Intel Core i3-7350K Review

[Guest]

Intel blurs the lines between the i3 and i5 series with the Core i3-7350K, which marks the return of an unlocked dual core processor with Hyper-Threading.

Intel Core i3-7350K Review : Read more

 

[Justiceinacan]

As someone who just enjoys overclocking and was coming from an FX chip, it is nice but I agree with the rest of the article ; a locked i5 is a very solid chip for similar pricing to the unlocked i3 which may fare better or worse.

 

[Sakkura]

It simply needs to drop $20. I suspect they may have launched this chip, and the hyperthreaded Pentiums, as a precaution for Ryzen. Intel doesn't usually adjust pricing, but I would not be the least bit surprised if the 7350K becomes an exception after the Ryzen launch (assuming things go well for AMD).

 

[ubercake]

These processors are $159 at microcenter. That's the $20 price drop Sakkura is looking for! I think I'd still just fork over the additional $40 (again microcenter) for the i5 though.

 

[InvalidError]

Given how expensive the top-end i3 has become and the extra expenses that go in actually leveraging its overclockability, I'd say that the i5-7400 with a h270 motherboard would be the better bang-per-buck option in most cases. At least until Ryzen comes along 2-3 weeks from now and redefines what good bang-per-buck is.

 

[ubercake]

I really hope Ryzen lives up to the hype. I can't wait to see the R7 1800X vs. i7-6900K reviews.

 

[Ashwaganda]

With 168$ MSRP this cpu just isnt attractive, considering i5-7400 182$ MSRP.
Even if you could overclock it with cheaper H110/B150/B250 board, the i5-7400 is a better buy. Also the 63$ Pentium G4560 utterly destroys i3-7350K by value.
Sure G4560 does not have AVX instructions, but who cares. For gaming and everyday use purposes AVX doesnt offer any real benefit.

 

[bak0n]

The only reason I'd pick up this would be for playing games like Sins of a Solar empire that don't make use of enough cores and loads the screen with lots of processing at end game.

 

[logainofhades]

These are selling for $180 right now. Simply not worth it. At least the pentium G3258 was priced close to its locked siblings. The price needs to drop, significantly. At current prices, and with the hyperthreaded Pentiums, the i3 is kinda irrelevant right now. Wonder if Intel knows something about Ryzen, that we don't, because these recent moves don't make a lot of sense.

 

[why_wolf]

I really get the feeling this chip is being setup so Intel can drop the price on it if AMD eats to much of the low end market. As it stands right now, at this price point, I'd have to agree going to an i5 instead makes way more sense for the majority of users out there.

 

[Math Geek]

the G4620 stands out more in this review to me than this i3 does. at ~$90 it is a much better buy than this i3 for a true budget build. once it's price drops in response to AMD, then it will be worth a revisit once we know what AMD has to offer. but for now, i won't be recommending this cpu to anyone. locked i5 much better bang for the buck with the locked i3 or this new HT Pentium for a budget build.

 

[Kunra Zether]

I don't see the point of getting an unlocked i3, it's just too expensive to be inticing; especially when you add in a cooler and the Mobo. Not to mention you could just get a locked i5 6500 and flash to an old BIOS on a z170 board and oc it to 4.5 and call it a day... But seriously i3 is for budget it needs to be priced around $130 for it to be viable imo. Anything around $200 should be an i5 $250 plus you should be looking at an i7.

 

[salgado18]

Has only two cores with hyperthreading, is expensive without a cooler, needs expensive mobo, and the upgrade path stops at 4 cores with hyperthreading.

AMD is bringing 4 cores to match it, with unlocked multipliers, all mobos overclock, lower prices, comes with cooler, and the same mobo can host an 8 core with hyperthreading CPU.

Awesome performance today, but I wouldn't make a single move until Ryzen comes.

 

[takeshi7]

"Intel set the benchmark for affordable overclocking when it released the unlocked Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition in July 2014. We have to reach even further back to find the last unlocked Hyper-Threaded dual-core CPU, Intel's Pentium EE 965, which surfaced in 2006."

