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Intel Core i7-9700F

Intel Core i7-9700F: A Comprehensive Review of the 2025 Processor

Relevance, Performance, and Build Tips

Key Features: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i7-9700F processor, released in 2019, remains a popular choice for budget PCs even in 2025. Its Coffee Lake architecture (14 nm) features 8 physical cores and 8 threads, ensuring high performance in single-threaded tasks. The base clock speed is 3.0 GHz, with Turbo Boost reaching up to 4.7 GHz.

Key Features:

- 12 MB L3 Cache — speeds up data processing in games and applications.

- TDP 65 W — low power consumption for a processor of this caliber.

- No integrated graphics (indicated by the "F" in its name) — requires a discrete graphics card.

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: 1542 (Single-Core), 6255 (Multi-Core).

- In games (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077 or Elden Ring) at Full HD with a graphics card like the NVIDIA RTX 3060, it shows stable performance at 60-90 FPS.

- For rendering in Blender or photo editing in Photoshop, it has enough power, but multi-threaded tasks (like video encoding) are slower compared to competitors with SMT/Hyper-Threading.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 (v2) socket. Supported chipsets include:

- Z390 — overclocking, PCIe 3.0 x16, RAID support.

- H370/B365 — basic functionality without overclocking.

- H310 — budget option with limited ports.

Important! By 2025, new motherboards for LGA 1151 are rarely produced. Look for models on the secondary market or leftover stock:

- ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E ($120–150) — an optimal choice for overclocking.

- MSI B365M Pro-VDH ($70–90) — for budget builds.

Supported Memory: DDR4 and Configuration Tips

The i7-9700F works with DDR4 (up to 2666 MHz in basic chipsets, up to 4400 MHz in Z390 with overclocking). Recommendations:

- Capacity: 16 GB (2x8 GB) — the minimum for gaming and multimedia.

- Latency: CL16 or lower for better responsiveness.

- Example: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200 MHz (CL16) kit — $55–65.

Limitation: DDR5 and PCIe 4.0/5.0 are not supported — this is a significant downside in 2025.

Power Supply: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 65 W, the processor has a modest impact on power consumption. However, considering the graphics card:

- For RTX 3060 (170 W), a PSU of 500–600 W (80+ Bronze/Gold) is sufficient.

- For RTX 4070 (200 W) — 650–750 W.

Tip: Choose models with modular cables (e.g., EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G6 — $90). Avoid cheap noname units to mitigate stability risks.

Pros and Cons of the i7-9700F in 2025

Advantages:

1. High single-threaded performance — relevant for games and applications not optimized for multi-threading.

2. Energy efficiency — suitable for compact builds.

3. Affordable price — $180–220 for a new processor (remaining stock).

Disadvantages:

1. 8 threads compared to 16 of competitors — lags in multitasking.

2. Outdated 14 nm process — higher heat output under load.

3. No support for PCIe 4.0 and DDR5 — limits upgrade potential.

Use Cases: Where Potential Shines Through

1. Gaming: Ideal for Full HD/1440p with a mid-range graphics card (RTX 3060 Ti, RX 7600 XT). In CS2 or Fortnite, it delivers 144+ FPS.

2. Office tasks and multimedia: Quick handling of browsers, office suites, and streaming video.

3. Moderate workloads: 3D modeling in AutoCAD, editing in Premiere Pro (for projects not requiring 8K).

Example: A build with the i7-9700F + RTX 4060 is an excellent choice for streaming games on Twitch.

Comparison with Competitors: AMD vs Intel

1. AMD Ryzen 5 7600 ($230):

- Pros: 6 cores/12 threads, support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

- Cons: Higher price, requires a new motherboard (AM5).

2. Intel Core i5-13400F ($200):

- Pros: 10 cores (6P + 4E), support for DDR4/DDR5.

- Cons: TDP 65 W, but higher performance in multi-threaded tasks.

Conclusion: The i7-9700F lags behind new models but offers a price advantage for builds on older platforms.

Practical Build Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient for standard operation, but opt for a tower cooler (e.g., DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 V2 — $25) for overclocking.

2. Motherboard: If you’re not planning to overclock, consider the B365 — it will save you $50.

3. Storage: Use an NVMe SSD (e.g., Kingston NV2 1 TB — $60) to speed up boot times.

Trap: Do not buy DDR4 with speeds above 2666 MHz for H370/B365 chipsets — they do not support memory overclocking.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i7-9700F?

This processor is worth considering if:

- Your budget is limited to $400–600 for the entire build.

- You need a gaming PC without requirements for 4K or AI tasks.

- You already have an LGA 1151 motherboard — this is a budget upgrade.

Alternative: If you're building a system from scratch in 2025, it’s better to choose the Ryzen 5 7600 or Core i5-13400F for future upgrade potential.

The Intel Core i7-9700F is a “workhorse” for those who appreciate a balance of price and performance. It may no longer be the king, but it remains a worthy contender in its niche.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2019

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.

i7-9700F

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

3.00 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.

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.

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 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 OS Guard

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1542

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

6255

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1167

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

6266

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2762

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13269

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

1655 +7.3%

Ryzen 3 PRO 7330U

1599 +3.7%

Core i7-9700F

1542

Xeon Gold 6338N

1484 -3.8%

Core i5-10400F

1432 -7.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX

7058 +12.8%

Xeon E5-2680 v3

6635 +6.1%

Core i7-9700F

6255

Xeon E5-2670 v3

5826 -6.9%

Core i7-7740X

5516 -11.8%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 3 PRO 7330U

1239 +6.2%

Ryzen 3 5425U

1202 +3%

Core i7-9700F

1167

Core i9-7920X

1137 -2.6%

Xeon Gold 5320T

1116 -4.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon w3-2423

7066 +12.8%

Core i3-13100F

6656 +6.2%

Core i7-9700F

6266

Xeon E5-1680 v2

5956 -4.9%

Xeon E5-4655 v3

5749 -8.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

EPYC 7443

2900 +5%

Xeon E-2226G

2821 +2.1%

Core i7-9700F

2762

Core i7-7700K

2725 -1.3%

Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

2685 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2666 v3

14346 +8.1%

Core i7-1255U

13780 +3.9%

Core i7-9700F

13269

Core i3-12100T

12676 -4.5%

Core Ultra 5 134U

11891 -10.4%