Final Thoughts
So this is Intel’s first Core i3 processor with HyperThreading technology, and I think it is pretty cool that Intel did this. Just like in 2014 when Intel released the Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition, this processor has many enthusiasts very excited. Except this time we not only get a fully unlocked processor, but one that features HyperThreading. This means that you will see a performance boost in multi-threaded applications. Now in no way will this processor compete against Intel’s quad-core Kaby Lake processors or even Skylake processors, but for $168 you are getting quite a lot. The biggest thing is that if you are doing simple tasks like web browsing, word processing or other similar tasks you are not going to notice a difference between this chip and other more expensive chips. It is only when you go into more heavy tasks you will. This is thanks to great single-threaded performance brought on by the high default clock speed of 4.20 GHz.
When it comes to overclocking the Core i3-7350K did quite well in our tests. We were able to bring it up from its stock speed of 4.20 GHz all the way to 5.0 GHz by simply upping the frequency to 50 and the VCore votlage to 1.4V. This is an overclock that even a novice can perform in just minutes. 5.0 GHz is quite good, as we’ve seen Kaby Lake has had better overclocking results than Skylake. This is also great as this processor does not have a boost frequency.
At the end of the day the question is should you get this processor? Well if you are on a budget, but want to learn and get into overclocking it is a good choice. You can pretty much learn all of the fundamentals of overclocking on this chip. If you do plan on doing gaming this is a less expensive alternative to a Core i5 chip, but you are going to get less performance. Remember single-threaded performance is great, but you’ll notice a difference when you get into more demanding heavily threaded applications. I think this is a great chip, and again really cool that Intel gave us a fully unlocked Core i3 processor with HyperThreading! Right now you can pick this processor up at our favorite online retailer for $168. ThinkComputers would like to award the Intel Core i3-7350K Kaby Lake Processor our Recommended Award.
Pros:
– Inexpensive
– HyperThreading & Fully unlocked
– Great single-thread performance
– Good overclocking
Cons:
– Will not complete with Intel quad-core parts
