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Intel Core i3-7350K

Intel Core i3-7350K: A Nostalgia for Budget Overclocking. Is it Worth Considering in 2025?

Introduction

The Intel Core i3-7350K processor, released in 2017, has become an unusual phenomenon in Intel's lineup. It is the only processor in the i3 series with an unlocked multiplier, which attracted the attention of budget-conscious enthusiasts. But after 8 years, is it still relevant in 2025? Let's take a closer look.

Key Specifications: Architecture and Features

Codename and Manufacturing Process

The processor is built on the Kaby Lake architecture (7th generation Intel) with a 14nm manufacturing process. Despite the outdated process by modern standards, it represented an advancement over Skylake in 2017 due to optimizations in energy efficiency.

Cores, Threads, and Cache

- 2 Cores / 4 Threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Base Frequency: 4.2 GHz (without Turbo Boost).

- L3 Cache: 4 MB.

Key Features

- Unlocked Multiplier — the main draw for overclocking.

- Support for DDR4-2400 memory.

- Integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 (suitable for basic tasks).

Performance

- Geekbench 6: 1425 (Single-Core), 2815 (Multi-Core).

- In 2025, these scores are comparable to modern budget CPUs, like the Intel Pentium Gold G7400 (Single-Core ~1500), but its multi-threaded performance lags behind even budget Ryzen 3 processors.

Compatible Motherboards: Choosing Considerations

Socket and Chipsets

- Socket LGA 1151 (version v2).

- Chipsets: H270, B250, Z270. For overclocking, a Z270 motherboard is essential (for example, ASUS ROG Strix Z270E).

Features

- Kaby Lake motherboards are not compatible with Coffee Lake processors (8th-9th generations) due to pinout changes.

- In 2025, new motherboards for LGA 1151 are not being produced. Prices for used Z270 models start at $50, but finding them in good condition can be challenging.

Practical Example

User builds with the i3-7350K often utilize ASRock Z270 Pro4 or MSI Z270-A Pro boards. However, when buying a used board, it's important to check the condition of the VRM modules — they may degrade after prolonged overclocking.

Memory Support: Only DDR4

Types and Frequency

- Officially supports DDR4-2400 (dual-channel mode).

- Maximum capacity: 64 GB (4 slots × 16 GB).

Recommendations

- For maximum performance, use two DDR4-2400 modules (for example, Kingston HyperX Fury 16 GB × 2).

- DDR5 and other standards are not supported due to limitations of the memory controller in the processor.

Important Note

In 2025, while DDR4 falls behind DDR5 in bandwidth, for the i3-7350K, this difference is not critical — it will not fully utilize modern memory’s potential.

Power Supplies: Minimum Isn’t Always Enough

Power Calculation

- Processor TDP: 60 W.

- When overclocked to 4.8–5.0 GHz, power consumption can reach 90–100 W.

- Considering a GPU (for example, GTX 1660 Super) and other components:

Recommended PSU Power: 450–550 W (for example, Corsair CX550M or Seasonic S12III-500).

Tips

- Don’t skimp on the PSU. Cheap models with low efficiency can lead to unstable operation when overclocking.

- If you plan to upgrade to more powerful components, choose a PSU with a buffer (650 W).

Pros and Cons: A Look After 8 Years

Pros

- High single-threaded performance (relevant for older games).

- Overclocking potential on budget platforms.

- Low power consumption at stock settings.

Cons

- Only 2 cores — multitasking and modern games (like Cyberpunk 2077) will struggle.

- Price: In 2017, the processor cost $179, which was high for an i3. Now, used options sell for $40–60, but new units are nearly unavailable.

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

Use Cases: Who is it Still Relevant For?

1. Retro Gaming

The processor can handle 2010s titles (The Witcher 3, GTA V) in conjunction with a GPU like the GTX 1060. However, in 2025 titles (like Starfield), the 2 cores will become a bottleneck.

2. Office Tasks

Document work, browsing, video conferencing — the i3-7350K is still adequate here.

3. Home Media Center

Connect it to a TV for streaming (Netflix, YouTube) or emulating retro consoles (via RetroArch).

4. Educational Projects

An inexpensive PC for learning programming or surfing the web.

Comparison with Competitors: Then and Now

2017

- Ryzen 3 1200: 4 cores / 4 threads, overclockable, but lower IPC. In games, the i3-7350K performed better, while Ryzen excelled in multi-threaded tasks.

- Intel Core i5-7400: 4 cores without Hyper-Threading. Better in multi-threading but more expensive and not overclockable.

2025

- Intel Core i3-13100F: 4 cores / 8 threads, Single-Core ~2400 in Geekbench 6. New price — $110.

- AMD Ryzen 5 5500: 6 cores / 12 threads, Single-Core ~2000. Price — $120.

Conclusion

The i3-7350K falls behind modern budget CPUs even in single-threaded tasks. Its advantage lies in its extremely low price on the second-hand market.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling

For overclocking, a cooler of the DeepCool Gammaxx 400 level (around $25) is required. The stock cooler is inadequate even for stock frequencies.

2. Graphics Card

Choose a GPU in the range of the NVIDIA GTX 1650 or AMD RX 6400 to avoid bottlenecking due to the 2 cores.

3. Storage

An SSD is essential (for example, Kingston A400 480 GB). An HDD will slow down the system.

4. Operating System

It’s better to use Windows 10. Official support for Windows 11 is absent.

Final Conclusion: Who is the i3-7350K Suitable for in 2025?

This processor is worth considering for:

- Enthusiasts looking to build a PC for experimentation with overclocking on a minimal budget.

- Owners of legacy systems with Z270 boards who want to upgrade their CPU without replacing the motherboard.

- Specific tasks: retro PC, media center, backup computer.

Why Shouldn’t You Get It?

- For modern gaming and professional tasks, 2 cores are insufficient.

- Lack of support for new technologies (PCIe 4.0, DDR5).

If your budget is limited to $100–150, it’s better to look for a used Ryzen 5 3600 or a new Intel i3-13100F. But if you value nostalgia and love to "revive" older hardware — the i3-7350K can still surprise.

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.

i3-7350K

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

4.20 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

60 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

1425

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2815

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1165

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2663

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2568

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4943

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-10505

1532 +7.5%

Xeon Gold 5418Y

1478 +3.7%

Core i3-7350K

1425

Core i5-9400

1378 -3.3%

Core i3-9100E

1347 -5.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-7400

3214 +14.2%

Core i5-6402P

3017 +7.2%

Core i3-7350K

2815

Core i7-3770K

2521 -10.4%

Xeon E3-1280 v2

2306 -18.1%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon W-1270

1235 +6%

Xeon Gold 6414U

1197 +2.7%

Core i3-7350K

1165

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

1136 -2.5%

Xeon W-2265

1114 -4.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-6820EQ

2918 +9.6%

Core i5-4590S

2775 +4.2%

Core i3-7350K

2663

Core i5-4670S

2537 -4.7%

Core i5-7442EQ

2387 -10.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i9-10980XE

2653 +3.3%

Core i3-1115G4E

2609 +1.6%

Core i3-7350K

2568

Core i5-7640X

2532 -1.4%

Core i9-7980XE

2494 -2.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-7440HQ

5542 +12.1%

Opteron 6272

5240 +6%

Core i3-7350K

4943

Atom x7433RE

4611 -6.7%

Core i3-1110G4

4390 -11.2%