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Intel Core i3-9320

Intel Core i3-9320: Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

Overview, Specifications, and Practical Assembly Tips

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

Coffee Lake Architecture: Tried and True Classic

The Intel Core i3-9320 is a representative of the Coffee Lake generation (2018–2019), manufactured using a 14nm process. Despite its age, the processor remains relevant for budget builds due to:

- 4 cores without Hyper-Threading support (4 threads);

- Base clock speed of 3.7 GHz (no Turbo Boost);

- Integrated graphics UHD Graphics 630;

- TDP of 62 watts — low power consumption.

Key Features:

- Supports DDR4-2400 (dual-channel mode);

- 8 MB of L3 cache;

- Compatibility with PCIe 3.0 (16 lanes).

Performance in 2025:

- In synthetic benchmarks (Cinebench R23), the i3-9320 scores around ~4000 points, which is close to modern budget processors like the Intel N100 but falls short against 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (~7500 points).

- For everyday tasks (office applications, web browsing, 1080p video), it has sufficient power to spare.

Practical Example: In a build with an SSD and 16 GB of DDR4, the processor shows smooth performance in Windows 11 and Linux.

2. Compatible Motherboards

LGA 1151v2 Socket and 300 Series Chipsets

Motherboards suitable for the i3-9320 include those with the following chipsets:

- H310 — basic option (no overclocking, limited ports);

- B360/H370 — optimal choice (USB 3.1 Gen2, M.2);

- Z370/Z390 — for enthusiasts (memory overclocking, more PCIe lanes).

Important Notes:

- BIOS updates may be required for motherboards from 2018–2019.

- Avoid cheap H310 boards with poor VRM cooling — this is critical for stability.

Model Examples:

- ASUS Prime B360M-A (price: $75–90);

- Gigabyte H370 HD3 ($80–100).

3. Supported Memory

DDR4-2400: Price and Speed Balance

The processor works with DDR4-2400 in dual-channel mode. The maximum capacity is 64 GB (dependent on the motherboard).

Recommendations:

- Use 2 modules of 8 GB for dual-channel mode — this will provide an extra 15–20% performance in games and applications.

- In 2025, DDR4 remains affordable: a 16 GB (2x8) kit costs $35–50.

Important: DDR5 and LPDDR4X are not supported.

4. Power Supply: Calculations and Recommendations

Power and Efficiency

With a TDP of 62 watts and no overclocking, a 400–500 W power supply is sufficient, even with a discrete graphics card.

Scenarios:

- Integrated graphics: 300W PSU (e.g., be quiet! SFX Power 3, $45);

- NVIDIA GTX 1660 level graphics card: 450W PSU (EVGA 450 BR, $50);

- Future-proofing: 550–650W if an upgrade is planned.

Tip: Don’t skimp on certifications (80+ Bronze or higher).

5. Pros and Cons

Strong Points:

- Low price ($90–120 for a new processor in 2025);

- Energy efficiency — suitable for compact PCs;

- Integrated graphics — basic gaming and 4K output.

Weak Points:

- 4 threads — limited multitasking (streaming + gaming = lag);

- No PCIe 4.0/5.0 — slow new-generation SSDs won't reach their full potential;

- Outdated architecture — lags behind Ryzen 3 5300G in multi-threading.

6. Use Cases

Gaming:

- UHD 630: CS:2 — 40–50 FPS on low settings at 1080p; Fortnite — 30 FPS.

- With a discrete GPU: Coupled with an RX 6600 — Cyberpunk 2077 on medium 1080p (45–55 FPS).

Work Tasks:

- Office applications, browser — perfect;

- Photo editors (Photoshop) — acceptable, but with delays when applying filters;

- Programming — comfortable for Python and web development.

Multimedia:

- Streaming 4K video (Netflix, YouTube) — hardware decoding via Quick Sync.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X (2020):

- 4 cores / 8 threads, 3.8–4.3 GHz;

- Better at multi-threaded tasks (+30% in Blender);

- Price: $100–130.

Intel Core i3-12100F (2022):

- 4 cores / 8 threads, 3.3–4.3 GHz;

- Supports DDR5 and PCIe 5.0;

- Price: $110–140.

Conclusion: The i3-9320 only wins on price and the availability of integrated graphics.

8. Assembly Tips

- Motherboard: Choose B360/H370 with M.2 for NVMe SSD (e.g., Kingston NV2 500 GB — $35);

- Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quieter operation, replace it with a DeepCool Gammaxx 400 ($20);

- Case: Micro-ATX (Fractal Design Focus 2 Mini — $60) for compactness;

- Optimization: Enable XMP for memory in BIOS.

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the i3-9320 Suitable For?

This processor should be considered by:

- Budget users: PC builds for $300–400;

- Office PCs and media centers: Quiet operation and 4K support;

- Temporary solution: Before upgrading to a more powerful platform.

Why is it still relevant in 2025? Its low price, availability of components, and sufficient performance for basic tasks make it a reasonable choice for those not chasing the latest tech. However, for gaming and professional tasks, it’s better to invest in the Ryzen 5 or a newer Core i5.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 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.

i3-9320

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

3.70 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.

4.40 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.40 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

62 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

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD 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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@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.

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 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 5

Single Core Score

936

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2531

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2711

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7358

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E3-1231 v3

973 +4%

Ryzen 3 7320C

956 +2.1%

Core i3-9320

936

Xeon E3-1220 v5

920 -1.7%

Ryzen 3 2200G

902 -3.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-3720QM

2766 +9.3%

Ryzen 5 3550H

2651 +4.7%

Core i3-9320

2531

Core i5-3450

2376 -6.1%

Core i3-1110G4

2202 -13%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-11300H

2811 +3.7%

Core i7-10875H

2753 +1.5%

Core i3-9320

2711

Core i7-1160G7

2679 -1.2%

Pentium Gold G6605

2642 -2.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i7-8709G

7926 +7.7%

Ryzen 5 2400GE with Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics

7581 +3%

Core i3-9320

7358

Xeon E3-1240 v3

7067 -4%

Core i3-9100E

6868 -6.7%