Ability Consumption, Picking a Winner

This graph sums the situation up really well for me. The overclocked 7350K was 10% slower in the Excel workload and withal it consumed almost 80% more than power than the 7400. For those wondering what you are looking at here is total system consumption.

Finally, here are the consumption results when running the Prime95 stress test, as you can see the overclocked 7350K burns almost equally much power as the Core i7-6700K.

Core i5 Wins This Time

Despite being a lot of fun, going for an overclocked Core i3-7350K doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For the near part, the stock-clocked i5-7400 is just as fast or faster, consumes significantly less power, runs much libation and ultimately ends up costing less. The 7350K should really be avoided. In fact, this goes for the unabridged Kaby Lake Core i3 range and fifty-fifty the higher end Pentium models such as the G4600 and G4620.

The reason for this is Intel's own Pentium G4560, which is an incredible buy at $64.

That's 22% cheaper than the G4600 which costs $82 and nonetheless the G4560 is clocked simply 3% slower. Likewise when looking at the G4620: the G4560 is 31% cheaper while it can't possibly be more than 5% slower.

Moving to the Cadre i3 range, nosotros find the Core i3-7100 retailing for $117. Likewise a bump in operating frequency along with slightly different integrated graphics, this is the verbal same processor equally the G4560.

Clocked at 3.9GHz, the i3-7100 may be eleven% faster, only that doesn't make it worth an lxxx% premium and it simply gets worse every bit you go on. The Core i3-7300 costs well over twice the cost equally the budget Pentium but comes clocked less than 15% greater.

Making matters worse for the i3-7350K, the Core i5-7400 doesn't require an aftermarket cooler to achieve maximum functioning every bit its stock libation is ample, and the 7400 tin also get past with a inexpensive H110 board instead of something from the expensive Z-series.

Since the Z270 boards are the just models with overclocking back up, I have to imagine this is what the 7350K will demand. Throw in some other $thirty or so for a decent air-cooler and you are head and shoulders to a higher place what an entry-level Core i5 setup would toll.

Then there is the affair of power consumption. When overclocked, the dual-core 7350K drinks like camel.

Taking all that into account, I call back you lot guys ought to steer clear of this unlocked Kaby Lake Cadre i3 processor.

Shopping shortcuts:

  • Intel Core i3-7350K on Amazon
  • Intel Cadre i5-7400 on Amazon
  • Intel Core i3-7350K on Newegg
  • Intel Core i5-7400 on Newegg

The way I see it, consumers looking to buy a 7th-generation Intel processor should choose betwixt the Pentium G4560 at $64 or the Core i5-7400 at $200. Equally crazy as it sounds, everything in-between is pointless.