Intel Coffee Lake (8th & 9th Gen Core CPUs) + Skylake-X Refresh & W-3175X MegaThread! FAQ and Resources

[minigaming]

What's the chance of someone hacking a z270 bios to allow coffee lake processors? 0?

Gamer's Nexus talked briefly about it. Earlier engineering boards for Z270 did support inter-compatibility.

Click here for link

Thanks. Hopefully someone can make a bios update for my Gigabyte Aorus Z270X-Gaming 7 motherboard so I can upgrade the 7700k to the 8700k. There is no way this board isn't capable of the power delivery needs claimed by intel. Otherwise I'll just stay with the 7700k for a while longer.

The chances of doing it successfully are zero. The pin configurations are different, Socket 1150 had 46 reserved pins. Socket 1150v2 has, I believe, 21 reserved pins. Not only are their 25 newly activated pins, but many of the other pin locations/functions have been changed. If you install a Coffee Lake S processor into a Socket 1151, it will probably be fried. The best thing that can happen is it simply won't work. The reverse is also true. Do not be the one who attempts it.

Intel has gone out of their way, again and again, to explain this. Why so many people can't understand is a complete mystery to me.

So you're saying that manufacturers to Gamers Nexus were lying that board support on z270 was there? I don't buy Intel's explanation and plenty of other people don't either.

 

[ibjeepr]

What's the chance of someone hacking a z270 bios to allow coffee lake processors? 0?

Gamer's Nexus talked briefly about it. Earlier engineering boards for Z270 did support inter-compatibility.

Click here for link

Thanks. Hopefully someone can make a bios update for my Gigabyte Aorus Z270X-Gaming 7 motherboard so I can upgrade the 7700k to the 8700k. There is no way this board isn't capable of the power delivery needs claimed by intel. Otherwise I'll just stay with the 7700k for a while longer.

The chances of doing it successfully are zero. The pin configurations are different, Socket 1150 had 46 reserved pins. Socket 1150v2 has, I believe, 21 reserved pins. Not only are their 25 newly activated pins, but many of the other pin locations/functions have been changed. If you install a Coffee Lake S processor into a Socket 1151, it will probably be fried. The best thing that can happen is it simply won't work. The reverse is also true. Do not be the one who attempts it.

Intel has gone out of their way, again and again, to explain this. Why so many people can't understand is a complete mystery to me.

So you're saying that manufacturers to Gamers Nexus were lying that board support on z270 was there? I don't buy Intel's explanation and plenty of other people don't either.

From what I've read/heard Intel did find that 8th gen would work on SOME Z270 boards (mostly high end ones) but since it would not work on all, due do variances in the quality, they scrapped all Z270 support rather than risk the number issues they would face.

 

[minigaming]

What's the chance of someone hacking a z270 bios to allow coffee lake processors? 0?

Gamer's Nexus talked briefly about it. Earlier engineering boards for Z270 did support inter-compatibility.

Click here for link

Thanks. Hopefully someone can make a bios update for my Gigabyte Aorus Z270X-Gaming 7 motherboard so I can upgrade the 7700k to the 8700k. There is no way this board isn't capable of the power delivery needs claimed by intel. Otherwise I'll just stay with the 7700k for a while longer.

The chances of doing it successfully are zero. The pin configurations are different, Socket 1150 had 46 reserved pins. Socket 1150v2 has, I believe, 21 reserved pins. Not only are their 25 newly activated pins, but many of the other pin locations/functions have been changed. If you install a Coffee Lake S processor into a Socket 1151, it will probably be fried. The best thing that can happen is it simply won't work. The reverse is also true. Do not be the one who attempts it.

Intel has gone out of their way, again and again, to explain this. Why so many people can't understand is a complete mystery to me.

So you're saying that manufacturers to Gamers Nexus were lying that board support on z270 was there? I don't buy Intel's explanation and plenty of other people don't either.

From what I've read/heard Intel did find that 8th gen would work on SOME Z270 boards (mostly high end ones) but since it would not work on all, due do variances in the quality, they scrapped all Z270 support rather than risk the number issues they would face.

Right. Which proves that any other explanations about pins changing or other supposed changes are BS. If it was completely different, then no z270 boards should support it. So here's hoping the boards that did work get a hacked bios. I don't agree with locking out all the boards just because some didn't work. Allow the manufacturers to make a bios update for their board if its found to be compatible. If it works, bios update. Doesn't work, no bios update. I don't see what the problem is with that, but of course it's not going to happen.

 

[Hellfire13]

3:25 to 4:00...a brief summary of why z270 was not considered by Intel... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1X8__02rQ

In detail... http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-coffee-lake-z270-z370-motherboard,35554.html

 

[manleysteele]

What's the chance of someone hacking a z270 bios to allow coffee lake processors? 0?

