Which Processor (CPU) is Best for Gaming on a Tight Budget?

As of 2025, a 4-core CPU is the minimum requirement for a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience. One budget friendly option is the Intel Core i3-8100, a 4-core, 4-thread processor built on Intel’s 14nm Coffee Lake architecture. Although i3 processors are typically considered low end and not for gaming, the 8th generation i3 lineup was the first to feature four physical cores, making it a surprisingly capable choice for gaming at a lower cost.

Intel Core i3-8100

Intel’s 8th generation CPUs also offer full support for Windows 11, something many older Intel CPUs lack. Despite the i3-8100 being an entry level processor, it can still deliver solid performance in modern titles, averaging 56 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 and 70 FPS in Ghost of Tsushima, when paired with an RX 580 and 16GB of DDR4 RAM (SK Benchmarks, RX 580 + i3-8100 & 16GB RAM – Test in 15 Games in 2024!, 06/09/2024). To validate these results by YouTuber SK Benchmarks, a video by YouTuber Tronger showcased similar performance using the same CPU with a less powerful NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti GPU and the results were similar (Tronger, i3-8100 + GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Gaming PC Build, 25/02/2025).

When compared to its predecessor, the Intel Core i5-7400, the i3-8100 actually holds up quite well. Both are 4-core CPUs, but the i5-7400 has a lower base clock speed (3.0 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). However, because the i3-8100 is based on a newer architecture and has higher clock speeds, it often matches or even slightly outperforms the i5-7400 in gaming benchmarks despite being positioned a tier lower. This makes the i3-8100 standout in value in the budget gaming segment.

We also conducted our own in-house benchmarks using Cinebench R23, and the results were telling. The Intel i3-8100 scored 3561 in the multi-core test and 910 in the single-core test. For comparison, the older Intel i5-7400 scored 3174 (multi-core) and 892 (single-core). Despite being branded as an i3, the i3-8100 slightly outperforms the i5-7400 in both single and multi-core performance.

Additionally, we tested the previous generation i3-7100, a 2-core, 4-thread CPU from Intel’s 7th gen lineup. The results were significantly lower, with just 2182 in multi-core and 872 in single-core performance. These results highlight the necessity of having 4 physical cores for gaming, and explains why the i3-8100 remains a viable option to this day.

Written by Alex Gatt, last updated 27/03/2025