Skip to main content

Specs for Intel’s unlocked Core i3 processor leak– and they’re impressive

8th gen intel core launch
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Following a price list leak, it appears that specs and Geekbench scores for Intel’s upcoming seventh-generation Core i3 processors might have hit the web ahead of the processor’s official unveiling. The Intel Core i3 leak, spotted by Hexus, appears to confirm rumors that the i3 would be unlocked and overclock-ready, a first for the Intel Core i3 range.

The price list leak confirmed the clock speed, price, and SKU for the upcoming unlocked Intel Core i3, but Monday’s leak goes a step further and gives us a peek at the budget desktop CPU’s performance — or it might, assuming the leak is accurate.

The reported Geekbench scores for the Intel Core i3-7350K suggest that the low-end processor is anything but — it easily outperforms previous Intel Core i5 chips in both single- and multi-core scores. According to the leaked scores, the Intel Core i3-7350K received a single-core score of 5137 and a multi-core score of 10048, doubling or nearly doubling fifth and sixth-generation Intel Core i5 performance, according to tests performed by Overclock3d.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

The Intel Core i3-7350K should, according to the leak, retail for around $177, a little less than the lowest-end seventh-generation Intel Core i5, which will retail for around $195. It will also be the first time an Intel Core i3 processor will be available with the ‘K’ designation, indicating that it will be unlocked and support overclocking. It is welcome news for any bargain hunters looking to get some extra juice out of a relatively inexpensive, and apparently very capable, desktop processor.

Out of the box, the Intel Core i3-7350K will have a standard clock speed of 4.2GHz, with two cores and four threads. It’s not quite as capable or robust as the quad-core top-end of the 7th-generation Kaby Lake catalog but as an affordable option, it appears that the Intel Core i3 will start to give the Core i5 a run for its money.

Editors' Recommendations

Jayce Wagner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs. Intel Core i9-13900K: only one choice for PC gamers
AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D inside of its packaging.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Intel Core i9-13900K are undoubtedly two of the best processors you can buy, but they aren't equal. We threw both of the CPUs on the test bench to answer the age-old question: is AMD or Intel better?

Based on our testing, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D wins this bout, mostly on the back of the excellent gaming performance AMD's 3D V-Cache technology brings. Intel's Core i9-13900K still holds up, particularly in productivity apps, but Team Red takes the win this time around.
Pricing and availability

Read more
AMD might finally beat Intel for the fastest mobile gaming CPU
AMD Ryzen 6000 laptop chip.

AMD's Ryzen 9 7945HX, the mobile flagship for this generation, was just spotted in some early benchmarks. The test results show that AMD might be really competitive in gaming laptops this year.

The CPU outpaced its last-gen equivalents by miles, and it kept up with Intel's best processors despite having far fewer cores.

Read more
Intel’s Core i9-13900KS hits 6GHz out of the box, but there’s a catch
Intel Core i9-13900K held between fingertips.

Intel has just launched the Core i9-13900KS, a CPU to end all CPUs -- at least in this generation. This is Intel's most powerful chip right now, fully poised to top the list of the best processors on the market.

This doesn't just mark yet another entry into Intel's impressive CPU arsenal. The Core i9-13900KS stands out as the first consumer processor to hit 6GHz out of the box without extra overclocking. To hit that peak, however, it's going to consume a whole lot of power.

Read more