Intel Core i3-9100T vs Intel Core i5-4670K Comparison

The Intel Core i5-4670K and Intel Core i3-9100T make for an unusually tight comparison. Both are 4-core, 4-thread desktop parts from Intel, separated by five years of releases and two process generations, yet the recorded data shows them landing within a fraction of a percent of each other in most tests. The overall split is 5 wins to 3 in favor of the i3-9100T, but the margin pattern tells a more interesting story: the newer chip edges ahead by under one percent in Cinebench, while the older unlocked chip pulls ahead by more than seven percent in Geekbench. The i5-4670K sits at the 40th percentile versus all CPUs in the database with an average benchmark score of 1656, while the i3-9100T sits at the 39th percentile with an average score of 1620.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Starting with Cinebench R15, the i3-9100T posts 482 in multi-core against 478 for the i5-4670K, a 0.8 percent gap. Single-core is a dead heat: both chips record exactly 67 points. Cinebench R20 repeats the pattern. Multi-core goes to the i3-9100T, 2010 versus 1995, a 0.7 percent difference, and single-core also favors the newer chip, 283 versus 281, again 0.7 percent.

Cinebench R23 confirms the trend at longer sustained loads. The i3-9100T scores 4788 in multi-core versus 4751, a 0.8 percent lead, and 675 versus 670 in single-core, 0.7 percent. Across all six Cinebench measurements, the two chips are effectively inseparable, with the i3-9100T winning five of six and the sixth a tie.

Geekbench flips the result entirely. The i5-4670T records 3700 in multi-core against 3443 for the i3-9100T, a 7.5 percent advantage, and 1302 versus 1215 in single-core, a 7.2 percent advantage. These are the largest gaps in the entire head-to-head dataset, and both favor the older Haswell part.

For context against the wider database, the i5-4670K's average score of 1656 places it essentially even with the Intel Xeon E-2124 (1658 average, a 0.1 percent delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (1653, 0.2 percent), the Intel Core i7-4770HQ (1660, 0.2 percent), and the Intel Core i7-4810MQ (1651, 0.3 percent). The i3-9100T's average of 1620 puts it alongside the Intel Core i7-970 (1613, 0.4 percent), the Intel Pentium Gold G7400T (1628, 0.5 percent), the Intel Core i7-10610U (1611, 0.6 percent), and the Intel Xeon E5-2623 v3 (1630, 0.6 percent). In short, both chips occupy the same performance neighborhood, just below the midpoint of the database distribution.

Where Each One Wins

The i3-9100T wins rendering workloads, narrowly. Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core all favor it by 0.7 to 0.8 percent, and it also takes single-core in R20 and R23 by the same margin. For pure rendering throughput, sustained multi-core Cinebench performance, and lightly threaded rendering tasks, the recorded data gives it the edge, though the gap is small enough that it is barely distinguishable in practice.

The i5-4670K wins general-purpose and burst-oriented workloads, decisively. Its 7.5 percent Geekbench multi-core lead and 7.2 percent single-core lead are the biggest margins anywhere in this matchup. Benchmark results indicate that workloads resembling Geekbench's mixed character, which spans a broad set of application-like tests rather than sustained rendering, favor the Haswell part.

Notably, the i5-4670K achieves this while drawing a nominal 84 W TDP versus 35 W for the i3-9100T. The newer chip delivers nearly identical Cinebench results at well under half the rated power envelope, which is its own kind of win for efficiency-focused builds. The trade-off is that the i3-9100T's multiplier is locked, while the i5-4670K has an unlocked multiplier, giving the older chip headroom the newer one lacks.

Architecture Differences

The i5-4670K is built on Intel's Haswell architecture at a 22 nm process node, fabricated by Intel, with 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. The i3-9100T uses the Coffee Lake architecture at 14 nm, also from Intel, on a smaller 126 mm² die; transistor count is not recorded for this part.

The cache hierarchies are identical on paper: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 on both chips. With the same 4-core, 4-thread configuration and matching cache, the architectural delta comes down to process node, microarchitecture generation, and clock behavior. The i5-4670K runs a 3.40 GHz base and 3.80 GHz boost; the i3-9100T runs 3.10 GHz base and 3.70 GHz boost. That the lower-clocked, lower-power Coffee Lake part matches or beats the Haswell chip in Cinebench reflects generational improvements in IPC and efficiency, though the database does not isolate those factors.

