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Intel Core i7-8700

Intel Core i7-8700: Review and Relevance in 2025

(Coffee Lake, 14 nm, 6 cores/12 threads)

Key Specifications: Architecture, Performance, and Key Features

The Intel Core i7-8700 processor, released in 2017, remains a popular choice for budget builds even in 2025. Its Coffee Lake architecture is based on a 14-nanometer manufacturing process, which is considered outdated by modern standards (new chips use 7-10 nm), but this is compensated by optimization and stability.

Specifications:

- Cores/Threads: 6/12 — multithreading is relevant for rendering and multitasking.

- Base/Max Frequency: 3.2 / 4.6 GHz — turbo mode effectively handles peak loads.

- L3 Cache: 12 MB — reduces latency in data processing.

- TDP: 65W — low power consumption for its class.

- Integrated Graphics: UHD Graphics 630 — suitable for office tasks and less demanding games (e.g., Dota 2 at low settings).

Key Features:

- Support for Hyper-Threading — parallel processing of tasks.

- Intel Optane Memory and Turbo Boost 2.0 technologies.

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: 1509 (Single-Core), 5893 (Multi-Core) — in 2025, this is sufficient for mid-range gaming and office applications, but for modern AAA games or 3D modeling, an upgrade may be needed.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 v2 socket, compatible only with 300 series chipsets:

- Z370 — overclocking (but i7-8700 is locked for overclocking).

- H370/B360 — the optimal choice for most users: supports USB 3.1 Gen2, up to 64 GB DDR4.

- H310 — budget option, but with limitations on PCIe lanes and ports.

Examples of motherboards in 2025:

- ASUS Prime B360M-A ($90–110) — a balance of price and functionality.

- Gigabyte Z370 HD3 ($120–140) — for those planning an upgrade to overclockable CPUs.

Important: When purchasing a motherboard, check the BIOS version — some models require an update to work with Coffee Lake.

Supported Memory: DDR4 and Setup Tips

The i7-8700 works with DDR4-2666 MHz in dual-channel mode. The maximum capacity is 64 GB.

Recommendations:

- For gaming: 16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR4-2666 — enough for most titles.

- For work tasks: 32 GB (2x16 GB) — for example, while working in Adobe Premiere or Blender.

Important: Motherboards on H370/B360 chipsets do not support XMP profiles, so memory overclocking is only possible on Z370.

Power Supply: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 65 W, the processor is not demanding on the PSU, but it is important to consider other components:

- Without a discrete graphics card: 300–400 W (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 400W).

- With a graphics card like NVIDIA RTX 3060: 550–650 W (Corsair RM650x).

Tip: Don’t skimp on the PSU — low-quality power supplies can reduce system stability.

Pros and Cons of i7-8700 in 2025

Pros:

- Affordable price ($120–150 for new units).

- Energy efficiency — suitable for compact PCs.

- Good multithreading performance.

Cons:

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0 — a limitation for modern SSDs and graphics cards.

- Outdated 14-nanometer process.

- Locked multiplier — cannot be overclocked.

Usage Scenarios: Where the Processor Is Relevant

1. Office tasks and multimedia:

- Working with browsers, MS Office, streaming video (4K via iGPU).

2. Gaming:

- CS:2, Fortnite, GTA V — with a discrete graphics card (e.g., GTX 1660 Super).

- In AAA titles (Cyberpunk 2077), possible FPS drops due to Single-Core limitations.

3. Work tasks:

- Video editing in 1080p (Premiere Pro), 3D modeling in Blender (average rendering speed).

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (6/12, 7 nm):

- Pros: Support for PCIe 4.0, unlocked multiplier.

- Cons: Lower Single-Core performance (Geekbench 6 ~1350).

- Price: $130–160.

Intel Core i5-12400F (6/12, 10 nm):

- Pros: Higher IPC, support for DDR5.

- Cons: More expensive ($180–200).

Conclusion: i7-8700 loses to newer models in energy efficiency and speed but wins in price.

Building Tips for a PC Based on i7-8700

1. Cooling:

- The stock cooler is adequate, but for quiet operation, consider the DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 ($25).

2. Motherboard:

- Avoid H310 — limitations on slots and ports.

3. Upgrade:

- If PCIe 4.0 is needed, consider replacing it with i5-13400 or Ryzen 5 7600.

Final Conclusion: Who Is the i7-8700 Suitable For in 2025?

This processor is a choice for those who:

- Are building a budget PC for office work, studies, or a media center.

- Are looking for a temporary solution before transitioning to modern platforms.

- Are not ready to spend $200+ on a CPU but want 6 cores/12 threads.

Alternative: If the budget allows, it’s better to get a Ryzen 5 5500 or i3-13100F — they offer better performance for a small additional cost.

In 2025, the i7-8700 remains a "workhorse" for non-demanding tasks, but its lifespan is nearing an end. However, it is still relevant for the second-hand market and minimalist builds.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2018

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i7-8700

Code Name

Coffee Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

3.20 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

L3 Cache

12 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1151

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

65 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2666

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

41.6 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.20 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

12 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1509

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

5893

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1119

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

5561

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2739

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13679

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core Ultra 5 135U

1632 +8.2%

Xeon E-2176G

1562 +3.5%

Core i7-8700

1509

Xeon E-2124G

1453 -3.7%

Core i3-9300T

1407 -6.8%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-1365UE

6796 +15.3%

Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE

6350 +7.8%

Core i7-8700

5893

Xeon E5-1650 v4

5553 -5.8%

Core i7-10700T

5322 -9.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i9-9900K

1178 +5.3%

Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U

1146 +2.4%

Core i7-8700

1119

Xeon W-2191B

1102 -1.5%

Core i7-9850H

1076 -3.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 4600G

6111 +9.9%

Core i7-6850K

5881 +5.8%

Core i7-8700

5561

Xeon E7-4830 v2

5279 -5.1%

Core i7-4930K

5025 -9.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Platinum 8454H

2839 +3.7%

Core i7-10700TE

2772 +1.2%

Core i7-8700

2739

Xeon E-2176G

2694 -1.6%

Xeon W-2235

2660 -2.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen 3 PRO 8300GE

14719 +7.6%

Xeon E5-2673 v3

14290 +4.5%

Core i7-8700

13679

Xeon E5-2660 v3

13208 -3.4%

Xeon E5-2680 v2

12605 -7.9%