Intel Core i3 4350 2-core LGA 1150

The Intel Core i3-4350 is a Haswell-era dual-core desktop CPU that still handles everyday computing, office work, and light media server duties surprisingly well. Its low 54W power draw and solid single-thread performance make it a decent pick for reviving an old LGA 1150 system at the right price. Just don't expect it to game, and don't overpay, used prices swing wildly from USD 59 to USD 200.

The i3-4350 scores 3619 in PassMark multi-thread and 1970 in single-thread. Those numbers put it at the 32nd percentile for multi-thread and 52nd for single-thread in our database. In plain English: it's about average for single-core tasks and well below average when you ask it to do many things at once. The 3.6GHz clock speed is respectable for its age, and Haswell's IPC holds up better than you'd expect for light workloads. But two physical cores is two physical cores. Heavy multitasking, video editing, or anything that scales across many threads will feel sluggish.

The 54W TDP is a genuine bright spot. This chip sips power compared to the 95W and 125W monsters of its era, which makes it a solid pick for a small form factor build or a always-on home server. The boxed cooler that comes with it is adequate, nothing fancy, but you won't need an aftermarket solution unless you're pushing it hard in a cramped case. Memory support tops out at 32GB of DDR3, which is plenty for what this chip can realistically handle.

Stacked against something like the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, the i3-4350 looks ancient. The Ryzen has six cores, twelve threads, and modern DDR5 support, and it absolutely demolishes the i3 in every benchmark that matters. But that's not a fair fight, the Ryzen costs several times more and targets a completely different buyer. The real question is whether the i3-4350 beats other used LGA 1150 chips. Against the Xeon E5-2637 V2, the i3 actually holds its own in single-thread performance thanks to that 3.6GHz clock, though the Xeon's extra cores win in multi-threaded workloads. The Phenom II X6 is a six-core chip from an even older era, and while it has more physical cores, its per-core performance is weak enough that the i3 often feels snappier in day-to-day use. For a budget office build or light server, the i3-4350 is a reasonable middle ground, but it's not the best at anything.

Here's where things get tricky. The i3-4350 has no official retail price anymore, it's a used market product now. Our data shows USD listings ranging from USD 59 to USD 200 across just two US sellers, and EUR listings spanning EUR 295 to EUR 589 across four European stores. That's a massive spread, and honestly, anything near the top of those ranges is a bad deal. At USD 59, this chip makes sense for reviving an old LGA 1150 board or building a dirt-cheap office PC. At USD 200, you're better off buying a modern budget CPU with a warranty. The best US deal in our database comes from Newegg, but even then, shop around before you commit. For European buyers, those EUR prices are frankly absurd for a 2013 dual-core, and you should look at used marketplaces instead of retail listings.

The Intel Core i3-4350 is a Haswell-era dual-core desktop processor that still pops up in budget builds and office refreshes. It runs at a fixed 3.6GHz with Hyper-Threading for four threads, packs 4MB of L3 cache, and slots into any LGA 1150 motherboard. If you're hunting for a cheap CPU to keep an older system alive, this chip sits in that weird space where used prices range from USD 59 to USD 200 depending on the seller. Our database puts it at the 50th percentile for affordability, which tells you it's not a screaming deal everywhere, but it's not highway robbery either.

People searching for this chip usually want to know one thing: is it still usable in 2025? For everyday computing, the answer is mostly yes. Web browsing, Office apps, Quicken, and general desktop stuff all run fine, especially paired with an SSD. Owners report 22-second boot times with a solid state drive, and the chip handles light video transcoding without breaking a sweat. One Plex server owner said it managed three simultaneous 720p streams without missing a beat. That's not nothing for a dual-core from 2013.

But let's be clear about what this isn't. The integrated HD Graphics 4600 is fine for desktop work and video playback, but it's not a gaming GPU. Not even close. If you're building a budget gaming rig, you'll need a dedicated graphics card, and even then, the CPU will hold you back in modern titles. This is a productivity chip first, a media server chip second, and a gaming chip never.

Skip this chip if you're building a new PC from scratch, if you want to play modern games, or if you do heavy multitasking like video editing, 3D rendering, or running virtual machines. The two physical cores will choke on those workloads, and the DDR3 platform is a dead end. If you need a cheap CPU for a new build, look at a modern budget option like a Ryzen 3 or Core i3 from the last few generations. If you need gaming performance, save up for something with a real GPU and at least four physical cores. And if you're in Europe seeing those EUR 295 to EUR 589 retail listings, just walk away, those prices are not worth it for a 2013 dual-core.

Should you buy the Intel Core i3-4350? If you already own an LGA 1150 motherboard and need a cheap CPU to keep it running, sure, at the right price. Around USD 59 to USD 80, this chip is a perfectly fine way to breathe life into an old system for web browsing, office work, or a lightweight Plex server. The low power draw and decent single-thread performance make it a pleasant chip to live with in those roles.

But if you're building a new system from scratch, don't. Modern budget CPUs from both Intel and AMD offer dramatically better performance, newer platforms, and actual warranties for not much more money. And if gaming is anywhere on your list, this chip will frustrate you. The integrated graphics are fine for desktop use and video playback, but they're not built for 3D games, and the CPU itself will bottleneck any modern dedicated GPU you pair with it. This is a chip for keeping old machines alive, not for building new ones.