Core i7-8700B vs Ryzen 3 3100

CPU

GPU

Core i7-8700B

6 Cores12 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.6 GHz2018

Popular choices:

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Ryzen 3 3100

4 Cores8 Thrd65 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2020

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-8700B

6 / 12

11,795

0.0%

11,928

+1.1%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i7-8700B

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 3 3100 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (11,795 vs 11,928).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 38.9 vs 120.5 PassMark/$ ($303 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Ryzen 3 3100

2020

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $204 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $303 MSRP).
✅Delivers 209.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 120.5 vs 38.9 PassMark/$ ($99 MSRP vs $303 MSRP).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8700B across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-8700B can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-8700B

2018

Ryzen 3 3100

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 3 3100 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $204 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $303 MSRP).
✅Delivers 209.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 120.5 vs 38.9 PassMark/$ ($99 MSRP vs $303 MSRP).
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (11,795 vs 11,928).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 38.9 vs 120.5 PassMark/$ ($303 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8700B across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-8700B can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 3100 better than Core i7-8700B?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-8700B is ahead with a 12.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 3100 pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark. Ryzen 3 3100 also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 3100 is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 3 3100 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 3 3100 is $204 cheaper on MSRP at $99 MSRP versus $303 MSRP, and it gives you 1.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i7-8700B is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 12.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 209.5% better value on MSRP (120.5 vs 38.9 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 3 3100 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i7-8700B Benchmark Check

Ryzen 3 3100 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	183 FPS	166 FPS
medium	150 FPS	136 FPS
high	122 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	155 FPS	144 FPS
medium	125 FPS	115 FPS
high	101 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	68 FPS
medium	76 FPS	58 FPS
high	60 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i7-8700B Open Ryzen 3 3100

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	295 FPS	271 FPS
medium	295 FPS	228 FPS
high	285 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	147 FPS
1440p
low	295 FPS	231 FPS
medium	286 FPS	200 FPS
high	260 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	284 FPS	165 FPS
medium	242 FPS	148 FPS
high	220 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	183 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i7-8700B Open Ryzen 3 3100

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	295 FPS	298 FPS
medium	295 FPS	298 FPS
high	295 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	295 FPS	298 FPS
medium	295 FPS	298 FPS
high	295 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	298 FPS
4K
low	295 FPS	298 FPS
medium	295 FPS	268 FPS
high	295 FPS	226 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	179 FPS

Open Core i7-8700B Open Ryzen 3 3100

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
1080p
low	295 FPS	298 FPS
medium	295 FPS	298 FPS
high	295 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	295 FPS	298 FPS
medium	295 FPS	298 FPS
high	295 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	298 FPS
4K
low	295 FPS	298 FPS
medium	295 FPS	298 FPS
high	295 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	298 FPS

Open Core i7-8700B Open Ryzen 3 3100

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-8700B and Ryzen 3 3100

Core i7-8700B

The Core i7-8700B is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 11,795 points. Launch price was $303.

Ryzen 3 3100

The Ryzen 3 3100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 24 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 11,928 points. Launch price was $99.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-8700B packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 3 3100 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-8700B has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.6 GHz on the Core i7-8700B versus 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 3 3100 — a 16.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-8700B (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i7-8700B uses the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 3100 uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-8700B scores 11,795 against the Ryzen 3 3100's 11,928 — a 1.1% lead for the Ryzen 3 3100. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-8700B vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 3100.

Feature	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
Cores / Threads	6 / 12+50%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.6 GHz+18%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.6 GHz+12%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	11,795	11,928+1%

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-8700B uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 3100 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Ryzen 3 3100 supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-8700B) vs 24 (Ryzen 3 3100) — the Ryzen 3 3100 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
Socket	BGA1440	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	128 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	24+50%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 3 3100 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-8700B) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 3 3100). The Core i7-8700B includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen 3 3100 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-8700B targets Mobile, Ryzen 3 3100 targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-8700B	Ryzen 3 3100
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Mobile	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-8700B launched at $303 MSRP, while the Ryzen 3 3100 debuted at $99. On MSRP ($303 vs $99), the Ryzen 3 3100 is $204 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-8700B delivers 38.9 pts/$ vs 120.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen 3 3100 — making the Ryzen 3 3100 the 102.3% better value option.