# Intel i3 9100F X4 Based "Tomahawk" build (4.2GHz boost clocks)



## storm-chaser (Feb 26, 2020)

So, I just happened to have a new in box MSI Tomahawk Z390 board laying around here and my parents are in need of a new desktop, so I am going to put something together for them, at no charge of course, they brought me into this world after all. 

In any event. This will NOT be an extreme overclock adventure, unfortunately. The Intel 9100F is a quad core 14nm Coffee Lake CPU with a base speed of 3.6GHz and a boost speed of 4.2GHz and it has a locked multiplier. I will look into overclocking the bus speed if that's a possibility, I don't know yet. I know I will be able to run my 16GB 4000MHz G.Skill kit with it so that will give me an excuse to get some faster memory for my I5 9600K rig... 

That being said when the CPU shows up I will start detailing my plans for the build... stay tuned.

Here is a little more background on the CPU...



> Intel’s Core i3-9100F is a quad-core 9th generation Coffee Lake desktop processor. It features base / boost clocks of 3.6 / 4.2 GHz, 6 MB of cache, a 65W TDP and it ships with a cooler. *Gamers should pair the 9100F with a Z390 motherboard and unlock higher XMP RAM speeds. *This will deliver up to a 15% fps boost which is well worth it considering that many Z390 boards are available for around $100 USD (here is one of the builds from our EFps test lab). The 9100F has great single core performance coupled with a strong memory sub system. This enables it to deliver excellent all round performance, easily holding its own against far pricier CPUs for the majority of use cases. The heavily hyped 12 threaded 6 core Ryzen 3600 barely pulls ahead in any of the top five games. [_O_


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## HenrySomeone (Feb 26, 2020)

Do you already have a suitable spare GPU? Because if not and if your parents aren't gonna game on this PC, then the regular 9100 (with the igpu) would be a better choice (or even a 8100 which seems to go for quite a bit less). Otherwise I definitely agree with what is written in the box in your post - for general (office-browsing-multimedia-light gaming) use, it is a substantially better choice than any Ryzen in its price range and even far above. From personal experience I can say that it's just noticeably snappier at everything than a 2600x.


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## storm-chaser (Feb 26, 2020)

HenrySomeone said:


> Do you already have a suitable spare GPU? Because if not and if your parents aren't gonna game on this PC, then the regular 9100 (with the igpu) would be a better choice (or even a 8100 which seems to go for quite a bit less). Otherwise I definitely agree with what is written in the box in your post - for general (office-browsing-multimedia-light gaming) use, it is a substantially better choice than any Ryzen in its price range and even far above. From personal experience I can say that it's just noticeably snappier at everything than a 2600x.


I opted for the CPU with no gpu, I simply prefer to keep my graphics separate from my CPU. I know, that's a little OCD but it's just the way I like to build em. And yes, I have a capable Radeon graphics card for it. Besides the 9100 is actually substantially more expensive, at least from what I gather they go for a good bit more that the 9100F.


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## EarthDog (Feb 26, 2020)

If I was you, I wouldn't overclock anything for my parents system. There is almost no point in overclocking the bus speed or getting 4K memory for such a system. Literally zero benefits for the users, but many potential drawbacks in doing so. Build it, set XMP with 3200 MHz CL14 RAM, stress test it for a couple hours, and hand it over. Whatever you quoted (link?) says FOR GAMERS... and I have no idea where they are getting a 15% increase. Legit testing shows merely a couple % increase at most (we've linked this in your closed thread...). 15% increase sounds like a single game or application or something. Broad testing shows low single digit increases in an overwhelming majority of cases.


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## storm-chaser (Feb 26, 2020)

Right, I will just experiment with it a little bit before I send it to them. I'm sure I'll be limited by the stock cooler that comes with the CPU, if I can even overclock at all...


