Intel Core i3-7350K Review

Get to know the Core i3-7350K! This Desktop processor is a beast in Intel's entry-level series. Launched in 2017, it's armed with 2 cores and 4 threads. It runs at a base frequency of 4.2GHz, can boost up to 4.2GHz, and has a power requirement of 60W, ready to power up your gaming rig. The Core i3-7350K is a product of the Kaby Lake-S 14nm process and is a part of the acclaimed Core i3 series.

And guess what? The Core i3-7350K is the ultimate successor to Intel's previous-gen gaming champion, the Core i3-6300. The Core i3-6300 was based on the legendary Skylake-S and 14nm process, and it made its grand entrance into the gaming scene back in 2015. But now, it's time for the Core i3-7350K to take the throne and conquer the gaming world!

Introducing the Core i3-7350K, the high-performance counterpart to the award-winning Core i3-7320. Both are built on the same 14nm Kaby Lake-S platform, but the Core i3-7350K cranks the power up to a toasty 60W for those extra cores and threads. We're expecting big things from this one, just like its lower-powered sibling! 'sChoiceHype

Heads up, with a simple overclock, the Core i3-7320 can actually perform almost as well as the Core i3-7350K, even when the Core i3-7350K is overclocked too. But the Core i3-7320 is $70 cheaper! Don't get us wrong, the Core i3-7350K is still a beast and offers more overall performance than AMD's Ryzen 3 1300X, but if you're on a budget, the cheaper sibling might be the better call.

The Core i3-7350K is the more expensive version of the Core i3-7320, and it shows with its higher base and boost clock speeds: 4.2 GHz and 4.2 GHz, respectively. That's a nice boost in speed, but the real game changer is the higher power delivery (PPT). This lets the motherboard pump more juice (up to 142W) to the Core i3-7350K compared to the Core i3-7320's limit of 51W. This extra power allows the Core i3-7350K to crank up the boost clocks even more aggressively, on both single and multiple cores. That means the performance gap between these two CPUs might be bigger than what the specs on paper suggest.

Heads up! If you already have a Core i3-6300, this new generation doesn't offer a huge jump in performance. You might be better off waiting a year to upgrade or spending more on a higher-end CPU.

Intel has been struggling lately to keep up with the new Ryzen 3 processors. This has forced them to get creative with their existing lineup. The Intel Core i3-7350K isn't exactly new - it's basically a Core i3-6300 with a higher clock speed. But there's one more twist...

The Intel Core i3-7350K might not get a lot of hype, but it's a solid entry-level option that delivers a good experience for casual users.

If you don't care too much about overclocking and max boost speeds, then the Intel Core i3-7320 is a good option for $157. It also has 2 cores and 4 threads, but with slightly lower clock speeds (4.1GHz base and 4.1GHz boost).

Can you game on Intel's Core i3 CPU? Absolutely! We got a solid 80% score in our gaming benchmarks.

Building on the success of mainstream Core i3 CPUs, Intel is now attacking the entry-level market with the Core i3-7350K processors, available since Jan 2017.