Intel Core i3-6320 Review

The Core i3-6320 is one of Intel's entry-level Desktop processors. It was released in 2015 with 2 cores and 4 threads. With base clock at 3.9GHz, max speed at 3.9GHz, and a 51W power rating. The Core i3-6320 is based on the Skylake-S 14nm family and is part of the Core i3 series.

Core i3-6320 is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i3-4350 processor that was based on the Haswell Refresh and 22nm process and was released in 2014.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the Intel Core i3-6320 finally dethrones the A6-7470K as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Core i3-6320 doesn't reach the same single-core performance as AMD, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

Intel Core i3 6th Generation, and the Skylake-S architecture itself, is notable because it leads 14nm processors to the mainstream for the first time. But, there’s a lot more going on under the hood than just a smaller manufacturing node.

But we've also found that, after simple push-button overclocking, the Core i3-6300 offers similar performance to the Core i3-6320, even when it is also overclocked. But for $70 less. The Core i3-6320 is an impressive chip and offers a better mixture of performance than AMD's A6-7470K, no doubt, but in this case, value seekers might opt for its less expensive sibling.

As the higher-priced version of the Core i3-6300, the Core i3-6320 has higher base and Boost frequencies of 3.9 and 3.9 GHz, respectively. That's an increase in base frequency and a bump to boost clocks, but the real advantage should lay in the higher Package Power Tracking (PPT) envelope, which is a measurement of the maximum amount of power delivered to the socket. The Core i3-6300's PPT tops out at 51W, while the motherboard can pump up to 142W to the Core i3-6320 at peak performance. That opens up much more aggressive boost behavior, on both single and multiple cores, that could widen the performance gap beyond what we see on the spec sheet.

But, like most humans, if you do things other than gaming, the Core i3-6320 offers a better mixture of performance in single- and multi-threaded applications. The Core i3-6320 offers twice the threads of the price-comparable A6-7470K, and it wields them to great effect in threaded workloads. As such, rendering and encoding remain a strong suit of the Core i3 chips, and Intel's improvements to AVX throughput have yielded impressive results.

Out of the box, the Core i3-6320 is a better all-arounder than the A6-7470K and offers incrementally higher performance than its downstream counterpart. The bundled cooler reduces platform costs, and a wide array of motherboards offers plenty of choices for builders.

Intel Core i3 6 Generation is finally here, and the Intel Core i3-6320 might just be the poster child for what this generation of processors has in store for consumers. Sure, it might have stuck with the 2-core, 4-thread setup, which it inherited from its predecessor, the Core i3-4350. However, with the new 14nm manufacturing process, it delivers a far better performance at lower power consumption.

The Intel Core i3-6320 was rolled out on Oct 2015 for $157, which puts it in the same general price range as the last-generation Core i3-4350. This means that at least we're not seeing any considerable price jumps from generation to generation.

This decision to 14nm has brought a beefy 15% boost to IPC (instructions per clock) performance. Effectively, compared to a Core i3 4-Generation processor at the same clock speed, you will get a straight 15% increase in performance. That’s not big enough to be evident in day-to-day workloads, but it does still mean something.

One of the nice things about the Intel Core i3-6320 processors is that the retail boxed models come with a CPU cooler. So, you can pick something like the Intel Core i3-6320 up for $157 and don’t need to spend any extra money on CPU cooling.

The Intel Core i3-6320 retail boxed processor comes with the traditional ‘pancake’ CPU cooler. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done on this processor which is rated at 51W TDP. You do not need to have an aftermarket cooling solution unless you want to.

The Intel Core i3-6320 seems to be a decent performing chip that is readily available for $157 at your favorite retailer. The main competition for this processor is the A6-7470K 2-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon R5 (on die) graphics ($215.7 shipped).

Bottom Line, the Intel Core i3-6320 does not get much media attention since it is entry-level 6 Gen Core Skylake-S processor, but it is a very capable processor that still delivers a good computing experience for entry-level users.

If extended overclocking and boost frequencies are trivial matters to you, Intel also offers the Core i3-6300 at $147. It’s still outfitted with 2-cores and 4-threads, but clocks in at a slower 3.8GHz and maxes out at only 3.8GHz.

That said, to squeeze out all the potential of this surprisingly potent entry-level chip, you’ll want (and need) to splurge on an enthusiast-grade Z270, Z370, Z390 motherboard.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i3 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the entry-level with its Core i3-6320 processors, which the company is making available as of Oct 2015.