Platform features differ meaningfully. The i5-4670K uses Intel Socket 1150 with DDR3 memory support; the i3-9100T uses Intel Socket 1151 with DDR4 support and recorded memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s on a dual-channel bus. Both use PCIe Gen 3. Integrated graphics differ: Intel HD 4600 on the Haswell part versus UHD Graphics 630 on the Coffee Lake part. The i3-9100T also supports ECC memory, which the i5-4670K does not.

Specification Differences

The fields where these two CPUs differ:

• Base clock: 3.40 GHz (i5-4670K) versus 3.10 GHz (i3-9100T)
• Boost clock: 3.80 GHz versus 3.70 GHz
• TDP: 84 W versus 35 W
• Socket: Intel Socket 1150 versus Intel Socket 1151
• Architecture: Haswell versus Coffee Lake
• Process node: 22 nm versus 14 nm
• Die size: 177 mm² versus 126 mm²
• Memory support: DDR3 versus DDR4
• Memory bandwidth: not recorded versus 38.4 GB/s
• ECC memory: not supported versus supported
• PCIe: Gen 3 versus Gen 3, 16 lanes (CPU only)
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD 4600 versus UHD Graphics 630
• Release date: June 2013 versus August 2018
• Launch MSRP: not recorded versus $122
• Multiplier unlocked: yes versus no
• Production status: not recorded versus End-of-life

Everything else aligns: 4 cores, 4 threads, dual-channel memory bus, identical cache configurations, desktop market segment, and Intel fabrication.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The head-to-head record favors the i3-9100T with 5 wins to 3, but the picture splits cleanly. The i3-9100T leads every Cinebench test by 0.7 to 0.8 percent, while the i5-4670T leads both Geekbench tests by 7.2 to 7.5 percent. Average benchmark scores are 1656 for the i5-4670K and 1620 for the i3-9100T.

Q: How close are they in Cinebench R23?

A: Very close. Multi-core is 4788 for the i3-9100T versus 4751 for the i5-4670K, and single-core is 675 versus 670, a 0.7 to 0.8 percent spread in the newer chip's favor.

Q: Which chip uses less power?

A: The i3-9100T, with a 35 W TDP versus 84 W for the i5-4670K, while delivering essentially matching Cinebench performance.

Q: Can either CPU be overclocked?

A: Only the i5-4670K, which has an unlocked multiplier. The i3-9100T's multiplier is locked.

Q: Do they use the same motherboard socket?

A: No. The i5-4670K requires Intel Socket 1150 with DDR3 memory; the i3-9100T requires Intel Socket 1151 with DDR4 memory.

Q: Which integrated graphics are newer?

A: The i3-9100T's UHD Graphics 630, compared with the Intel HD 4600 in the i5-4670K.

The Verdict

The data presents this as a near-coin-flip with two distinct profiles. For rendering-focused workloads measured by Cinebench, the i3-9100T is the pick: it wins all three multi-core tests by 0.8 percent or less, does so at a 35 W TDP instead of 84 W, and adds DDR4 support, ECC memory capability, and newer integrated graphics on its Socket 1151 platform. Its launch MSRP was $122.

The i5-4670K remains the choice where Geekbench-style mixed workloads dominate. Its 7.5 percent multi-core and 7.2 percent single-core Geekbench leads are the only decisive margins in the dataset, and its unlocked multiplier offers tuning flexibility the locked i3-9100T cannot match, at the cost of a much higher power rating and an older DDR3 platform.

Buyers prioritizing efficiency and a more modern platform should lean toward the i3-9100T, now marked End-of-life. Those who want the higher recorded Geekbench performance and overclocking headroom, and who already work within the Socket 1150 ecosystem, get the stronger general-purpose performer in the i5-4670K. By percentile, the two are adjacent: 40th versus 39th against all CPUs in the database, confirming that either way, the practical performance difference in most real workloads is minimal.