Core i3-9100E vs Ryzen 5 3450U

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 i3-9100E

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,539 vs 6,550).
❌Launch MSRP is still $202 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 3450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

Ryzen 5 3450U

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i3-9100E across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).

Core i3-9100E

2018

Ryzen 5 3450U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,539 vs 6,550).
❌Launch MSRP is still $202 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 3450U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i3-9100E across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 3450U better than Core i3-9100E?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i3-9100E is ahead with a 12.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 3450U pulls ahead with 0.2% better PassMark. Core i3-9100E also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 3450U is the better fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 3450U is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen 5 3450U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $202 MSRP, and it gives you 0.2% better PassMark. Core i3-9100E only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (32.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

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

Ryzen 5 3450U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 4/4. 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 i3-9100E Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3450U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i3-9100E	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	137 FPS	139 FPS
high	111 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	147 FPS	142 FPS
medium	116 FPS	112 FPS
high	93 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	68 FPS
medium	57 FPS	57 FPS
high	45 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	35 FPS

Open Core i3-9100E Open Ryzen 5 3450U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i3-9100E	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	163 FPS	106 FPS
medium	163 FPS	92 FPS
high	163 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	66 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	92 FPS
medium	159 FPS	80 FPS
high	142 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	60 FPS
4K
low	148 FPS	69 FPS
medium	129 FPS	62 FPS
high	104 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i3-9100E Open Ryzen 5 3450U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i3-9100E	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	163 FPS	164 FPS
high	163 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	164 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	163 FPS	164 FPS
high	163 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	164 FPS
4K
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	163 FPS	164 FPS
high	163 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	164 FPS

Open Core i3-9100E Open Ryzen 5 3450U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i3-9100E	Ryzen 5 3450U
1080p
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	163 FPS	164 FPS
high	163 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	164 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	163 FPS	164 FPS
high	163 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	164 FPS
4K
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	163 FPS	164 FPS
high	163 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	164 FPS

Open Core i3-9100E Open Ryzen 5 3450U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-9100E and Ryzen 5 3450U

Core i3-9100E

The Core i3-9100E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 6,539 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 5 3450U

The Ryzen 5 3450U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB + 4 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,550 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i3-9100E packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Ryzen 5 3450U's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Core i3-9100E versus 3.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3450U — a 5.6% clock advantage for the Core i3-9100E (base: 3.1 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i3-9100E uses the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3450U uses Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-9100E scores 6,539 against the Ryzen 5 3450U's 6,550 — a 0.2% lead for the Ryzen 5 3450U. L3 cache: 6 MB (total) on the Core i3-9100E vs 4 MB on the Ryzen 5 3450U.

Feature	Core i3-9100E	Ryzen 5 3450U
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz+6%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.1 GHz+48%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	6 MB (total)+50%	4 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	14 nm	12 nm-14%
Architecture	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)	Picasso-U (Zen+) (2019−2020)
PassMark	6,539	6,550

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Memory & Platform

The Core i3-9100E uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 3450U uses FP5 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.