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Intel Core i3-7320

Intel Core i3-7320: Review and Practical Recommendations for 2025

(Relevant as of April 2025)

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i3-7320 processor, released in 2017, belongs to the seventh generation (Kaby Lake) and remains a niche solution for budget systems. Let's take a look at its key parameters:

- Architecture and Process Technology: 14 nm, 2 cores / 4 threads.

- Frequency: Base — 4.1 GHz, no Turbo Boost.

- Cache: L3 — 4 MB.

- TDP: 51 W.

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 630 (base frequency — 350 MHz, maximum — 1.15 GHz).

- Performance: In Geekbench 6 — 1388 (Single-Core) and 2709 (Multi-Core).

Key Features:

- Support for Hyper-Threading technology for multi-threading.

- Integrated graphics capable of running less demanding games (for example, CS:GO on low settings).

- Optimization for everyday tasks: office applications, web surfing, streaming video.

Practical Example: In 2023, a user built a PC on the i3-7320 for work with Excel and Zoom. The system showed stability, but when launching 10+ tabs in Chrome and Word simultaneously, there were stutters.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket: LGA 1151 (revision v2; incompatible with Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake without modifications!).

Chipsets:

- H110, B250, H270, Z270 — officially supported.

- Important: Motherboards with 300-series chipsets (for example, B365) require a BIOS update to work with Kaby Lake, which is not always possible.

Selection Recommendations:

- Budget: ASUS Prime B250M-A ($60-80) — reliable base with HDMI and M.2.

- For Upgrades: Z270 motherboards (for example, MSI Z270-A Pro, $90-110) allow for RAM overclocking.

- Caution! Some new motherboards from 2024-2025 no longer support Kaby Lake due to socket changes.

3. Supported Memory

- Type: DDR4-2133/2400 MHz (officially), but motherboards with Z270 allow overclocking up to DDR4-3000+.

- Maximum Capacity: 64 GB (depends on the motherboard).

- Recommendations for 2025:

- Minimum: 8 GB (2×4 GB) DDR4-2400 — for office tasks.

- Optimal: 16 GB (2×8 GB) DDR4-2666 — for light video editing or gaming.

- Example: A Crucial DDR4-2400 16 GB kit costs around $45.

Important: DDR5 and ECC memory are not supported.

4. Power Supply: How to Avoid Mistakes?

With a TDP of 51 W and no discrete graphics card, a 300 W PSU is sufficient (for example, be quiet! Pure Power 11 300W, $50).

Scenarios:

- Office PC: 300-400 W (with headroom for HDD and peripherals).

- Gaming System: If adding a graphics card like the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (TDP 75 W), a 450 W PSU will be required (EVGA 450 BR, $55).

Advice: Don’t skimp on the PSU! Cheap models (like Apevia) may "power" the system, but will shorten the lifespan of components.

5. Pros and Cons of i3-7320 in 2025

Pros:

- High single-threaded performance — relevant for older games and light tasks.

- Low power consumption — suitable for compact cases.

- Price: New processors (if still available) — around $100.

Cons:

- Only 2 cores — multitasking is limited.

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0, AVX-512.

- Outdated architecture — falls behind even budget AMD Ryzen 3 5300G.

6. Usage Scenarios

- Office and Study: Word, Excel, browser — perfect.

- Multimedia: Streaming 4K (Netflix, YouTube) through iGPU.

- Gaming:

- Fortnite on low settings — 40-50 FPS.

- GTA V — 30-35 FPS (with GTX 1650).

- Work Tasks: Photoshop (light retouching), Visual Studio Code — yes, but video rendering in DaVinci Resolve will be painful.

Real Case: A user employed the i3-7320 paired with a GTX 1050 Ti for streaming music and gaming at 720p. Result: acceptable, but limited FPS in modern projects.

7. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 3 1200 (4 cores/4 threads, $80): Better in multithreaded tasks (rendering), but weaker in single-threaded ones.

- Intel Pentium Gold G6400 (2 cores/4 threads, $75): Less powerful but newer (2020) and cheaper.

- Ryzen 3 5300G (4 cores/8 threads, $130): Leader in the budget segment — higher performance and support for DDR4-3200.

Conclusion: The i3-7320 in 2025 is only relevant as a temporary solution or for upgrading old systems.

8. Assembly Tips

- Motherboard: Look for models with USB 3.1 and M.2 (for example, ASRock B250M Pro4).

- Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, consider the Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 ($25).

- Storage: An SSD is a must (for example, Kingston A400 480 GB — $35).

- Graphics Card: For gaming — GTX 1650 or RX 6400 (don’t require extra power).

Mistake to Avoid: Installing a powerful graphics card (like the RTX 3060) — the processor will become a "bottleneck."

9. Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider i3-7320?

This processor is worth considering:

- For upgrading old PCs on LGA 1151 without replacing the motherboard.

- Budget office systems without multitasking demands.

- Media centers focusing on energy efficiency.

Why not get it in 2025: New processors (like Intel Core i3-13100F or AMD Ryzen 5 5500) offer 4+ cores, support for PCIe 4.0, and DDR5 for $120-150, making the i3-7320 an archaic choice.

Final Note: If you're not tied to an old platform — it’s better to choose a modern equivalent. But for niche tasks, the i3-7320 can still serve!

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2017

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.

i3-7320

Code Name

Kaby 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

4.10 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.

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.

Yes

L3 Cache

4 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

51 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.

DDR4-2133/2400 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V

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

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

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.15 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096x2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

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.

4 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 Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

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 InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1388

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2709

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1005

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2076

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2504

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4844

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon Gold 6312U

1489 +7.3%

Processor U300E

1441 +3.8%

Core i3-7320

1388

Xeon Gold 6538N

1353 -2.5%

Core i9-7960X

1313 -5.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 3 1300X

3155 +16.5%

Xeon E3-1505L v5

2969 +9.6%

Core i3-7320

2709

Xeon E5640

2456 -9.3%

Xeon E5-2430

2231 -17.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i5-7600

1050 +4.5%

Xeon E-2176M

1026 +2.1%

Core i3-7320

1005

Ryzen 5 2600E

981 -2.4%

Core i3-9100E

962 -4.3%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 3500U

2402 +15.7%

Core i5-3330S

2232 +7.5%

Core i3-7320

2076

Core i7-2720QM

1945 -6.3%

Core i7-7600U

1821 -12.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

2572 +2.7%

Xeon E3-1275 v6

2546 +1.7%

Core i3-7320

2504

Xeon W-3223

2452 -2.1%

Xeon Gold 6242

2424 -3.2%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen 3 2300U

5518 +13.9%

Xeon D-1527

5213 +7.6%

Core i3-7320

4844

Core i7-4770TE

4557 -5.9%

Opteron 4386

4378 -9.6%