Core i3-4100E vs Phenom X4 9600B

Core i3-4100E

2 Cores4 Thrd512 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2013

Phenom X4 9600B

4 Cores4 Thrd95 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2008

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i3-4100E

2 / 4

1,848

+0.3%

1,842

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core i3-4100E is positioned at rank 1127 and the Phenom X4 9600B is on rank 1055, so the Phenom X4 9600B offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-4100E

#1114

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3574%

#1115

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3521%

#1116

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3233%

#1117

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3218%

#1118

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3189%

#1120

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3079%

#1121

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2952%

#1122

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2948%

#1123

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2868%

#1126

Pentium Dual Core T4300

MSRP: $150|Avg: $99

100%

#1127

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

100%

#1128

Core i7-3520M

MSRP: $346|Avg: N/A

100%

#1129

Core i3-2310E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $20

100%

#1130

Core i5-2510E

MSRP: $230|Avg: $30

100%

#1131

Core m5-6Y54

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

99%

#1133

Core i3-2330E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $10

99%

#1134

Core i5-4288U

MSRP: $342|Avg: N/A

95%

#1135

Core m3-6Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1136

Core i3-2340UE

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

94%

#1137

Core i7-2820QM

MSRP: $568|Avg: N/A

94%

#1138

Core i5-520M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

94%

#1140

Celeron 807

MSRP: $70|Avg: $10

93%

#1141

Pentium B950

MSRP: $134|Avg: $35

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Phenom X4 9600B

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

47016%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

44425%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

32256%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

9717%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

7697%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

6734%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

3857%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

3806%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

3466%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

3465%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

3427%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

3334%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

3288%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

3274%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

3245%

#1054

Pentium D 940

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

100%

#1055

Phenom X4 9600B

MSRP: $278|Avg: $20

100%

#1056

Phenom II X3 B77

MSRP: $281|Avg: $35

99%

#1057

Core 2 Duo E6300

MSRP: $163|Avg: $5

98%

#1058

Core 2 Duo E6400

MSRP: $183|Avg: $10

97%

#1059

Core 2 Duo E8300

MSRP: $163|Avg: $20

96%

#1060

Phenom X4 9500

MSRP: $247|Avg: $30

95%

#1061

Celeron D 352

MSRP: $69|Avg: $15

91%

#1062

Core i7-970

MSRP: $1083|Avg: $289

91%

#1063

Core i7-880

MSRP: $583|Avg: $40

89%

#1064

Pentium D 820

MSRP: $241|Avg: $20

88%

#1065

Celeron 2.10

MSRP: $49|Avg: $49

88%

#1066

Core i7-950

MSRP: $562|Avg: $15

87%

#1067

Sempron 3100+

MSRP: $65|Avg: $15

86%

#1068

Athlon II X4 635

MSRP: $400|Avg: $250

85%

#1069

Core 2 Duo E6750

MSRP: $183|Avg: $15

85%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i3-4100E delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Phenom X4 9600B in both compute-intensive tasks (0.3% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i3-4100E	Phenom X4 9600B
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)	✅ More affordable ($20)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Agena (2007−2008) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Phenom X4 9600B holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $20 (vs $30), it costs 33% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 50% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Core i3-4100E.

Insight	Core i3-4100E	Phenom X4 9600B
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+50%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($30)	✅ More affordable ($20)

Performance Check

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 i3-4100E Benchmark Check

Phenom X4 9600B Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i3-4100E and Phenom X4 9600B

Core i3-4100E

The Core i3-4100E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1364. Thermal design power (TDP): 512 kB + 3 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,848 points. Launch price was $225.

Phenom X4 9600B

The Phenom X4 9600B is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Agena (2007−2008) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: AM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,842 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i3-4100E packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Phenom X4 9600B offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Phenom X4 9600B has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Core i3-4100E versus 2.3 GHz on the Phenom X4 9600B — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Core i3-4100E. The Core i3-4100E uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Phenom X4 9600B uses Agena (2007−2008) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-4100E scores 1,848 against the Phenom X4 9600B's 1,842 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i3-4100E. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-4100E vs 2 MB (total) on the Phenom X4 9600B.

Feature	Core i3-4100E	Phenom X4 9600B
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.4 GHz+4%	2.3 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	—
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)+50%	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	22 nm-66%	65 nm
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Agena (2007−2008)
PassMark	1,848	1,842
Geekbench 6 Single	550	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i3-4100E uses the BGA1364 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Phenom X4 9600B uses AM2+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3L-1600 on the Core i3-4100E versus DDR2-1066 on the Phenom X4 9600B — the Core i3-4100E supports 40% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 16 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-4100E) vs 0 (Phenom X4 9600B) — the Core i3-4100E offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i3-4100E	Phenom X4 9600B
Socket	BGA1364	AM2+
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-1600+50%	DDR2-1066
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	16 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	✅	❌
PCIe Lanes	16	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-4100E) vs AMD-V (Phenom X4 9600B). The Core i3-4100E includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 4600), while the Phenom X4 9600B requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-4100E targets Embedded, Phenom X4 9600B targets Business. Direct competitor: Core i3-4100E rivals Embedded R-Series.

Feature	Core i3-4100E	Phenom X4 9600B
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	HD Graphics 4600	—
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	Embedded	Business

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i3-4100E launched at $225 MSRP, while the Phenom X4 9600B debuted at $278. At current prices ($30 vs $20), the Phenom X4 9600B is $10 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i3-4100E delivers 61.6 pts/$ vs 92.1 pts/$ for the Phenom X4 9600B — making the Phenom X4 9600B the 39.7% better value option.