Just a small correction: I also thought the last unlocked Hyper-Threaded dual-core CPU was the Intel Pentium EE 965, but then someone online corrected me. It was actually the Intel Core i5 655K from 2010.

 

[logainofhades]

[quotemsg=19306590,0,1786133]the G4620 stands out more in this review to me than this i3 does. at ~$90 it is a much better buy than this i3 for a true budget build. once it's price drops in response to AMD, then it will be worth a revisit once we know what AMD has to offer. but for now, i won't be recommending this cpu to anyone. locked i5 much better bang for the buck with the locked i3 or this new HT Pentium for a budget build.[/quotemsg]

The G4560 is even cheaper, with only a 200mhz penalty, for less than $65.

 

[Math Geek]

very true. but wasn't in the review so was not on my mind at the moment

but yah for a budget build, there are some nice options right now. one of these with a 470 like they did here, performed very well for such a low cost.

 

[Onus]

This is, at best, a novelty item, for those who prefer to play with their PCs, rather than play (or work) on their PCs; and for whom absolute performance (and price/performance) is not important. To become more viable in the mainstream, it needs to come with a decent cooler like the G3258 had, and be no more than $5-$10 more expensive than a locked i3.
Maybe they mean it as "training wheels" for someone who plans to end up with an unlocked i5 or i7 and was going to buy a nice cooler and OC motherboard anyway. On its own, like Math Geek, I can't recommend this to anyone.

Edit: Other than being unsuitable as a space heater, this is Intel's answer to Faildozer; utterly unworthy of any hype.

 

[ZapBoy]

This utterly the worst CPU Intel has ever built

 

[ZapBoy]

Don't buy this terrible CPU go for an i5 instead, here's why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAGOBO-mvuM

 

[Justiceinacan]

[quotemsg=19306069,0,299576]I really hope Ryzen lives up to the hype. I can't wait to see the R7 1800X vs. i7-6900K reviews.[/quotemsg]

They say R7 1800x will be around $600. I know it can beat up a 6 core i7
[quotemsg=19306616,0,120171]Has only two cores with hyperthreading, is expensive without a cooler, needs expensive mobo, and the upgrade path stops at 4 cores with hyperthreading.

AMD is bringing 4 cores to match it, with unlocked multipliers, all mobos overclock, lower prices, comes with cooler, and the same mobo can host an 8 core with hyperthreading CPU.

Awesome performance today, but I wouldn't make a single move until Ryzen comes.[/quotemsg]
Not all motherboards OC, but all CPU/APU's do.
You need B350, X370, or X300 chipset.
A300/A320 won't work OCing, looks like they just aren't making it possible atm.
Think of it like
B350 = 970
X370 = 990FX
X300 = sff 990FX
A series chipsets are kinda like office/htpc/just needs to run boards

 

[InvalidError]

[quotemsg=19307297,0,2411733]This utterly the worst CPU Intel has ever built[/quotemsg]
It is a great little chip. But the CPU pricing is horrible and the need for a premium motherboard to use it as intended (unlock the K's multipliers) kills it. It should cost under $120 without HSF, and a successful Ryzen launch may make that happen.

 

[tommyjr98]

Seems like getting an i5 would be the much simpler way to go to get roughly the same performance. No cooler or overclocking hassles to deal with. I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned in the conclusion.

 

[tommyjr98]

Seem like the easier route is to just grab an i5. It's got roughly the same price/performance/power usage without the headache of a cooling solution and overclocking.

 

[InvalidError]

[quotemsg=19307878,0,541995]Seems like getting an i5 would be the much simpler way to go to get roughly the same performance. No cooler or overclocking hassles to deal with. I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned in the conclusion.[/quotemsg]
It was mentioned in the conclusion's second paragraph where he mentions that between the Z-series motherboard and aftermarket HSF "All of a sudden, true quad-core Core i5s start looking cheaper."

 

[Ryguy64]

I just built an i5 6500 with RX 480 on a H170 last summer. I'm pretty happy with it and after seeing this, I'm glad I didn't wait for the new Intel CPUs. We'll see about Ryzen though.