Intel Core i3-9350KF Review

The Core i3-9350KF is one of Intel's entry-level Desktop processors. It was released in 2019 with 4 cores and 4 threads. With base clock at 4GHz, max speed at 4.6GHz, and a 91W power rating. The Core i3-9350KF is based on the Coffee Lake Refresh 14nm family and is part of the Core i3 series.

Core i3-9350KF is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i3-8350K processor that was based on the Coffee Lake and 14nm process and was released in 2017.

In our mind, the best processors are the ones that deliver outstanding performance at a reasonable price point. And, the Core i3-9350KF absolutely nails this concept.

That something is the Core i3-9350KF. Intel cranks the TDP dial up to 91W on this 4-core 4-thread chip, making it the high-performance counterpart to the 62W Core i3-9320, which is basically the same 14nm chip built with the Coffee Lake Refresh microarchitecture, but with a lower TDP rating. That chip came away from our first look at the Coffee Lake Refresh series with an Editor's Choice award, going toe-to-toe with AMD's Ryzen 5 3400G, so it's fair to say we have high hopes for the higher-performance model. Intel still hasn't sampled the chip to the press, so we bought one at retail to put it under the microscope.

As the higher-priced version of the Core i3-9320, the Core i3-9350KF has higher base and Boost frequencies of 4 and 4.6 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 i3-9320's PPT tops out at 62W, while the motherboard can pump up to 142W to the Core i3-9350KF 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.

The Intel Core i3-9350KF was rolled out on May 2019 for $173, which puts it in the same general price range as the last-generation Core i3-8350K. This means that at least we're not seeing any considerable price jumps from generation to generation.

So which should you buy? Let's get that out of the way. Before this comparison review we updated our Best CPU feature and we said you should go with the Ryzen 5 3400G as it comes with a better stock cooler, can be overclocked, and the AM4 platform offers a significantly better upgrade path.

Moving beyond games, it’s an easy win for the Ryzen 5 3400G. The Ryzen 5 upgrade path on A320, B350, B450, X370, X470, X570 motherboards, all support upcoming Zen+ processors. So if you buy a nice A320, B350, B450, X370, X470, X570 board now with the Ryzen 5 3400G, you’ll be able to slap a Coffee Lake Refresh processor on there later in the year, or whenever you deem it necessary.

Today we’ll be taking a closer look at the Intel Core i3-9350KF 4-core desktop processor that was released in May 2019. Intel offers the Core i3-9350KF without integrated graphics. It runs $173 shipped and is ideal for those that plan on using it a system with a dedicated graphics card.

Our look today at the Intel Core i3-9350KF showed that it is a very capable processor. A 4-core processor sounds like it would be really under-powered these days, but we were pleasantly surprised with a snappy and very capable system. Having just 4 cores had this processor coming in at the back of the pack for heavily threaded workloads, but it performed better than some of its more expensive siblings in lightly threaded workloads where it shined thanks to its high base clocks.

The Intel Core i3-9350KF seems to be a decent performing chip that is readily available for $173 at your favorite retailer. The main competition for this processor is the Ryzen 5 3400G 4-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon Vega 11 graphics ($160 shipped).

Bottom Line, the Intel Core i3-9350KF does not get much media attention since it is entry-level 9 Gen Core Coffee Lake Refresh 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 i3-9320 at $122.44. It’s still outfitted with 4-cores and 4-threads, but clocks in at a slower 3.7GHz and maxes out at only 4.4GHz.

Now the biggest question is can Intel’s Core i3 processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 86% in our benchmarks.

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 i3-9350KF processors, which the company is making available as of May 2019.