Core i5-8500B vs Core i3-10105F

The Core i5-8500B packs 6 cores / 6 threads, while the Core i3-10105F offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-8500B has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-8500B versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i3-10105F — a 7.1% clock advantage for the Core i3-10105F (base: 3 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i5-8500B uses the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i3-10105F uses Comet Lake-R (2021) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-8500B scores 8,900 against the Core i3-10105F's 8,912 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i3-10105F. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,364 vs 1,461, a 6.9% lead for the Core i3-10105F that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 9 MB (total) on the Core i5-8500B vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i3-10105F.

The Core i5-8500B uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-10105F uses LGA1200 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Core i3-10105F 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. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: H310,B360,H370,Z370,Q370 (Core i5-8500B) and LGA1200 (Core i3-10105F).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-8500B) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i3-10105F). The Core i5-8500B includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Core i3-10105F requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-8500B targets Mini PC/Embedded. Direct competitor: Core i5-8500B rivals Ryzen 5 2600.

The Core i5-8500B launched at $192 MSRP, while the Core i3-10105F debuted at $97. At current prices ($192 vs $65), the Core i3-10105F is $127 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-8500B delivers 46.4 pts/$ vs 137.1 pts/$ for the Core i3-10105F — making the Core i3-10105F the 98.9% better value option.