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Intel Core i7-8700K

Intel Core i7-8700K in 2025: Is it worth considering an outdated processor?

April 2025

1. Key Features: Architecture and Performance

Codename and Technology Process

The Intel Core i7-8700K, released in 2017, belongs to the Coffee Lake generation. It is one of Intel's first 6-core processors aimed at the consumer market. The technology process is 14 nm, which is considered outdated by 2025 (modern chips use 5-7 nm). However, at the time of its release, it was a breakthrough: 6 cores and 12 threads with a base frequency of 3.7 GHz and Turbo Boost up to 4.7 GHz.

Key Features

- Hyper-Threading: 12 threads for multitasking.

- Unlocked Multiplier: Overclocking capability (though not all motherboards support it).

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 — suitable for office tasks or emergencies, but not for gaming.

- L3 Cache: 12 MB — sufficient for reducing latency in games and applications.

Performance

According to Geekbench 6 (2025):

- Single-Core: 1576 points — a modest result for 2025 (modern processors score 2000+).

- Multi-Core: 6433 points — acceptable for basic work tasks but lags behind even budget Ryzen 5 7500F (around 8000 points).

Practical Example: In 2023, a user on Reddit built a PC with an i7-8700K and RTX 3060 for gaming at Full HD. In 2025, such a system still runs Cyberpunk 2077 at medium settings (45-60 FPS), but experiences drops in CPU-intensive scenes.

2. Compatible Motherboards: What to Choose in 2025?

Socket and Chipsets

The processor uses LGA 1151 v2. Compatible chipsets include:

- Z370: For overclocking (e.g., ASUS ROG Strix Z370-E).

- H370/B360/H310: Budget boards without overclocking.

Selection Tips

- New Boards: No longer produced. In 2025, only used options remain (price: $50-100) or leftover new ones (up to $150).

- Limitations: No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, Thunderbolt 4.

- Advice: Look for boards with reliable VRM (e.g., MSI Z370-A Pro) — they handle overclocking better.

3. Supported Memory Types

DDR4-2666: Maximum speed without overclocking. Compatible with modules up to 64 GB (depends on the motherboard).

No DDR5: In 2025, this is a critical downside — new games and applications are optimized for high-speed memory.

Recommendations:

- Use 2 DDR4-3200 modules (in XMP mode) for a small performance boost.

- Example: 16 GB Kingston Fury DDR4-3200 (around $60 for a set).

4. Power Supply Units: How Many Watts Do You Need?

Processor TDP: 95 W, but with overclocking, consumption can reach 140-150 W.

Recommendations:

- Without a discrete graphics card: A 400 W PSU (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 400W, $55).

- With a graphics card like the RTX 4060: A 550-650 W PSU (Corsair RM650x, $90).

- Important: Choose units with an 80+ Bronze certification or higher.

5. Pros and Cons of the i7-8700K in 2025

Pros:

- Affordable price: New processors (if available) are $150-200 compared to $250-300 for the Ryzen 5 7600.

- Good multi-core performance for older applications.

- Overclocking potential (up to 5.0 GHz with good cooling).

Cons:

- Outdated technology process: High power consumption and heat output.

- No support for modern standards (PCIe 4.0, DDR5).

- Challenges with upgrades: New GPUs and SSDs may not operate at full speed.

6. Use Cases

Gaming:

- Full HD/Medium Settings: CS2, Fortnite, GTA V — 60+ FPS.

- Modern AAA Titles: FPS drops may occur due to CPU limitations (e.g., Starfield).

Work Tasks:

- Video Editing: In Premiere Pro, rendering 1080p videos will take 20-30% longer than on the Ryzen 5 7600.

- 3D Modeling: Suitable for basic use in Blender.

Multimedia:

- Streaming via Plex.

- Office applications and web browsing.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (2019):

- Cheaper ($100-120 used), but worse in single-core performance (Geekbench 6: ~1400).

- Supports PCIe 4.0 (with a BIOS update).

Intel Core i5-12400F (2022):

- Newer, higher IPC, supports DDR4/DDR5.

- Price for new units: $180-200.

Conclusion: The i7-8700K falls behind modern budget CPUs but outperforms older models thanks to its 12 threads.

8. Assembly Tips

- Cooling: A cooler like the DeepCool AK400 ($35) or the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 (for overclocking).

- Motherboard: Look for models with USB 3.1 and M.2 NVMe (e.g., Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 5).

- Upgrade: If you already have an LGA 1151 v2 board, the i7-8700K is a good replacement for an i3/i5. For new builds, consider the AM5 or LGA 1700 platforms.

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the i7-8700K Suitable For?

This processor is worth considering:

1. For upgrading older systems: If you already have a compatible motherboard.

2. Budget builds: When you need to save money while getting 6 cores.

3. Enthusiasts: For experimentation with overclocking on the second-hand market.

Alternative: If the budget allows, it's better to get the Ryzen 5 7600 or Intel Core i5-13400F — they offer DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support for a small premium.

In 2025, the i7-8700K is a "workhorse" for niche tasks but not a foundation for a future-oriented system.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 2017

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.

i7-8700K

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

3.70 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.

4.70 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.70 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

95 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

1576

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

6433

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1244

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

6481

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2739

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13679

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon W-1270

1693 +7.4%

Xeon W-1290P

1643 +4.3%

Core i7-8700K

1576

Xeon E3-1275 v6

1524 -3.3%

Xeon W-10855M

1472 -6.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon W-2140B

7245 +12.6%

Xeon E-2336

6877 +6.9%

Core i7-8700K

6433

Xeon E5-4627 v4

6078 -5.5%

Xeon Platinum 8256

5678 -11.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U

1331 +7%

Ryzen 7 3800X

1288 +3.5%

Core i7-8700K

1244

Xeon W-3375

1205 -3.1%

Core i9-9960X

1173 -5.7%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U

7230 +11.6%

Core i7-12650H

6868 +6%

Core i7-8700K

6481

Ryzen 5 4600G

6111 -5.7%

Core i7-6850K

5881 -9.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-10320

2839 +3.7%

Core i7-10700T

2772 +1.2%

Core i7-8700K

2739

EPYC 7643

2695 -1.6%

Core i7-12700TE

2661 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2683 v3

14794 +8.2%

Xeon E5-2697 v2

14306 +4.6%

Core i7-8700K

13679

Core i9-9900T

13224 -3.3%

Xeon W-2133

12636 -7.6%