Intel Core i3-10100: 4 Cores, 8 Threads for $100+

It's quite possible that 10th-gen Core i3s won't be the only CPUs getting Hyper-Threading. Recent rumors suggest that HT will be available across Intel's entire upcoming desktop CPU lineup.

And frankly, that's a smart move. Lately, Intel's handling of multi-threading technology has looked, to put it mildly, absurd. Case in point: the Core i7-8700 (6 cores, 12 threads) and Core i7-9700 (8 cores, 8 threads), where the newer CPU couldn't always outperform its predecessor.

But for now, let's turn our attention to the budget-friendly Core i3-10100, which has surfaced in the Sisoftware database:

Information about the Core i3-10100 indicates it's part of the unreleased 10th-gen Comet Lake-S desktop lineup.

As for specs, the Core i3-10100 will feature four cores and eight threads. The chip boasts a 3600 MHz clock speed, 6 MB of L3 cache, and 1 MB of L2 cache.

In terms of overall specs, the new budget CPU resembles the Core i7-7700, with exceptions for L3 cache size and the potential for automatic boosting up to 4200 MHz. However, it's too early to draw conclusions on the latter. The Core i3-10100 samples currently available are mostly engineering samples, so the final product might differ from what we've seen today. Given this, Intel could very well adjust its plans and add not just Hyper-Threading but also Turbo Boost to the budget segment.

This is indirectly hinted at by the currently circulating list of all Comet Lake-S platform CPUs, which shows Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost on every processor:

But these are just rumors, and such information should be treated with extreme caution.

Seven generations on three variations of the 14-nanometer process, not bad.