Intel Core i3-4170 socket: LGA 1150

What the Core i3-4170 is

The Core i3-4170 is a late Haswell dual core with Hyper-Threading for office towers on LGA 1150. Intel set two cores and four threads at 3.7 GHz with 3 MB of Smart Cache. Power is 54 W on 22 nm from March 2015. Intel lists it as Q1 15, later than the May 2014 Haswell wave, which makes it a refresh clock step rather than a new design.

At 3.7 GHz it is among the fastest Haswell i3 clocks for single thread office work. Documents, mail and browser apps feel direct with an SSD. Four threads keep background security tools from stalling foreground work. The fixed frequency without turbo suits fleets that want even behavior across hundreds of desks.

HD Graphics 4400 from 350 MHz to 1.15 GHz covers office monitors with three display support. DDR3-1333 and 1600 over two channels to 32 GB feed the chip at up to 25.6 GB/s. It is a late Haswell socket for buyers who want mature boards and top i3 clocks of the generation.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 4170 fits LGA 1150 on 8 series boards such as H81, B85, H87 and Z87, and on 9 series boards such as H97 and Z97. Haswell is native on both series, so most boards boot it without a BIOS change. Late production dates mean some OEM lists show it under 2015 BIOS revisions, so confirm the exact board entry.

Cooler mounting is 75 × 75 mm for broad fit. The CPU cooler compatibility by socket guide covers stock and tower choice. Chips for LGA 1151 never fit despite similar holes. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide details series pairing.

H81 and B85 remain the office hosts with dual display outputs. Z97 works but adds tuning this locked chip cannot use. Either series runs the 4170 at full 3.7 GHz.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR3-1333 and 1600 plus DDR3L variants in dual channel to 32 GB is the memory target. Eight gigabytes suits Windows fleets with SSDs. Paired sticks help HD 4400 in video meetings. ECC can work on business boards where the chipset wires it, though many office boards omit the feature.

Sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes from the CPU feed one slot for graphics or I/O. Most 4170 systems keep integrated video. Chipset PCIe 2.0 lanes add SATA and USB for drives. Nine series boards add M.2 adapter options per manual.

Stock 54 W cooling is enough at 3.7 GHz in towers with normal airflow. The 37.5 × 37.5 mm FCLGA1150 package fits standard push pin mounts. Keep cables clear of the fan for quiet operation.

Upgrade paths

Within the socket the Intel Core i3-4150 at 3.5 GHz is a slightly slower twin on identical boards and memory. The Intel Core i3-4370 at 3.8 GHz with 4 MB of cache and HD Graphics 4600 is the next thread class step with stronger graphics. Both reuse DDR3, so board support is the only check.

A move to DDR4 needs a new socket and board. The 4170 covers late Haswell offices where top i3 clocks at 54 W are the goal.