB of L3 cache versus 3 MB, which could theoretically help in cache-sensitive workloads, though no benchmark in the data confirms this. Its 51-watt TDP is higher, so it does not win on efficiency. For a user with a workload that is not represented in the Cinebench suite, the Core i3's larger cache might offer an edge, but the data provides no evidence for that.

The Pentium also wins on memory bandwidth, 38.4 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s, which can benefit any workload that moves large amounts of data. Its lower TDP of 35 watts makes it the more power-efficient option for compact or thermally constrained builds. The integrated graphics are newer on the Pentium (HD 630 versus HD 530), though the data does not include graphics benchmarks. In essence, the Pentium G4600T wins on compute, efficiency, and memory throughput, while the Core i3-6100 retains only structural advantages in clock speed and cache size that do not translate into measured performance wins.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on several key specification fields. The base clock is 3.00 GHz for the Pentium G4600T and 3.70 GHz for the Core i3-6100, a 0.70 GHz difference in the Core i3's favor. The TDP differs significantly, with the Pentium at 35 watts and the Core i3 at 51 watts. The architecture is Kaby Lake for the Pentium and Skylake for the Core i3, with corresponding codenames and generations listed as "Pentium (Kaby Lake)" and "Core i3 (Skylake)" respectively.

Cache configuration differs in L3 only: the Pentium has 3 MB shared L3, while the Core i3 has 4 MB shared L3. L1 and L2 caches are identical at 64 KB and 256 KB per core. Memory bandwidth is higher on the Pentium at 38.4 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s. The integrated graphics are Intel HD 630 on the Pentium and Intel HD 530 on the Core i3. Release dates are January 2017 for the Pentium and August 2015 for the Core i3. The Core i3 has documented transistor count (1,400 million) and die size (150 mm²), while these fields are not listed for the Pentium. The part numbers differ (SR35R for the Pentium, SR2HG for the Core i3), and both are active production parts with no unlocked multipliers, no ECC support, and the same socket, process node, memory type, memory bus, PCIe configuration, and core/thread counts.