The Intel Core i3-7350K (60W) Review: Almost a Core i7-2600K
by Ian Cutress on February 3, 2017 8:00 AM ESTLegacy and Synthetic Tests
At AnandTech, I’ve taken somewhat of a dim view to pure synthetic tests, as they fail to be relatable. Nonetheless, our benchmark database spans to a time when that is all we had! We take a few of these tests for a pin with the latest hardware.
Cinebench R10
The R10 version of Cinebench is one of our oldest benchmarks, with data going back more than a few generations. The benchmark is similar to that of the newest R15 version, albeit with a simpler render target and a different strategy for multithreading.
With high frequency in tow, the Core i3-7350K makes its mark.
When more threads come to play, the Core i5-7400 and Core i7-2600K battle it out in terms of four cores and IPC vs hyperthreading. The Core i3-7350K sits around ~25% behind.
Cinebench R11.5
CB11.5 has been popular for many years as a performance test, using easy to read and compare numbers that aren’t in the 1000s. We run the benchmark in an automated fashion three times in single-thread and multi-thread mode and take the average of the results.
Similar to CB10, the single thread results show that a 4.2 GHz Kaby Lake is nothing to be sniffed at. In the multithreaded test, CB11.5 is more able to leverage the hyperthreads, showing that a Core i7-2600K will run rings around the low end Kaby i5, but is bested by the higher frequency Kaby i5-K. The Core i3 still has that dual core deficit.
7-zip
As an open source compression/decompression tool, 7-zip is easy to test and features a built-in benchmark to measure performance. As a utility, similar to WinRAR, high thread counts, frequency and UPC typically win the day here.
The difference between the i3-7350K and the i5-7400 shows that 7-zip prefers cores over threads, but the Core i7-2600K results show it can use both to good effect, even on older microarchitectures, scoring almost double the i3-7350K.
POV-Ray
Ray-tracing is a typical multithreaded test, with each ray being a potential thread in its own right ensuring that a workload can scale in complexity easily. This lends itself to cores, frequency and IPC: the more, the better.
POV-Ray is a benchmark that is usually touted as liking high IPC, high frequency and more threads. The i7-2600K, despite having double the resources of the Core i3-7350K, is only 30% ahead.
AES via TrueCrypt
Despite TrueCrypt no longer being maintained, the final version incorporates a good test to measure different encryption methodologies as well as encryption combinations. When TrueCrypt was in full swing, the introduction of AES accelerated hardware dialed the performance up a notch, however most of the processors (save the Pentiums/Celerons) now support this and get good speed. The built-in TrueCrypt test does a mass encryption on in-memory data, giving results in GB/s.
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silverblue - Saturday, February 4, 2017 - link
It's a bit weird, but most of them are within margin of error.WoodyBL - Saturday, February 4, 2017 - link
Am I the only one noticing that the i5-4690 was beating the i5-7600k in a lot of benchmarks? I'm having a hard time processing how that was even possible...fanofanand - Sunday, February 5, 2017 - link
Wasn't the 4690 Devil's Canyon? Similar IPC higher clocks I would assume. Most of the changes lately have been hardware decoders/encoders and I/o changes. Intel takes baby steps because it can, hopefully that changes with Ryzen.WoodyBL - Saturday, February 4, 2017 - link
Am I the only one noticing that the i5-4690 was beating the i5-7600k in a lot of benchmarks? I'm having a hard time processing how that was even possible...yankeeDDL - Saturday, February 4, 2017 - link
Glad to see that my 2 years old A10 still trashes anything Intel on integrated graphics.Gothmoth - Saturday, February 4, 2017 - link
no wonder intel is not selling to consumers, complaining about stagnation.the money they make comes from enterprise i guess.
i have not updated my sandy bridge for 6 years.
and i will not until intel gives me a reason.. this is only babysteps.
i had to cash out 1200 euro for a new mobo, cpu, ram, cooler... and for what.... 30% more performance..... meh
TelstarTOS - Saturday, February 4, 2017 - link
"Responsiveness? Top class."No way. It will suck in heavy multitasking.
synth0 - Sunday, February 5, 2017 - link
This is how good a 2011 chip really is!This shows there really isn't much sense to upgrade a PC anymore, and with time it will get even less sense to invest money for an upgrade. What will be in 2024? Are we entering into a stalemate in the PC area?
lopri - Sunday, February 5, 2017 - link
An excellent review but I would rather get a 7600K. Oh, wait. I already have something similar: 2600K.Bullwinkle J Moose - Sunday, February 5, 2017 - link
"The Intel Core i3-7350K (60W) Review: Almost a Core i7-2600K"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.....and not even CLOSE to a Sandy Bridge!
Can the Intel Core i3-7350K use my Optical port in DRM crippled Windows 10 for Audio Production?
Show me how!
Can I record what I hear on the desktop with the DRM crippling API's found in Windows Vista / 7 / 8 and 10 ?
Show me how!
Will it boot "directly" to Windows XP faster than I can on my 35 watt dualcore Sandy Bridge (3-seconds on a Samsung 850 Pro SSD) so I CAN use my optical ports and record whatever I want without a DRM crippled Spyware Platform, or do the new motherboards prevent me from booting to a NON-crippled O.S. like my copy of Windows XP?
Well?
Should I "upgrade" to a crippled platform that prevents me from doing ANYTHING I want to do, but allows me to do only what Microsoft graciously allows me to do?
........ and explain to me again why I should pay more for my own enslavement?