Core i3

There's always been talk that an unlocked Core i3 processor for overclocking could be one of the best options for gamers, something that can finally be verified with the arrival of the Core i3-7350K with unlocked multiplier. The first tests already demonstrate the ability of the chip to reach 4.8 GHz, a frequency that allows it to outperform Quad Core of the Sandy Bridge generation.

Core i3-7350K performance and consumption analysis in stock and overclock

The Core i3 7350K is the most powerful processor in the i3 Kaby Lake series, a silicon whose specs and features include a dual-core, four-wire configuration running at 4 GHz base frequency and a laudable 4.2 GHz under turbo mode. The Core i3-7350K features continue with a 4MB L3 chache and a reduced 61W TDP. As we see, it is the first Intel processor with two cores and four threads that arrives with the multiplier unlocked to allow a much easier overclocking. Like all Kaby Lake chips it is manufactured under the manufacturing process at 14 nm + FinFET which has reached a great maturity.

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CPU tests on Cinebench R15 show that the single-threaded performance of the Core i3-7350K is very close to the i7-6700K and Core i7-4790K of the Skylake and Haswell generations. In the multi-thread performance we see how the Core i3-7350K is able to match the Core i5-2500K of the Sandy Bridge generation, not bad that with its two cores it can with an entire quad-core processor that was one of the best sellers at the time.

In Adobe Premier Pro CC the Core i3-7350K is faster than the i3-6100 but slower than the Core i5-2500K which continues to show the muscle of its four cores five years after its arrival on the market, something that shows us once again the little improvement in performance that have had the processors of Intel in these years. The Excel 2016 “Monte Carlo” test repeats the result by putting the i3-7350K back slightly below the i5-2500K in stock condition. PCMark 8 again shows an i3-7350K higher than the i5 2500K and very close to the Core i5-6600K and Core i7-5960X when overclocked at 4.8 GHz.

We now look at gaming with a GeForce GTX Titan X (Pascal) graphics card, the Core i3-7350K makes a bottleneck in some titles such as Battlefield 1, Gears of Wars 4, Overwatch and Watch Dogs 2. In the first of them it is as fast as a Core i5-2500K and is capable of catching up to the Core i7-2600K when it is oceanized at 4.8 GHz, other quad core chips like the 6600K, 6700K and 4790K are superior. In Gears of War 4 the Core i3-7350K is superior in stock conditions to the FX-8370 and Core i5-2500K and is superior to the Core i7-2600K when it is set at 4.8 GHz. Finally in Overwatch and Watch Dogs 2 we see a situation similar to that of GOW 4.

Finally, in the consumption tests, the Core i3-7350K is shown as a very efficient option with energy, presenting a maximum consumption of 81W at full performance in the most common applications. When overclocked at 4.8 GHz, it has a maximum consumption of 147W, which makes it practically the same as Quad-Core at stock frequency. In stress tests such as Prime 95, its consumption in stock rises to 97W.

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Core i3-7350K Conclusion

The Core i3-7350K is an excellent performance chip but its recommended price of $ 180 doesn't sound too good. The Quad Cores Kaby Lake will have a starting price of $ 180-200 and on paper they seem to be a more successful option since they have four physical cores, which in the long run will be an important advantage. Most fans of overclocking will find the i3-7350K interesting, but for gamers a Quad-Core from the Haswell-Kaby Lake generations is the best option.

Source: wccftech