The Pentium G4600 is a low-cost CPU with two cores, two threads, and 3.6 GHz clock, being one of the most inexpensive models from Intel right now. Let’s see how fast it is for programs and games
When launched, the Pentium G4560 (read our review here) became an instant hit. Since it had similar specs to the Core i3-7100 (review here) but sold for almost half the price, it often sold out in most stores. Because of the “law of supply and demand”, it became more expensive than its brother, the Pentium G4600, even though the model was a little superior (it had a 100 MHz higher clock and a better-integrated video than the G4560).
The Pentium G4600 brings the Intel HD 630 iGPU, the same that comes in all high-end Kaby Lake desktop CPUs, like the Core i5-7400, and the Core i7-7700K. On the other hand, the Pentium G4560 comes with the Intel HD 610 iGPU, which has half the graphics cores (12 on HD 610, and 24 on the HD 630).
The Pentium G4600 has two cores, four threads, 3.6 GHz clock (there is no Turbo Clock), 3 MiB of L3 cache, TDP of 51 W, and uses LGA1151 socket.
Figure 1 shows the package of the Pentium G4600.
Figure 1: Package
In Figure 2 we have the package content: a cooler, the CPU itself, a manual, and a case sticker.
Figure 2: Package content
Figure 3 unveils the Pentium G4600 processor.
Figure 3: The Pentium G4600 CPU
The underside of the CPU can be seen in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Underside of the A8-9600
For our benchmarks, we compared the Pentium G4600 to the Core i3-7100 (which has similar characteristics), and we also included the Core i5-7400 (read about it here), the Core i5-8400, and the Ryzen 5 1500X (review here).
We used a GeForce GTX 1080 video card on all tests.
Let’s compare the main specs of the reviewed CPUs on the next page.
In the tables below, we compare the main features of the CPUs included in our review.
CPU | Cores | HT/SMT | IGP | Internal Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pentium G4600 | 2 | Yes | Yes | 3.6 GHz |
Core i3-7100 | 2 | Yes | Yes | 3.9 GHz |
Core i5-7400 | 4 | No | Yes | 3.0 GHz |
Core i5-8400 | 6 | No | No | 2.8 GHz |
Ryzen 5 1500X | 4 | Yes | No | 3.5 GHz |
CPU | Turbo Clock | Core | Tech. | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pentium G4600 | – | Kaby Lake | 14 nm | 51W |
Core i3-7100 | – | Kaby Lake | 14 nm | 51W |
Core i5-7400 | 3.5GHz | Kaby Lake | 14 nm | 65W |
Core i5-8400 | 4.0GhZ | Coffee Lake | 14 nm | 65W |
Ryzen 5 1500X | 3.47GHz | Summit Ridge | 14 nm | 65W |
CPU |
| Price | L2 Cache | L3 Cache |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pentium G4600 | LGA1151 | USD 87 | 2 x 256 KiB | 3 MiB |
Core i3-7100 | LGA1151 | USD 120 | 2 x 256 KiB | 3 MiB |
Core i5-7400 | LGA1151 | USD 190 | 4 x 256 MiB | 6 MiB |
Core i5-8400 | LGA1151 | USD 190 | 6 x 256 KiB | 9 MiB |
Ryzen 5 1500X | AM4 | USD 180 | 4 x 512 MiB | 2 x 8 MiB |
CPU |
Memory Support |
|
|---|---|---|
Pentium G4600 | Up to DDR4-2400 | 2 |
Core i3-7100 | Up to DDR4-2400 | 2 |
Core i5-7400 | Up to DDR4-2400 | 2 |
Core i5-8400 | Up to DDR4-2666 | 2 |
Ryzen 5 1500X | Up to DDR4-2666 | 2 |
Below you can see the memory configuration for each CPU.
During our benchmarking sessions, we used the configuration listed below. Between benchmarking sessions, the only variable was the CPU being tested, besides the motherboard, which had to be replaced to match the different CPUs.
Hardware Configuration
- Motherboard (Coffee Lake): Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming
- Motherboard (Kaby Lake): Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7
- Motherboard (AM4): ASRock X370 Taichi
- Memory: 16 GiB, two DDR4-3200 8 GiB Geil modules configured at 2666 MHz
- Boot drive: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GiB SSD
- Video Card: GeForce GTX 1080
- Video Monitor: Philips 236VL
- Power Supply: Corsair CX600
Operating System Configuration
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- NTFS
- Video resolution: 1920 x 1080 60 Hz
Driver Versions
- NVIDIA driver version: 387.92
Software Used
- 3DMark
- Blender
- Cinebench R15
- CPU-Z 1.81
- Handbrake
- PCMark 10
- WinRAR 5.5
- V-Ray Benchmark
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
- Dirt Rally
- GTA V
- Hitman
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
Error Margin
We adopted a 4% error margin. Thus, differences below 4% cannot be considered relevant. In other words, products with a performance difference below 4% should be considered as having similar performance.
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 is benchmarking software that uses real-world applications to measure computer performance. We ran the standard test, which included opening applications, web browsing, writing, photo editing, video chat, video conversion, and rendering. Let’s see the results.
On the 3DMark 10 benchmark, the Pentium G4600 was 7% slower than the Core i3-7100.