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## phill (Feb 28, 2020)

EarthDog said:


> If I was you, I wouldn't overclock anything for my parents system. There is almost no point in overclocking the bus speed or getting 4K memory for such a system. Literally zero benefits for the users, but many potential drawbacks in doing so. Build it, set XMP with 3200 MHz CL14 RAM, stress test it for a couple hours, and hand it over. Whatever you quoted (link?) says FOR GAMERS... and I have no idea where they are getting a 15% increase. Legit testing shows merely a couple % increase at most (we've linked this in your closed thread...). 15% increase sounds like a single game or application or something. Broad testing shows low single digit increases in an overwhelming majority of cases.


I'm with @EarthDog on this....

Built a PC for my sister and her family...  No overclock no nothing.  I will possibly end up swapping it out at some point for a Ryzen system since at the moment a dual core Celeron is probably not the best thing in the world for them (granted no high end gaming etc and just browsing the internet) but still..  Overclocking can just lead to problems, give them a hassle free PC experience  

Again as EarthDog mentions, no point overclocking for the average user, they aren't going to be saying "Thanks, that extra 1.76% of performance by overclocking the RAM is really noticeable....."

(1.76% was just random numbers and not actual figures or fact )


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## storm-chaser (Feb 28, 2020)

phill said:


> I'm with @EarthDog on this....
> 
> Built a PC for my sister and her family...  No overclock no nothing.  I will possibly end up swapping it out at some point for a Ryzen system since at the moment a dual core Celeron is probably not the best thing in the world for them (granted no high end gaming etc and just browsing the internet) but still..  Overclocking can just lead to problems, give them a hassle free PC experience
> 
> ...


I agree with ed as well. I won't be sending them an overclocked system. However, before I send it off to them I will see what I can do by increasing the base clocks.


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## phill (Feb 28, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> I agree with ed as well. I won't be sending them an overclocked system. However, before I send it off to them I will see what I can do by increasing the base clocks.


It's worth a test for us as we are tweakers but for the average user or parents, I'd never take the risk     Please feel free to post up your findings tho


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## MaDhAtt3R (Feb 29, 2020)

HenrySomeone said:


> Do you already have a suitable spare GPU? Because if not and if your parents aren't gonna game on this PC, then the regular 9100 (with the igpu) would be a better choice (or even a 8100 which seems to go for quite a bit less). Otherwise I definitely agree with what is written in the box in your post - for general (office-browsing-multimedia-light gaming) use, it is a substantially better choice than any Ryzen in its price range and even far above. From personal experience I can say that it's just noticeably snappier at everything than a 2600x.


Sorry in what world is 9100F better than a 2600x in any scenario? and if you want to talk price range 1600AF will also beg to differ with your biased comment 4c/4t 4ghz vs 6c/12t 4ghz+ it gets beaten every single time regardless of the application, regardless, the OP has the motherboard there and the 9100F is a solid choice for his requirements for this build and he should definitely go down that road, but comparing it to a superior processor in nearly every way is ridiculous and to use the term "substantially" is just pure nonsense.


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## Toothless (Feb 29, 2020)

MaDhAtt3R said:


> Sorry in what world is 9100F better than a 2600x in any scenario? and if you want to talk price range 1600AF will also beg to differ with your biased comment 4c/4t 4ghz vs 6c/12t 4ghz+ it gets beaten every single time regardless of the application, regardless, the OP has the motherboard there and the 9100F is a solid choice for his requirements for this build and he should definitely go down that road, but comparing it to a superior processor in nearly every way is ridiculous and to use the term "substantially" is just pure nonsense.
> 
> *EDIT: *And surprise surprise, most of your posts are on Intel CPU threads or NVIDIA GPU threads down talking anything AMD, I just looked for myself, you can too if you don't believe me, I'll take a large bucket of salt with your propaganda advice if you don't mind, please. Oh, and I went back 8 pages, the forum default I think? every single post about AMD, can you say agenda?


You really brought in the AMD vs Intel/NVIDIA debate? Nah dude don't be trying to pull that in a thread like this. TPU has had enough threads ruined with that.


