Intel Core i3-13100F Review: Higher Pricing, Smaller Gains

Intel Core i3-13100F Power Consumption and Efficiency

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In several of these tests, the Ryzen 5 5600 and 5500 processors draw more power than the Core i3-13100F. However, the AMD chips have two more cores than the 13100 and still use the 7nm TSMC process, which isn't as efficient as the newer 5nm that AMD uses for Ryzen 7000 models. The Ryzen processors are faster in multi-threaded workloads, thus justifying the extra power consumption. This is reflected in the first chart, which outlines power efficiency as a renders-per-watt metric. Here the Ryzen processors both offer better efficiency metrics than the Core i3-13100F.

Our highest average power measurement for the Core i3-13100F was 57W, which is relatively easy to tame with lower-end coolers. Aside from a few outliers, the 13100F regularly consumed more power than its predecessor, the Core i3-12100. That's expected given the higher clock rates, but it results in less power efficiency. The Core i3-12100 beats the newer 13100F in the renders-per-day efficiency metrics, indicating that Intel's tuning for a higher clock rate has pushed the silicon further out of the sweet spot on the voltage/frequency curve.

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Here we take a slightly different look at power consumption by calculating the cumulative energy required to perform x264 and x265 HandBrake workloads, respectively. We plot this 'task energy' value in Kilojoules on the left side of the chart.

These workloads are comprised of a fixed amount of work, so we can plot the task energy against the time required to finish the job (bottom axis), thus generating a really useful power chart. Bear in mind that faster compute times, and lower task energy requirements, are ideal. That means processors that fall the closest to the bottom left corner of the chart are the best. 

This chart brings the Core i3-13100's relatively slower performance into view — the Ryzen processors are faster while consuming less cumulative power, thus explaining their leading power efficiency. We can also see that the Core i3-13100 consumes more power than the 12100 here, but for a minimal performance improvement. 

Intel Core i3-13100F Test Setup

• Intel Core i3-13100F: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, default power limits, DDR4-3200 (Gear 1)
• Intel Core i3-13100F DDR4-3600: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, default power limits, DDR4-3600 (Gear 1)
• Ryzen 5 5600: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, PBO Disabled, DDR4-3200
• Ryzen 5 5600 PBO: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, PBO Enabled, Scalar 10X, DDR4-3800, FCLK 1900 MHz (1:1 Ratio)
• Ryzen 5 5500: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, PBO Disabled, DDR4-3200
• Ryzen 5 5500 PBO: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, PBO Enabled, Scalar 10X, DDR4-4000, FCLK 2000 MHz (1:1 Ratio)

We tested with Windows 11 and DDR4 memory on a Z790 motherboard to maintain an even playing field with the rest of our test pool. Of course, you wouldn't pair this chip with this class of motherboard, but the 700- and 600-series B- and H-series motherboards also support overclocking memory and removing power limits. Given the 13100's tame power consumption, even lower-end motherboards will provide the chip with enough power to assure full operation.

Notably, we were able to overclock the Core i3-12100's memory to DDR4-3800 in our initial review but found that to be unstable for both the 13100 and 12100 during our retesting, which could be due to newer motherboard firmware. In either case, we dialed back to DDR4-3600. Regardless of the board you use, these locked chips have a relatively low memory overclocking limit due to Intel's decision to keep the SA voltage locked for Alder and Raptor Lake chips, which we'll hopefully see rectified in the next-gen refresh models. Your memory overclocking mileage will vary, but probably not by much.

We test Intel processors with the power limits fully removed for our standard measurements, so those chips run beyond the 'recommended' power settings but remain within warranty. We used DDR4 memory for testing, as DDR5's pricing premium isn't as suitable for this class of chip.

Microsoft has advised gamers to disable several security features to boost gaming performance. As such, we disabled secure boot, virtualization support, and fTPM/PTT on all systems for maximum performance. You can find further hardware details in the table below. 

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