Gamer's Nexus talked briefly about it. Earlier engineering boards for Z270 did support inter-compatibility.

Click here for link

Thanks. Hopefully someone can make a bios update for my Gigabyte Aorus Z270X-Gaming 7 motherboard so I can upgrade the 7700k to the 8700k. There is no way this board isn't capable of the power delivery needs claimed by intel. Otherwise I'll just stay with the 7700k for a while longer.

The chances of doing it successfully are zero. The pin configurations are different, Socket 1150 had 46 reserved pins. Socket 1150v2 has, I believe, 21 reserved pins. Not only are their 25 newly activated pins, but many of the other pin locations/functions have been changed. If you install a Coffee Lake S processor into a Socket 1151, it will probably be fried. The best thing that can happen is it simply won't work. The reverse is also true. Do not be the one who attempts it.

Intel has gone out of their way, again and again, to explain this. Why so many people can't understand is a complete mystery to me.

So you're saying that manufacturers to Gamers Nexus were lying that board support on z270 was there? I don't buy Intel's explanation and plenty of other people don't either.

From what I've read/heard Intel did find that 8th gen would work on SOME Z270 boards (mostly high end ones) but since it would not work on all, due do variances in the quality, they scrapped all Z270 support rather than risk the number issues they would face.

Right. Which proves that any other explanations about pins changing or other supposed changes are BS. If it was completely different, then no z270 boards should support it. So here's hoping the boards that did work get a hacked bios. I don't agree with locking out all the boards just because some didn't work. Allow the manufacturers to make a bios update for their board if its found to be compatible. If it works, bios update. Doesn't work, no bios update. I don't see what the problem is with that, but of course it's not going to happen.

The information about the pin changes is readily available and has been for some time. By all means, do as you please about it and believe what you want.

 

[-Fran-]

Oh... Pin routing... You younguns' don't remember Slot 1 and Socket 370 it seems!

I'm not saying a company will actually provide adapters (they bring a world of pain if you don't know 100% what you're getting into), but if there's a company that *really* wants to provide a way to have CoffeeLake in their MoBos, they can always provide it. And they can shove all of Intel's "justifications" down the piper.

Cheers!

 

[goldstone77]

3:25 to 4:00...a brief summary of why z270 was not considered by Intel... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1X8__02rQ

In detail... http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-coffee-lake-z270-z370-motherboard,35554.html

I watched the video you linked, and I link the time pointing to the explanation, which he admits is was working on some Z270 boards. He states Intel's reasoning for the switch, which many reviews don't buy the justifications!
https://youtu.be/yi1X8__02rQ?t=205

Not all Z270's but a few of them had issues.

From the article you link from tom's:

Whether the existing Z270 motherboards, many of which offer beefy power delivery, could potentially satisfy the needs of the Coffee Lake processors will be a hot-button debate for some time to come. We've requested additional details from Intel regarding the socket and pin-out, but we await further details.

 

[Hellfire13]

3:25 to 4:00...a brief summary of why z270 was not considered by Intel... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1X8__02rQ

In detail... http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-coffee-lake-z270-z370-motherboard,35554.html

I watched the video you linked, and I link the time pointing to the explanation, which he admits is was working on some Z270 boards. He states Intel's reasoning for the switch, which many reviews don't buy the justifications!
https://youtu.be/yi1X8__02rQ?t=205

Not all Z270's but a few of them had issues.

From the article you link from tom's:

Whether the existing Z270 motherboards, many of which offer beefy power delivery, could potentially satisfy the needs of the Coffee Lake processors will be a hot-button debate for some time to come. We've requested additional details from Intel regarding the socket and pin-out, but we await further details.

I know that already. So, your point being???

 

[juanrga]

As explained before the new chipset is required for giving power to extra two cores and dealing with faster RAM. Some changes detailed

https://twitter.com/david_schor/status/914874843195219974

 

[goldstone77]

3:25 to 4:00...a brief summary of why z270 was not considered by Intel... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1X8__02rQ

In detail... http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-coffee-lake-z270-z370-motherboard,35554.html

I watched the video you linked, and I link the time pointing to the explanation, which he admits is was working on some Z270 boards. He states Intel's reasoning for the switch, which many reviews don't buy the justifications!
https://youtu.be/yi1X8__02rQ?t=205

Not all Z270's but a few of them had issues.

From the article you link from tom's:

Whether the existing Z270 motherboards, many of which offer beefy power delivery, could potentially satisfy the needs of the Coffee Lake processors will be a hot-button debate for some time to come. We've requested additional details from Intel regarding the socket and pin-out, but we await further details.

I know that already. So, your point being???