Back on track, why not snag a Hyper 212 for cheap? I know none of my family members clean their computers so if the stock cooler gets dust clogged they'll just think the whole thing is broke. At least with the 212 it can be stuck in a blanket and mostly work.


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## storm-chaser (Feb 29, 2020)

Toothless said:


> You really brought in the AMD vs Intel/NVIDIA debate? Nah dude don't be trying to pull that in a thread like this. TPU has had enough threads ruined with that.
> 
> 
> Back on track, why not snag a Hyper 212 for cheap? I know none of my family members clean their computers so if the stock cooler gets dust clogged they'll just think the whole thing is broke. At least with the 212 it can be stuck in a blanket and mostly work.



And keep in mind, I am still doing thermal testing on my 9600K rig with the MSI Core Frozr XL. This cooler holds my rig at 5.0GHz but if I need more I can always swap the Frozr XL to the 9100F rig and get something better.


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## MaDhAtt3R (Feb 29, 2020)

Toothless said:


> You really brought in the AMD vs Intel/NVIDIA debate? Nah dude don't be trying to pull that in a thread like this. TPU has had enough threads ruined with that.
> 
> 
> Back on track, why not snag a Hyper 212 for cheap? I know none of my family members clean their computers so if the stock cooler gets dust clogged they'll just think the whole thing is broke. At least with the 212 it can be stuck in a blanket and mostly work.


Sorry, did you even read the post I quoted or just want to be a warrior?

I said he has the MB and should go down the 9100f for this build as it's ideal, but please keep on with your BS


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## Toothless (Feb 29, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> And keep in mind, I am still doing thermal testing on my 9600K rig with the MSI Core Frozr XL. This cooler holds my rig at 5.0GHz but if I need more I can always swap the Frozr XL to the 9100F rig and get something better.


I mean going for this rig. If I was talking about going for what overclockers, say you and I go for, I'd be fanboying out my NH-D15 after getting one to replace my Kraken X60. The 212 does fantastic for cooling my gf's 4690k at 4.2 and my two 2680v2s. It's a great little cooler for majority of things.


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## MaDhAtt3R (Feb 29, 2020)

Toothless said:


> I mean going for this rig. If I was talking about going for what overclockers, say you and I go for, I'd be fanboying out my NH-D15 after getting one to replace my Kraken X60. The 212 does fantastic for cooling my gf's 4690k at 4.2 and my two 2680v2s. It's a great little cooler for majority of things.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Report away, also please do tell what rules I have violated, I've reported you too, it's great being an always offended snowflake


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## Kursah (Feb 29, 2020)

Let's keep it civil, respectful, and review our forum guidelines before derailing a topic with arguments, bickering and namecalling please. Thread cleaned up, let's keep it clean moving forward please and thanks!


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## storm-chaser (Feb 29, 2020)

CPU arrived yesterday. Here are some pictures of the MB, CPU and heatsink. I'm thinking a 5.0GHz overclock should be no problem on the included CPU cooler, right?


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## oxrufiioxo (Feb 29, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> CPU arrived yesterday. Here are some pictures of the MB, CPU and heatsink. I'm thinking a 5.0GHz overclock should be no problem on the included CPU cooler, right?
> 
> View attachment 146296View attachment 146297
> 
> ...




Maybe if you lived in Antarctica....


That's going to be a really nice build for your parents.


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## biffzinker (Feb 29, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> I'm thinking a 5.0GHz overclock should be no problem on the included CPU cooler, right?


Not likely given the size of the stock cooler unless it had a copper core to soak up, and disperse the heat more evenly.


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 29, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> Not likely given the size of the stock cooler unless it had a copper core to soak up, and disperse the heat more evenly.



He'd be running it at max fan speed, the intel box coolers are always lacking.

@storm-chaser I'd look at CPU cooler reviews here and see which ones do not throttle under stress testing.

Deepcool released one recently, pretty good it appears.


