Not all gaming PCs are high-end, and in fact in the mid-range there are quite inexpensive devices that provide a very decent performance in games. Today we are going to make a comparison of two of these processors , cheap but very good for gaming, that stand out among the others: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 vs Intel Core i3-9100F .
Actually, and although the two processors belong to the entry range of their respective manufacturers (Ryzen 3 and Core i3), there is a substantial price difference between the two, since the AMD alternative costs around 115 euros, while that of Intel costs about 85 euros. So we have 30 euros of difference, but is it something that will be worth it?
AMD Ryzen 3 3100 vs Intel Core i3-9100F
The Intel processor has 4 physical cores and 4 processing threads, and this is one of the big differences since not having HyperThreading is at a disadvantage compared to the AMD processor, which also has 4 cores but twice as many processing threads. , thanks to SMT technology. In terms of speed, Intel’s processor runs at 3.6 GHz base and 4.2 GHz in Turbo mode, while AMD’s processor operates at 3.6 GHz base but only 3.9 GHz in turbo mode. Both processors, yes, have 65W of TDP.
So while the Core i3-9100F is a bit faster than the Ryzen 3 3100, it has half the threads and that should make the difference and perhaps justify that $ 30 difference. However, we are going to see what performance they have in games to be able to discern which of the two is a better option when mounting a gaming PC.
Performance in games
The following results have been taken using the aforementioned processors (in the case of Intel with an ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-F Gaming motherboard and in the case of AMD with a Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO), accompanied by 16 GB of DDR4 RAM memory a 3600 MHz and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 OC 8 GB graphics card.
| Ryzen 3 3100 Medium FPS | Average FPS Core i3-9100F | |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption | 88 | 77 |
| Call of Duty: Warzone | 129 | 90 |
| Snowrunner | 106 | 108 |
| Hitman 2 | 77 | 72 |
| Rainbow six siege | 269 | 253 |
| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey | 73 | 59 |
| PUBG | 116 | 119 |
| Kingdom come deliverance | 56 | 46 |
| Metro Exodus | 122 | 120 |
| Battlefield 5 | 130 | 118 |
As you can see, with the exception of SnowRunner in the other nine games on the list, the AMD processor shows a lot better, with results that actually differentiate it quite a bit and denote that paired with a fairly powerful graphics such as an RTX 2080, the processor creates quite a significant bottleneck in gaming.
Conclusion: which processor is better for gaming?
With the data that we have shown you it is obvious that the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 is notably superior to the Core i3-9100F, and really for 30 euros there is a difference that is worth paying because in many of the games it is the difference between a “Good” gameplay to a good game experience, since as can be seen for example in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, it means not reaching 60 FPS or exceeding them comfortably.
In short, if you want to build a low-budget gaming PC and you were hesitating between these two processors, do not hesitate and go for the AMD alternative because those 30 euros of difference are worth it since you will avoid major bottlenecks in the games and, in general terms, you will have a much more powerful processor for all kinds of tasks thanks to those 4 additional threads compared to the Intel processor.
