Intel Kaby Lake Core i3-7350K versus non-K Showdown

CPU by leeghoofd @ 2017-02-26

Time for an update to the Kaby Lake launch article! Even though the multiplier-unlocked K-skew models are fairly priced, still a lot of PC users/builders opt-in for the cheaper variants. Mostly to cut down on the total system price or to maintain a better price/performance balance between the different components. Myself being labeled as a hardcore tweaker/overclocker has a hard time to grasp the previous. The quest for extra performance is never ending, being it for daily usage or for extreme benchmarking. Yet again is all this power required for daily usage? Do gamers need all this processor power or is a cheaper processor also a worthwhile option? Today we will test the Non-K skew Kaby Lake processors series and also compare them to the freshly released Core i3-7350K with the trustworthy MadShrimps test suite.

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Intel Kaby Lake Core i3-7350K and non-K Models

 

Before we start wading through the different benchmarks let us list the new Core i3-7350K and the other Non-K skew Kaby Lake models. From the pretty basic Core i3-7100 to the full-blown Core i7-7700, Intel has got you covered with these non-K skew series.

 

 

None of the i3 models is equipped with the Intel Turbo feature, thus they have to rely on the listed core clocks. One can notice that Intel has done some compensation by allowing some beefy clocks on all these Core i3 processors. The quad core Core i5s of course don't feature a Hyper threading function: not a big issue as real cores are faster and most day to day applications have plenty of calculating power with the available four cores, though the i5 range is clocked significantly lower versus the i3 ones, yet again they can rely on the Turbo feature to achieve higher clocks.

Let us take a closer look at the two flagship K-skew models versus their non-K counterparts, as this will be an interesting comparison throughout this article. It still puzzles me when people invest in a K skew model and they just neglect the fact of overclocking it. Is the slightly higher frequency and therefore higher price justified over the non-K models? Is more always better?

 

Far higher out of the box clocks for the two K skew models versus their non K counterparts. Therefore the TDP is also more elevated at 91W versus 65W for the Non-K ones.

 

 

 

TEST SETUP

Our testsystem remains the same as the one of the initial Kaby Lake article. Thanks to Gigabyte, Tones.be and Seasonic for the provision of the samples!

  • Intel Core i7-7700K, 7700, 7600K, 7600, 7500, 7400, 7350K, 7320 & 7100 CPUs
  • Gigabyte Aorus Z270X Gaming7 (Bios F4Q)
  • Cooled by Be Quiet Silent Loop 240.
  • 16GB G.Skill TridentZ 3600C17 Dual channel memory.
  • MSI Lightning R290X graphics card (2)
  • 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green HDD.
  • Seasonic Snow Silent 760W power supply.
  • Streacom BTC Open Benchtable.

 

 

Benchmark Suite:

 

2D

  •  SuperPI 32M (Single threaded application)
  •  Wprime
  •  Maxon Cinebench R10 & 11.5
  •  Handbrake with 7.8GB Sample file encoding test
  •  Fritz Chess Benchmark

 

3D

  • Futuremark Firestrike Extreme and Ultra
  • Allbenchmark Catzilla 1080 & 1440P
  • Eidos Tombraider
  • 2K Games Bioshock Infinite
  • HWBOT Unigine Heaven
  • Stardock Ashes of Singularity
  • Rockstar Games GTA V

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