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Intel Core i3-9350KF

Intel Core i3-9350KF: Budget Processor from 2019 in the Reality of 2025

Updated: April 2025

1. Key Specifications: An Outdated but Resilient Platform

The Intel Core i3-9350KF processor, released in 2019, belongs to the Coffee Lake generation. Despite its age, it maintains niche relevance in 2025 due to its low price and specific capabilities.

- Architecture and Process Technology: 14nm technology (Intel's 4th gen 14nm++), 4 cores / 4 threads. Base frequency — 4.0 GHz, turbo boost — up to 4.6 GHz.

- Cache: 8 MB L3, which is sufficient for simple tasks for a 4-core CPU.

- TDP: 91 W (power consumption increases significantly when overclocked).

- Performance: Geekbench 6 scores — 1544 (single-core), 4112 (multi-core). For comparison, the contemporary Ryzen 3 7300 (2024) scores ~1800/5500 but starts at $150.

Key Features:

- Unlocked multiplier (the “K” index), allowing CPU overclocking even on basic motherboards with overclocking support.

- Absence of integrated graphics (the “F” index) — a discrete graphics card is mandatory.

2. Compatible Motherboards: Hunting for Rare Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 v2 socket, compatible only with 300-series chipsets:

- Z390: Optimal choice for overclocking (for example, ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E, $90–120 on the second-hand market in 2025).

- B365/H370: Suitable for basic builds without overclocking. New boards are rarely found, but remnants can be found for $60–80.

Important: H310, B360, and other chipsets may require a BIOS update, which can be problematic without a compatible CPU.

3. Memory: Only DDR4, No Upgrade Prospects

The i3-9350KF supports DDR4-2666 MHz in dual-channel mode. Maximum capacity — 64 GB (practically excessive for this CPU).

- Recommended kit: 2x8 GB DDR4-2666 (for example, Kingston Fury, $45).

- DDR5 and other standards are not supported — this is the main limitation for upgrades.

4. Power Supply: Don’t Skimp on Headroom

With a TDP of 91 W and overclocking potential, it’s advisable to choose a PSU with overhead:

- Without a discrete graphics card: 400–450 W is sufficient (for example, be quiet! System Power 10 450W, $55).

- With a graphics card like NVIDIA GTX 1660 or AMD RX 6600: at least 500 W (Corsair CX550M, $65).

- For CPU overclocking + high-powered GPU (like RTX 3060) — 600–650 W (EVGA 650 B5, $80).

Tip: Choose units with an 80+ Bronze certification or higher for stability.

5. Advantages and Disadvantages: Who Should Buy in 2025?

Pros:

- Low price: a new processor is $80–100, used — $40–60.

- Good overclocking potential (up to 5.0 GHz with good cooling).

- Sufficient for office tasks, older games, and light video editing.

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading — 4 threads compared to 8 in Ryzen 3 3300X.

- Outdated 14nm process, high power consumption under load.

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0 and DDR5.

6. Use Cases: Where Is It Still Relevant?

- Games from 2015–2020: for example, GTA V, CS2, Overwatch 2 at medium settings in 1080p (with a GPU at the GTX 1660 Super level).

- Office and Multimedia: working with documents, browsing, streaming video (YouTube, Netflix).

- Hobby Projects: programming in Python, light editing in DaVinci Resolve.

Not Suitable for:

- Modern AAA games (Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, Starfield).

- Heavy rendering, neural network tasks.

7. Comparison with Competitors: What’s a Better Purchase?

- AMD Ryzen 3 3300X (2020): 4 cores / 8 threads, PCIe 4.0, ~$90 (used). Better for multi-threaded tasks.

- Intel Core i3-12100F (2022): 4 cores / 8 threads, 10nm process, ~$110 (new). Approximately 30% faster in multitasking.

- Ryzen 5 5500 (2022): 6 cores / 12 threads, ~$130. Best choice for upgrade.

Conclusion: The i3-9350KF makes sense only for ultra-budget builds or as an upgrade for an old LGA 1151 system.

8. Assembly Tips: How to Avoid Mistakes

- Cooling: even for stock frequencies, a better cooler than the stock one is needed (DeepCool Gammaxx 400, $25). For overclocking — Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO ($45).

- Motherboard: look for a Z390 with an updated BIOS for guaranteed compatibility.

- Graphics Card: don’t overpay — GTX 1660 Super or RX 6600 would be ideal.

- Storage: NVMe SSD (for example, Kingston NV2 1TB, $60) for faster boot times.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is the i3-9350KF Suitable For?

This processor is worth considering for:

- Overclocking enthusiasts looking to experiment on a budget platform.

- Owners of old PCs on LGA 1151 v2 who want to enhance the system without replacing the motherboard.

- For secondary PCs: home server, media center, educational machine.

Alternative: If the budget allows $150–200, it’s better to opt for Ryzen 5 5500 or i3-13100F — they will provide future-proofing.

In 2025, the Intel Core i3-9350KF is a relic, but for its intended tasks, it remains a workhorse. The key is to clearly understand its limitations and not overpay for an outdated platform.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2019

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i3-9350KF

Code Name

Coffee Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

4.00 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

L3 Cache

8 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1151

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

91 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2400

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

64 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

37.5 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Yes

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

8 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1544

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4112

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1176

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3611

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2686

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7552

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon Gold 6314U

1656 +7.3%

Ryzen 5 5560U

1600 +3.6%

Core i3-9350KF

1544

Ryzen 5 4600GE

1486 -3.8%

Core i7-10870H

1434 -7.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-1160G7

4603 +11.9%

Core i7-5950HQ

4347 +5.7%

Core i3-9350KF

4112

Xeon E5-1660 v2

3870 -5.9%

Core i5-5675R

3636 -11.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-10325

1252 +6.5%

Ryzen 5 5600U

1207 +2.6%

Core i3-9350KF

1176

Core i7-9700

1145 -2.6%

EPYC 9634

1118 -4.9%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 4500U

3934 +8.9%

Core i7-4790K

3775 +4.5%

Core i3-9350KF

3611

Core i5-10300H

3487 -3.4%

Core i7-5750HQ

3363 -6.9%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 5 3600XT

2765 +2.9%

Xeon E-2224

2732 +1.7%

Core i3-9350KF

2686

Ryzen 5 4600G

2658 -1%

Ryzen 9 4900HS

2610 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E3-1260L

8226 +8.9%

Ryzen 5 2600H

7834 +3.7%

Core i3-9350KF

7552

Ryzen 3 3200G

7309 -3.2%

Xeon E5-2430 v2

7039 -6.8%