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## biffzinker (Mar 1, 2020)

eidairaman1 said:


> He'd be running it at max fan speed, the intel box coolers are always lacking.
> 
> @storm-chaser I'd look at CPU cooler reviews here and see which ones do not throttle under stress testing.
> 
> Deepcool released one recently, pretty good it appears.


The stock cooler should be enough for stock clockspeeds. @storm-chaser was going to try overclocking via base clock as a test since the CPU multiplier is locked. He's likely not going to get past 105 MHz.

I doubt his parents will have the CPU loaded under a heavy sustained load.


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## eidairaman1 (Mar 1, 2020)

biffzinker said:


> The stock cooler should be enough for stock clockspeeds. @storm-chaser was going to try overclocking via base clock as a test since the CPU multiplier is locked. He's likely not going to get past 105 MHz.
> 
> I doubt his parents will have the CPU loaded under a heavy sustained load.



He is in his 30s, idk if he is or isn't.

About the hsf, ive known stock is stock since P2 days. Only good enough, not great...

I know during P4 days CM had a stock cooler alternative to intel.


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## phill (Mar 1, 2020)

Stock heatsinks from my experience from Intel would be similar to AMDs really, just about up to the task but the damn noise they make when the CPU is getting warm, jesus...  Jet engine comes to mind and it's not like a delta fan when it's on full speed/power but it's a just slightly higher than needed noise so you know it's that working..  Drives me nuts..

The retail HSF's seem to be good enough to get it up and running, anything past that, I'm not so sure personally...


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## eidairaman1 (Mar 1, 2020)

phill said:


> Stock heatsinks from my experience from Intel would be similar to AMDs really, just about up to the task but the damn noise they make when the CPU is getting warm, jesus...  Jet engine comes to mind and it's not like a delta fan when it's on full speed/power but it's a just slightly higher than needed noise so you know it's that working..  Drives me nuts..
> 
> The retail HSF's seem to be good enough to get it up and running, anything past that, I'm not so sure personally...



Idk surface area for intel on 9100 seems lacking, heck its been that way since lga 775.


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## phill (Mar 1, 2020)

eidairaman1 said:


> Idk surface area for intel on 9100 seems lacking, heck its been that way since lga 775.


They are saving money, can't afford to do better heatsinks   

In serious tho, I beleive even TR has the issue with the AIO's for them..  Still, even for a budget air cooler, I'd not stick with an Intel stock cooler...  Freezer Pro or even the 34 Duo I have would be much better I'm sure....  I'd actually be surprised if there was an air cooler out there that would actually be worse than the Intel stock cooler.....  (I'm sure there might be but that slippery territory I think, best left alone )


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## eidairaman1 (Mar 1, 2020)

phill said:


> They are saving money, can't afford to do better heatsinks
> 
> In serious tho, I beleive even TR has the issue with the AIO's for them..  Still, even for a budget air cooler, I'd not stick with an Intel stock cooler...  Freezer Pro or even the 34 Duo I have would be much better I'm sure....  I'd actually be surprised if there was an air cooler out there that would actually be worse than the Intel stock cooler.....  (I'm sure there might be but that slippery territory I think, best left alone )



Really cheap chinese ones.

This guy can afford a Great CPU cooler. And AIOs to me fail, best to custom Loop. Btw this is a msdt we are talking about iirc, not hedt.


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## phill (Mar 2, 2020)

eidairaman1 said:


> Really cheap chinese ones.
> 
> This guy can afford a Great CPU cooler. And AIOs to me fail, best to custom Loop. Btw this is a msdt we are talking about iirc, not hedt.


Understand and agree.  I was just going with a general out look on coolers   Since my first custom loop, never looked back   Either way tho, you could leave a stock cooler on for your parents, unless its too noisy or too close to the temps you don't agree with, then you could change it for something basic that just works


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## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2020)

I just ordered one of these: (DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm White ATX Mid Tower with 120mm AIO water cooling)





And one of these (Antec 900 W Gaming PSU):




And an 8GB DDR4 3600MHz kit:




And a proper SSD:




Only thing left is to pick out a suitable GPU and perhaps compliment the system with a secondary SSD for gaming... Then it's off to the races.


