Intel Core i3-4102E

How It Compares

The Intel Core i3-4102E sits in a peculiar position within the broader CPU landscape. Its benchmark percentile of 50 means it lands exactly at the midpoint of all CPUs tracked in the database — not a standout, not a laggard. This is a dual-core Haswell part with Hyper-Threading, giving it 2 cores and 4 threads at a modest 1.60 GHz base clock. With no boost clock available, it runs at a fixed frequency, which simplifies thermal behavior but limits peak performance headroom.

There are no nearest rivals listed in the data, which makes direct head-to-head comparisons impossible. The absence of rival entries suggests this processor occupies a niche where few comparable parts have been benchmarked. What the data does show is that the i3-4102E was designed for the mobile segment, targeting systems where the 25 W TDP and integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics were the primary selling points. Its 22 nm process node and Haswell architecture place it in the 2013 generation, a time when dual-core parts with Hyper-Threading were common in thin-and-light laptops.

In the absence of rival scores, the percentile is the only positional anchor. At 50, it is neither a performance leader nor a weak performer — it is the statistical middle child. For a mobile chip with a 1.60 GHz clock, that is a reasonable outcome. The 3 MB of shared L3 cache helps mitigate the low clock speed in cache-sensitive workloads, while the 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core are typical for the era.

Who Should Consider It

The i3-4102E is not a gaming processor by modern standards. Its 1.60 GHz base clock and lack of boost mean sustained single-threaded performance is limited. For gaming workloads that rely heavily on high-frequency cores, the data shows a part that will hold back discrete graphics in CPU-bound titles. However, for older or less demanding games that are more GPU-limited, the integrated HD 4600 can handle basic 2D and light 3D scenarios.

Creation workloads are a mixed bag. The 4 threads allow for some parallelism, and the 3 MB L3 cache helps with repeated data access. Video encoding and photo editing tools that scale across threads will see moderate throughput, but the low clock speed will cap performance in lightly threaded stages of those pipelines. The 25 W TDP suggests this was intended for systems prioritizing battery life and thermals over raw output.

Office and productivity tasks are where this chip makes the most sense. Web browsing, document editing, spreadsheets, and email are all workloads that respond well to adequate single-thread performance and don't require high core counts. The 4 threads handle multitasking gracefully — a dozen browser tabs with a word processor and music player running will not overwhelm it. The integrated HD 4600 also supports basic video playback and display output, so it can drive a laptop panel without a discrete GPU.

For users with workloads that are strictly serial and clock-hungry, the i3-4102E will feel sluggish. For users who need a low-power, always-on mobile companion for everyday tasks, it is adequate. The 22 nm process keeps efficiency reasonable, and the 25 W TDP means cooling solutions can be small and quiet.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The i3-4102E has no boost clock, so single-threaded performance is entirely determined by its 1.60 GHz base frequency. This is a low bar by 2013 standards and a very low bar today. Single-thread-sensitive applications — such as web rendering, JavaScript execution, and many legacy applications — will run at the speed of that 1.60 GHz clock. The Haswell architecture's IPC improvements over earlier Intel designs help, but they cannot fully compensate for the frequency deficit.

Multi-threaded behavior is more favorable. With 4 threads across 2 cores, the chip can handle parallel workloads with modest scaling. Applications that split work into four or fewer threads will see benefits, but the 1.60 GHz ceiling applies to each thread equally. This means multi-threaded throughput is roughly double that of a single-threaded run in perfectly scaling workloads, but the absolute numbers remain low.

The cache hierarchy plays a role here. The 3 MB shared L3 cache is large enough to hold working sets for many office and light creation tasks, reducing the need to go to main memory. The 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core are standard for Haswell, and their latency characteristics are well-tuned. In practice, this means the chip feels more responsive in bursty, cache-friendly workloads than its clock speed might suggest.

Real-world behavior shows a split personality. Threaded tasks that can stay within the L3 cache will outperform expectations. Tasks that are latency-sensitive and single-threaded will be bottlenecked by the 1.60 GHz clock. The lack of a boost clock removes any transient performance spikes, so behavior is predictable — steady, but never fast.

FAQ

Q: What is the base clock speed of the Intel Core i3-4102E?

A: The base clock is 1.60 GHz, and there is no boost clock, so the processor runs at a fixed frequency.

Q: How many cores and threads does the i3-4102E have?

A: It has 2 physical cores and 4 threads via Hyper-Threading.

Q: What integrated graphics does this processor include?

A: It integrates Intel HD 4600 graphics.

Q: What is the TDP of the i3-4102E?

A: The thermal design power is 25 watts, which is typical for a mobile processor.

Q: Does the i3-4102E support ECC memory?

A: No, ECC memory is not supported. The memory support is DDR3 only.

Q: When was the i3-4102E released?

A: The release date is September 3, 2013, and it belongs to the Haswell generation.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data for the i3-4102E is sparse — the avgBenchmarkScore is 0, and there are no individual benchmark entries. This means the only quantitative performance indicator available is the percentileVsAllCpus value of 50. This percentile places the chip exactly at the median of all CPUs in the database, which is a meaningful statement about its relative standing.

A 50th percentile score means half of all tracked CPUs are faster and half are slower. For a mobile dual-core part from 2013, this is a surprisingly neutral result. Many budget desktop and older mobile chips fall below this mark, while modern desktop and high-end mobile parts sit well above. The i3-4102E's position in the middle suggests that its combination of 4 threads, 3 MB L3 cache, and Haswell architecture provides adequate performance for its era, even at a low clock speed.

Without rival scores, exact percentage deltas cannot be computed. The nearestRivals field is empty, so there are no direct comparisons to cite. What the percentile does tell us is that the chip is not a performance outlier in either direction. It will not embarrass itself in everyday tasks, but it will not impress anyone running demanding workloads.

The 1,400 million transistors on a 118 mm² die are notable for a 22 nm part. This transistor density is high for the time, and the Haswell architecture uses those transistors for improved IPC and power efficiency. The 25 W TDP is low enough for fanless or ultra-thin designs, and the integrated HD 4600 provides enough graphics capability for basic display output and video playback.

In the absence of scored benchmarks, the percentile is the only hard number to anchor performance expectations. The data shows a processor that is firmly average — nothing more, nothing less. For a mobile chip with a sub-2 GHz clock, that is a defensible outcome. The real takeaway is that the i3-4102E is a workhorse for light duties, not a performer for demanding ones. Its place in the database's middle percentile reflects this reality.