What is the Intel Core i7 8700k?
If you are in search of a new high end gaming CPU, you might be looking to go with either an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7.
The Core i7 8700K is the flagship from Intel’s 8th generation Coffee Lake processor lineup.
It was released by Intel on October 5, 2017. The 8700K was Intel’s first chance to respond to AMD following the launch of their Ryzen CPUs earlier that year.
Due to Ryzen’s great price to performance ratio, Intel had to lower their prices and improve their performance as well.
That brings up the question, which CPU is worth it: Ryzen 7 or Core i7? In this article, we will be taking a deep look at Intel’s 2017 flagship CPU.
Intel Core i7 8700K Specs and Price
The Intel Core i7 8700K is currently priced at $359.99. It’s specs are as follows.
Architecture - Coffee Lake
Socket - LGA1151
Cores/Threads - 6/12
Base Clock - 3.7GHz
Turbo Clock - 4.7GHz
L3 Cache - 12 MB
PCIE Lanes - 16
Process Technology - 14nm
Memory Support - Dual Channel DDR4-2666
TDP - 95W
Here you can find how the 8700K’s specs match up with other Core i7’s.
Intel Core i7 8700K Performance
The 8700K performs very well when it comes to gaming. Looking at performance data compared with other similar CPUs, and it’s obvious why the 8700K is the winner. With the 8700K’s 6 cores/12 threads and a high per core performance ratio, it makes this CPU one of the best for gaming in its price range. Let’s take a look at how games are performing at 1080p on the Core i7 8700K..
Grand Theft Auto 5 Performance (1080p) - 133 FPS Average
Rise of the Tomb Raider (1080p) - 139 FPS Average
Hitman (1080p) - 146 FPS Average
You can watch here to see more performance details on the 8700K.
While the 8700K usually dominates other CPUs when it comes to gaming, it usually does not perform better than Ryzen when it comes to multitasking or editing. Due to Ryzen’s 8 cores/16 threads, it performs better in tasks that require such power.
Intel Core i7 8700K Overclocking Capability
This CPU is more than able to be overclocked! The 8700K can be pushed as high as 5 GHz. Using an exceptional cooler is a big part of this process. Because this chip has a boost clock of 4.7, it’s important to have a good cooling solution if you plan on overclocking. In this guide, you can see the 8700K being pushed to 5.0 GHz at 1.35v.
Intel Core i7 8700K Contenders
AMD Ryzen 2700X
This CPU is the flagship from AMD’s 2nd Generation Ryzen processors. It’s slightly cheaper than the 8700K but offers similar performance. It was released in April 2018 under the new Zen plus architecture. In most cases, the 8700K barely performs better in gaming while the 2700X performs much better in multiprocessing and content creation.
Price - $309.99
Cores/Threads - 8/16
Base Clock - 3.7GHz
Boost Clock - 4.3GHz
TDP - 105W
Intel Core i7 7700K
The i7-7700K is the predecessor to the 8700K. It was released at the beginning of 2017 and while it has less cores and threads than the 8700K, it’s currently much cheaper and offers close to the same performance in gaming. Anybody who’s looking for a cheaper i7 but don’t need as many threads as the 8700K should look into this CPU.
Price - $304.99
Cores/Threads - 4/8
Base Clock - 4.2GHz
Boost Clock - 4.5GHz
TDP - 91W
Intel Core i5-8600K
Core i5 CPUs have always been a great middle ground for those who don’t need all the extra threads an i7 has. They’re also much cheaper and perform great in most gaming setups. The 8600K is just one step under the 8700K yet nearly $100 cheaper. This CPU is one of Intel’s best bang for buck options.
Price - $264.99
Cores/Threads - 6/6
Base Clock - 3.6GHz
Boost Clock - 4.3GHz
TDP - 95W
Final Verdict
Is the Intel Core i7 8700K worth it?
If you are a dedicated gamer, this processor is definitely worth it! Compared to its competitor, the AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs, it’s gaming performance is better, given a slightly higher price. However if you’re more into multitasking and editing, the Ryzen CPUs generally perform better in those tasks due to more threads. At the end of the day, it’s up to the consumer and what they prefer.
Pros
Greater performance per core than AMD Ryzen
Can be overclocked up to 5 GHz
Better gaming performance than 1st gen Ryzen
Coffee Lake has substantial performance gains over Skylake and Kaby Lake
Cons
Ryzen performs better in video editing/multitasking
Slightly more expensive than Ryzen
If overclocking, a serious cooling setup is necessary
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
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