More cores for the people: Coffee Lake-S with Intel Core i7-8700K and Core i7 8700 in review

For example, you currently only launch two CPUs per class, each with two more cores. If the Core i7 has 6 cores and SMT, which allows 12 threads, the Core i5 can still have 6 cores without SMT. The Core i3 is... The Z370 chipset At first glance, not much has changed about the chipset itself, except that Intel has now reopened up to AMD and has the top three in the nomenclature. PCIe connectivity remains unchanged at 16 Lane... In the AI test of Civilization IV, all CPUs position themselves in a good way as one might expect from the technical data. Even with the Time Spy CPU test, the world of the advertised hierarchies is (almost) still in order. Positive falls here ever... For this benchmark, the Core i7-8700K is exceptionally just ahead of the Core i7-8700, albeit only at average frame rates. The differences are so small that you could almost push everything into the tolerance range. The... Even if a GPU limit is not to be denied here, the CPUs still scale up to a good 140 FPS. However, the overclocked Core i7 of both genrations will no longer bring any extra power, as you can see well on the Min-FPS. ... In Civilization, the overclocked Ryzen 7 1800X can still keep up quite well. Otherwise, the Core i7 are the dominant CPUs in this selection. However, the Core i7-7800X is the inglorious exception, as it still sorts itself behind the... Clock precedes core count and the Core i7-8700 is faster than the K-Pedant. Which brings us to the paradox of our foreword to the tests, where a CPU with nominally lower turbo clock suddenly performs better than the actually more expensive Mo... Project Cars offers a very similar image, in which the non-K model performs a tick faster. The AMD CPUs, on the other hand, have no chance and are clearly behind. Individual results of all maps Other game - same image, except that this time even the older Core i7-7700K can push itself in front of the Core i7-8700K. However, if you run at overclocked to 4.9 GHz with the same clock, the Core i7-8700K is faster again. This shows... This benchmark is effectively in the balance between the two new Core i7, while the core i7-7800X, the core i7-7700K (unclocked) and the AMD CPUs have to be significantly behind. At the same clock, the speed limit is suddenly 4.9 GHz ... In this game, the focus is on the Frame Times and the Min-FPS as a logical consequence. Otherwise, the Core i7-8700 is again a tick faster. The rest repeats itself as well as with the other benchmarks. Single... Important preliminary remark on CPU selection and overclocking Contrary to our usual handling, not benchmarking the productive areas with overclocked CPUs, as it is also rather unlikely in reality, this time we have both Coff... 2D Performance In order to better understand some of the later results, we are putting forward a good old acquaintance. With our GDI/GDI+ benchmark, we are first testing two different output methods for 2D objects, how to... CPU Performance: Workstation Of course, in the production area, not only the 3D graphics performance is important in the production area for the just-set applications, because many things are calculated by the CPU in parallel within these applications (Simu... For these test series, we use benchmarks from the rather versatile SPECwpc suite for workstations, which rely on very different mathematical calculations, which on the one hand can be perfectly parallelized and where it is at the same time a... Overclocking First of all, we are exploring the limits. To make sure that we don't run in thermal limits, because Intel still relies on the tiresome thermal paste between Die and IHS, we initially use the chiller again and cool the... Summary First of all, we would like to thank AMD and their Ryzen family. Without this wake-up call or food for thought, Intel would probably have continued to delight us with now boring four-cores in the consumer sector. But that's how the train-zwan brings...

Summary

First of all, we would like to thank AMD and their Ryzen family. Without this wake-up call or food for thought, Intel would probably have continued to delight us with now boring four-cores in the consumer sector. But the compulsion to move does something that the many customer requests and hopeful enquiries have not been able to do before: Intel (first of all) donates two more cores and at the same time upgrades the Core i5 and Core i3!

So this time the winner is called Intel, but the loser amusingly also. While the astonished mainstream buyer community, as far as it is Intel-savvy, can really rejoice, now all those who have recently opted for the enthusiast platform on the 2066 pedestal are looking into the tube. The six-core core in the form of the Core i7-7800X has now become completely obsolete despite the quad-channel and the expensive X299 boards.

In the end, this model, which was recently pushed as an enthusiast CPU, was literally refurnished by the Core i7-8700K and Core i7-8700. In no benchmark could this CPU and platform justify its price even in the near-inwes. So if you want a echkerner, prefer a high IPC at the same time and maybe not only gamble in the semi-professional area, you are welcome to access here if AMD's Ryzen are not in question.

But despite all the euphoria, not everything that shines so beautifully in the charts is gold, but there are also some shadows. So the turbo behavior of the Core i7-8700K isn't quite a thing of the word. Why this nominally higher clocked CPU in some (but not all!) Scenarios fall behind the Core i7-8700, Intel couldn't or wouldn't tell us.

The Core i7-8700 is also equipped with a lower voltage and a different load line across boards, as counter-tests with gigabyte boards and some other CPUs have shown. This also ensures that, despite many performance advantages, it absorbs a tick less power and also stays a little cooler.

We've been swaying for a long time whether the Core i7-8700 is too fast or the Core i7-8700k is too slow. After the end of all tests, consultations with board manufacturers and colleagues, we tend to be more inclined to the latter. Nothing that a BIOS update couldn't do, but it's a b-notater in the B-note that also shows that even Intel isn't immune from negligence. Blind haste, nonchalance or even both? I don't think we'll ever know.

Nevertheless, the Core i7-8700K is an interesting CPU that will certainly find its lovers and buyers. If you want to overclock, you will receive an offer that is almost unbeatable in this respect. That's why we award an award after a long period of consideration, because the bottom line is that the part simply has an almost irresistible charm for the well-heeled gamer.

Conclusion

It is a CPU from the category "Can you buy, but you don't have to. But he's horny already". If you operate a Core i7-7700K and, if necessary, even overclocked, actually has no reason to upgrade again. The other interested parties could also toy with a Core i5 and real 6 cores, if one can and wants to do without hyperthreading (HT). Then, with the new core diversity, you even have a completely new option. And otherwise? Twelve threads already have their charm, no question.