Intel Core i3 6100 2-core LGA 1151

A 2015 budget chip that still gets the job done, but only if you pay 2015 prices for it. Find it under USD 40 and you've got a winner. Pay more and you're doing it wrong.

The single-thread score of 2146 in PassMark is what keeps this chip relevant. It's middle of the pack by today's standards, but it means everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and even older games feel snappy. The multi-thread score of 4086 is where the two physical cores show their age. Hyperthreading helps, but it's not magic. What surprised us is how well this thing holds up in a basic productivity build. Pair it with an SSD and 16GB of RAM and most people wouldn't guess they're on a CPU from 2015. The HD 530 integrated graphics are fine for desktop use and ancient esports titles, but don't expect to run anything modern without a discrete GPU.

The i3-6100 sits in a weird spot. Against the AMD A10-5800K, it's no contest. The Intel chip has better single-thread performance and uses way less power. The A10's integrated graphics are better, but that's about it. Against the Xeon E5-2637 V2, it's a different story. That Xeon has more cores and threads, but it's also older and runs hotter. For a pure budget gaming rig, the i3-6100 with a cheap GPU beats both. But if you're doing any kind of multi-threaded work, the Xeon is the better call. And honestly, if you can stretch your budget, a used Ryzen 5 1600 or 2600 makes all of these look silly.

This is where the i3-6100 gets interesting. US listings range from USD 23 to USD 98, which is a wild spread for the same chip. The Amazon renewed listing is the one to grab if you're in the US. At USD 23, this is an absolute no-brainer for a budget build. At USD 98, you're paying more than a used Ryzen 5 2600 costs, and that chip destroys this one. In Europe, the EUR 72 to EUR 189 spread is even worse. Don't pay more than EUR 80 for this thing. It's a great value chip, but only when the price is right.

The Core i3-6100 is a budget chip that refuses to act like one. Two cores and four threads at 3.7GHz won't impress anyone on paper in 2024, but for a cheap office box, media server, or light gaming rig, it still gets the job done. The one thing to know: this is a value play, not a performance play. If you find it for under USD 40, it's a steal. If you're paying anywhere near USD 98, you're getting fleeced.

If you're building a new PC in 2024, skip this. Seriously. A used Ryzen 5 2600 costs about the same and runs circles around the i3-6100 in every workload. If you need integrated graphics for a tiny office PC, a used Ryzen 3 2200G or even a newer Intel i3-10100 is a better buy. This chip is for people who already have an LGA 1151 board and just need a cheap CPU to get it running. Everyone else should look elsewhere.

The Core i3-6100 is a solid budget chip if you can find it cheap. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it's reliable, cool, and handles everyday tasks without complaint. For a sub-USD 50 office PC or a starter gaming rig paired with something like a GTX 1060, it's a perfectly reasonable choice. Just don't overpay for it. This chip's value lives entirely in the used market, and if you're paying more than USD 50, you should be looking at a Ryzen instead.