3DMark
3DMark is a program with a set of several 3D benchmarks. Time Spy runs a DirectX12 simulation; Fire Strike runs a “heavy” DirectX 11 simulation, and Sky Diver also measures DirectX 11 performance but is aimed at average computers.
On Time Spy, the Pentium G4600 was similar to the Core i3-7100.
On the Fire Strike benchmark, the Pentium G4600 also performed similarly to the Core i3-7100.
On the Sky Diver benchmark, the Pentium G4600 and the Core i3-7100 performed similarly.
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 is based on Cinema 4D software. It’s very useful to measure the performance gain obtained by the presence of several processing cores while rendering heavy 3D images. Rendering is an area where a bigger number of cores helps a lot because usually, this kind of software recognizes several processors (Cinebench R15, for example, can use up to 256 processing cores).
We ran the CPU benchmark, which renders a complex image using all the processing cores (real and virtual) to speed up the process. The result is given as a score
On Cinebench R15 CPU benchmark, the Pentium G4600 was 7% slower than the Core i3-7100.
Blender
Blender is an image and movie rendering software that uses all the threads of the CPU. We used the program to render a heavy image of a project named Gooseberry Benchmark. The graph below shows the time the CPU used to finish the image, so the less, the better.
On Blender, the Pentium G4600 was 9% slower than the Core i3-7100.
CPU-Z
On its current version, the well-known hardware identification software CPU-Z comes with a benchmarking tool, which measures CPU performance for one core and for all available cores.
On the single thread benchmark, the Pentium G4600 was 7% slower than the Core i3-7100.
On the multiple thread benchmark, the Pentium G4600 was 9% slower than the Core i3-7100.
Handbrake
Media Espresso is a video conversion program that uses the graphics processing unit of the video engine to speed up the conversion process. We converted a 1 GiB, 1920x1080i, 23,738 kbps, .mov video file to a smaller 320×200, H.264, .MP4 file for viewing on a smartphone. The results below are given in seconds, so the lower the better.
Here the Pentium G4600 was 13% slower than the Core i3-7100.
WinRAR
Another task where the CPU is very demanded is on file compacting. We ran a test compacting a folder with 8 GiB on 6.813 files to a file, using WinRAR 4.2. The graph below shows the time taken for each test.
In WinRAR, the Pentium G4600 was 6% slower than the Core i3-7100.
V-Ray Benchmark
V-Ray Benchmark is a tool for measuring image rendering performance using the processor and the graphics card. It renders two images, one using the processor (CPU) and one using the video engine (GPU). We ran the benchmark and compared the CPU time on the graphics below.
On V-Ray, the Pentium G4600 was 7% slower than the Core i3-7100.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an action RPG with FPS elements, launched in August 2016, that uses the Dawn engine, being compatible with DirectX 12. We tested it using the benchmark included in the game, with DirectX 12 enabled, Full HD, and graphics options as “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
On this game, the Pentium G4600 was 6% slower than the Core i3-7100.
Dirt Rally
Dirt Rally is an off-road racing game released in April 2015, using Ego engine. To measure performance using this game, we ran the performance test included in the game, in 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution and image quality configured as “medium” and MSAA off.
The results below are expressed in frames per second (fps).
In this game, the Pentium G4600 was 7% slower than the Core i3-7100.
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V, or simply GTA V, is an open-world action game released for PCs in April of 2015, using the RAGE engine. In order to measure the performance on this game, we ran the performance test of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS.
We ran GTA V at Full HD, with all image quality set as “normal” and MSAA off.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
In GTA V, the Pentium G4600 performed similarly to the Core i3-7100.
Hitman
Hitman is an action/stealth game, launched in March 2016, that uses a DirectX 12 compatible version of the Glacier 2 engine. To measure performance in this game, we ran the benchmark in it, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran this game in Full HD, with DirectX 12 enabled, with image quality set as “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
On Hitman, the Pentium G4600 was 6% slower than the Core i3-7100.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an adventure/action game launched in January of 2016, based on Foundation engine. In order to measure the performance using this game, we ran the benchmark included on it, using Full HD resolution and graphics quality set to “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.
Also on Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Pentium G4600 was 17% slower than the Core i3-7100.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world RPG, released in May of 2015 and based on the REDengine 3 engine. In order to measure the performance on this game, we walk around at the first scene of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS three times. We ran the game at Full HD (1920 x 1080), with image quality set to “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second and represent the arithmetical mean of the three collected results.
In this game, the Pentium G4600 and the Core i3-7100 performed similarly.
We concluded that the Pentium G4600, like the Pentium G4560, performs pretty much like the Core i3-7100. This was actually expected since the only difference between them is 300 MHz in the clock rate.
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The Pentium G4560, on the other hand, has a lower-end integrated GPU, and 100 MHz lower clock. If you use a dedicated video card, the Pentium G4560 and the G4600 will perform similarly so you should just buy the less expensive one.
But if you’ll be using integrated video, it’s worth buying the Pentium G4600, even if it costs a little more.
The Pentium G4600 is an excellent choice to build a budget PC, for work or gaming: it has an excellent cost/benefit ratio in both situations.
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