Core i3-4170T vs Core i5-6198DU

Both the Core i3-4170T and Core i5-6198DU share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Core i3-4170T versus 2.8 GHz on the Core i5-6198DU — a 13.3% clock advantage for the Core i3-4170T (base: 3.2 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Core i3-4170T uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i5-6198DU uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i3-4170T scores 3,133 against the Core i5-6198DU's 3,109 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i3-4170T. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 800 vs 946, a 16.7% lead for the Core i5-6198DU that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-4170T vs 3 MB on the Core i5-6198DU.

The Core i3-4170T uses the LGA1150 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-6198DU uses BGA (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core i3-4170T versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i5-6198DU — the Core i5-6198DU supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i3-4170T) vs 12 (Core i5-6198DU) — the Core i3-4170T offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: H81,B85 (Core i3-4170T) and Integrated (Core i5-6198DU).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i3-4170T) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-6198DU). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics 4400 (Core i3-4170T) and HD Graphics 510 (Core i5-6198DU) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-4170T targets Low Power Desktop, Core i5-6198DU targets Entry Level Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-6198DU rivals A9-9410.