Ryzen 3 3100 vs Xeon D-2146NT

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.

Ryzen 3 3100

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+45.5% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 11 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2146NT, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $99 MSRP, while Xeon D-2146NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon D-2146NT

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 3 3100 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,736 vs 11,928).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (11 MB vs 16 MB).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.

Ryzen 3 3100

2020

Xeon D-2146NT

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+45.5% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 11 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 80W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-2146NT, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $99 MSRP, while Xeon D-2146NT mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 3 3100 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,736 vs 11,928).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (11 MB vs 16 MB).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 80W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 3100 better than Xeon D-2146NT?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-2146NT makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 3 3100 is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 3 3100 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 3.1% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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 1.6% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 45.5% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 11 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 at an unclear MSRP at $99 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 3.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (120.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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), 45.5% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 11 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 8/16. 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.

Ryzen 3 3100 Benchmark Check

Xeon D-2146NT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 3100	Xeon D-2146NT
1080p
low	166 FPS	170 FPS
medium	136 FPS	135 FPS
high	118 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	144 FPS	138 FPS
medium	115 FPS	108 FPS
high	94 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	65 FPS
medium	58 FPS	55 FPS
high	46 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	34 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 3100 Open Xeon D-2146NT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 3 3100	Xeon D-2146NT
1080p
low	271 FPS	219 FPS
medium	228 FPS	191 FPS
high	191 FPS	175 FPS
ultra	147 FPS	138 FPS
1440p
low	231 FPS	196 FPS
medium	200 FPS	173 FPS
high	169 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	127 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	160 FPS
medium	148 FPS	145 FPS
high	118 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	96 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 3100 Open Xeon D-2146NT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 3 3100	Xeon D-2146NT
1080p
low	298 FPS	293 FPS
medium	298 FPS	293 FPS
high	298 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	293 FPS
1440p
low	298 FPS	293 FPS
medium	298 FPS	293 FPS
high	298 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	293 FPS
4K
low	298 FPS	293 FPS
medium	268 FPS	293 FPS
high	226 FPS	252 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	203 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 3100 Open Xeon D-2146NT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 3 3100	Xeon D-2146NT
1080p
low	298 FPS	293 FPS
medium	298 FPS	293 FPS
high	298 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	293 FPS
1440p
low	298 FPS	293 FPS
medium	298 FPS	293 FPS
high	298 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	293 FPS
4K
low	298 FPS	293 FPS
medium	298 FPS	293 FPS
high	298 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	298 FPS	293 FPS

Open Ryzen 3 3100 Open Xeon D-2146NT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 3 3100 and Xeon D-2146NT

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.

Xeon D-2146NT

The Xeon D-2146NT is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 February 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 11 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2518. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 11,736 points. Launch price was $641.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 3 3100 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon D-2146NT offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon D-2146NT has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Ryzen 3 3100 versus 3 GHz on the Xeon D-2146NT — a 26.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 3 3100 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Ryzen 3 3100 uses the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon D-2146NT uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 3 3100 scores 11,928 against the Xeon D-2146NT's 11,736 — a 1.6% lead for the Ryzen 3 3100. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 3100 vs 11 MB on the Xeon D-2146NT.

Feature	Ryzen 3 3100	Xeon D-2146NT
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	8 / 16+100%
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+30%	3 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+57%	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+45%	11 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	8 MB+1500%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	11,928+2%	11,736

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 3 3100 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon D-2146NT uses FCBGA2518 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 3 3100	Xeon D-2146NT
Socket	AM4	FCBGA2518
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—