In first for Intel, the company is finally releasing an unlocked version of their Core i3 series of CPUs. As a part of the new upcoming Kaby Lake lineup, the i3 7350K is expected to offer a new alternative to the unlocked i5 in terms of overclocking and be tailored towards single threaded performance. According to new reports out today, Intel may be holding back the 7350K from the initial Kaby Lake launch.
Expected to be priced at $175, the 7350K is the main new addition to their usual lineup, throwing in an unlocked dual-core CPU with Hyper-Threading. Other than the new chip, the only major difference is the new 14nm+ process which is supposed to improve peak performance and efficiency. It’s a shame that Intel is holding back the most sought after Kaby Lake chip. Of course, it is understandable as Intel likely doesn’t want to cannibalize regular and unlocked i5 sales.
Clocked at 4 GHz base and boosting up to 4.2 GHz, the 7350K has already shown itself an equal in leaked benchmarks of the similarly priced i5s. While there is some risk of cannibalization, the profit for Intel should roughly be the same. The big competition I am seeing is likely from AMD’s new Zen processors. Leaked pricing has suggested we may be seeing an unlocked 4 core 8 thread Zen at about $150. If that price holds true, it will be interesting to see how Intel will have to respond to what is essentially an i7 being offered at half the price.