Almost forgot, I ordered up another 16GB kit of DDR4 for another secret project I've been working on. It's speed shall remain classified for the time being.


Spoiler: mystery memory


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## hat (Mar 5, 2020)

phill said:


> I'm with @EarthDog on this....
> 
> Built a PC for my sister and her family...  No overclock no nothing.  I will possibly end up swapping it out at some point for a Ryzen system since at the moment a dual core Celeron is probably not the best thing in the world for them (granted no high end gaming etc and just browsing the internet) but still..  Overclocking can just lead to problems, give them a hassle free PC experience
> 
> ...


I used to overclock everything I could get my hands on. My mom had a Socket A Sempron 3000+ and it got overclocked. Last computer I built her I think used a BSEL modded Conroe-based Celeron...


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## Toothless (Mar 5, 2020)

That 900w seems a bit over the top but hey, if it works.


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## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2020)

Toothless said:


> That 900w seems a bit over the top but hey, if it works.


That 900 W PSU is actually going in a different system (system specs are highly classified). The trusty 650W Antec Neo Power Blue workhorse will go with the Tomahawk build and get shipped up north to my parent's place. 

*I will detail these installs and document my progress here - expect an update by the end of the week.* But be patient. It will be a few weeks until some of these projects come together due to the fact that I will be out of town all of next week and still need to order a couple parts before I can start on assembly.


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## kapone32 (Mar 5, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> I just ordered one of these: (DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm White ATX Mid Tower with 120mm AIO water cooling)
> View attachment 147263
> 
> And one of these (Antec 900 W Gaming PSU):
> ...



You love your parents that is for sure.


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## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2020)

kapone32 said:


> You love your parents that is for sure.



Only the best for Mom and Dad, right? But yeah, I did go a little overboard...

They are certainly going to be "futureproofed" for quite some time, yes indeed. And when I go up there every month or so to visit with them over the weekend I will have something to tinker with. 

But as already pointed out, some of these items are going in my 9600KF rig... so it's not going to be as performance lopsided as it might look like right now. and we are still under budget with this build, might have room left over for another SSD.


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## kapone32 (Mar 5, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Only the best for Mom and Dad, right? But yeah, I did go a little overboard...
> 
> They are certainly going to be "futureproofed" for quite some time, yes indeed. And when I go up there every month or so to visit with them over the weekend I will have something to tinker with.
> 
> But as already pointed out, some of these items are going in my 9600KF rig... so it's not going to be as performance lopsided as it might look like right now. and we are still under budget with this build, might have room left over for another SSD.



Nice there is nothing wrong with that I commend you for not cheaping out on a build for your parents. It will be interesting to know who will use it more between Mom and Dad when the computer boots in 10 to 15 seconds and the internet just works   .


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## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2020)

kapone32 said:


> Nice there is nothing wrong with that I commend you for not cheaping out on a build for your parents. It will be interesting to know who will use it more between Mom and Dad when the computer boots in 10 to 15 seconds and the internet just works   .


As my mom, in rather comedic fashion, once said when I asked her to right click on my computer for some remote assistance... Her response: "I'm sitting right in front of it!"

You kind of had to be there to get the joke but nevertheless it shows the huge generational gap when it comes to computing and technology. All they want or need? Internet, email, youtube, shopping, that's about it. So yeah, so long is I can get them on the internet they will be happy. I will be up there quite a bit as spring is just around the corner so I will have something fun to play with in my spare time.


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## phill (Mar 5, 2020)

hat said:


> I used to overclock everything I could get my hands on. My mom had a Socket A Sempron 3000+ and it got overclocked. Last computer I built her I think used a BSEL modded Conroe-based Celeron...


I think most of the overclocking now doesn't exist like it used to with X58/X79/X99 etc..  But, everything is getting very quick now anyways so I guess it matters a little less   Still never stops you messing about with it and hoping to make things faster  Nothing like free performance I believe


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