Intel is set to launch their new Kaby Lake processors at CES 2017 on January 5, but reports are coming in claiming that the dual-core Core i3-7350K won’t be part of the company’s launch lineup. The unlocked Core i3 CPU, rumored a while back, is apparently delayed by several weeks.

Intel Core i3-7350K offers Quad-core i5 levels of Performance

In the past, we have seen Intel releasing K-series of their Core i5 and Core i7 CPU ranges; however that is going to change with the first of its kind Core i3-7350K. The dual-core, four thread Kaby Lake chip comes with high out-of-the-box clock speed, offering an impressive gaming solution to extreme value-conscious consumers.

Built using Intel’s 14nm Plus process, the Core i3-7350K features a 4GHz base clock and a 4.2GHz turbo frequency. We can expect enthusiasts to even tune it up to a steady 5GHz with minimal effort thanks to the overclocking friendly unlocked multiplier.

Early benchmarks for the 7350K show the CPU achieving the same levels of performance as a quad-core i5 processor of the same price. The Kaby Lake i3 chip hits a single-core score of 5137 which is significantly faster than any stock Core i5 out there.

The chip also scores impressive 10048 points in multi-core performance to come on par with the Core i5-6400 and i5-4670K.

Moreover, the Core i3-7350K features 4MB of L3 cache with a TDP rated at 91W. In terms of the pricing, the chip is rumored to retail for $177.

Core i3-7350K Not Launching On Jan.5, Delayed by Several Weeks

The Japanese tech news site Hermitage Akihabara reports that the new Kaby Lake chips for desktops and notebooks have already arrived in shops, but certain models including Intel’s only “innovative” product Core i3-7350K, are absent from the lineup.

This indicates that the unlocked Core i3 CPU will not be going up for sale alongside the rest of Intel’s 7th-generation processors on Jan. 5. Apparently, Intel is delaying the launch of the 7350K as well as its entry-level Celeron and Pentium families of processors by several weeks.

This could be to prevent the small yet powerful chip to simply eat through Intel’s Core i5-7400 sales, at least in early days of launch. While the i3-7350K could cannibalize the i5 chip when it launches, Intel might have deemed the move necessary in the face of renewed competition from AMD Ryzen processor in 2017.