I listed my points in the statements above, and cited I used your sources to make them. I cite them, because it adds to the conversation I started.

Gamer's Nexus talked briefly about it. Earlier engineering boards for Z270 did support inter-compatibility.

Click here for link

 

[-Fran-]

As explained before the new chipset is required for giving power to extra two cores and dealing with faster RAM. Some changes detailed

https://twitter.com/david_schor/status/914874843195219974

Like someone says in that twitter "thread" (whatever they're called), this reeks of a quick cash-grab. And to an extent, it feels like it to a degree:

1.- If they didn't change the socket altogether, that means it was in their plans to support CoffeeLake in the current 2xx chipset family (much like Z67 and Z77 for Sandy/Ivy Bridge vs other gens). They were not explicit this time. That paints a HUGE pink elephant in the room for them. With bright xenon Christmas lights around its neck.
2.- Since Intel wants money and they're not coy about it, it's really simple: new "groundbreaking" CPU -> all people jumping on board (pun might be intended) -> sudden need for new chipset -> OEMs and Intel sell more.
3.- The validation process for the sockets should be... 90% the same as the previous one? The circuitry will change mostly due to the re-arrange of the pin layout and not because of functionality I'd say. Hell, even a BIOS/UEFI update can address more cores! It's just a microcode patch FFS.

So, no. I'm not buying all the technical reasons they're trying to feed everyone. Even if they are correct, they're saving parts of the story that reek too much. Those dead bodies in the closet are still rotting, but they'll become skeletons soon enough, I guess.

 

[Hellfire13]

Both Intel and AMD are out to make money. AMD is not giving away chips on charity either. They have to compromise on price to make up for technological inferiority to stay in competition for sales volumes.

That being said, Intel could have tried harder to make it work.

 

[minigaming]

LOL at twitter post. I'll take the motherboard manufacturers word over Intel's any day of the week. Coffee lake worked with Z270 boards. Not all, but that doesn't matter.

Forcing a motherboard upgrade for the same pin layout is a new low. Hope that crap gets hacked to shreds.

 

[ibjeepr]

hacked to shreds.

Your "hacked to shreds" best case scenario is that a few high end motherboards that were actually capable of supporting Coffee Lake get hacked and that you happen to have one of those boards

 

[minigaming]

hacked to shreds.

Your "hacked to shreds" best case scenario is that a few high end motherboards that were actually capable of supporting Coffee Lake get hacked and that you happen to have one of those boards

I'll be happy if even only one hacked bios is released to point a big middle finger to the Intel Defence Force and Intel.

If AMD closes the gap with Zen+ or Zen 2 I'll take my now yearly upgrade cycle there. None of this constant board changing nonsense back in the Athlon days.

 

[juanrga]

Both Intel and AMD are out to make money. AMD is not giving away chips on charity either. They have to compromise on price to make up for technological inferiority to stay in competition for sales volumes.

That being said, Intel could have tried harder to make it work.

That July graph, that was reported in the media, didn't reflect true marketshare, but only a one-day fluctuation, as I demonstrated

When the data self-stabilized months latter, it give a 4% marketshare gain for AMD, but AMD has started to loose marketshare lately.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/market_share.html

Steam also shows a noticeable lost for AMD

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/processormfg/

 

[goldstone77]

Intel Core i7-8700K delidded
Published: 8 hours ago

Intel Coffee Lake
Here’s how i7-8700K looks under the hood.

Intel Core i7-8700K with die size around 150mm2

Intel was not really planning to share this information with anyone yet, but thanks to guys over at HKEPC we get to see what is hidden under the IHS. The die is the same width as Kabylake 7700K, but it is noticeably longer. The 6-core Coffeelake-S CPU has a die size around 151mm2. This is not accurate because the calculations are based on the pixel area, but it it’s good enough for now.

This means that the i7-8700K has around 29mm2 more die area for the additional 2 cores. Every reviewer I spoke with says that 5 GHz should not be a problem on Coffeelake 8700K, especially with AIO cooling. If you want to go higher, delidding is highly recommended although risky. The LGA1151 delidding tools work for Coffeelake, so it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing videos showing the exact process (I think they should go live tomorrow).

The true star of 8th Gen Core series: i5-8400

Most reviewers received two CPUs, the 8700K and 8400. The latter is representing Core i5 series. Based on the reviews I saw, this processor will have an amazing performance to price ratio. This is a 6-core CPU with clock speeds up to 4 GHz. The 7800X and 6800K CPUs look really bad compared to this sub-200 USD CPU. Great value here, if there’s any CPU to go out of stock, it’s probably the i5-8400.

 

[-Fran-]

I would even say, again, the locked i7 will also be a great value CPU if you're not into OC compared to the K sibling. There was going to be one, right? lol.

Cheers!

 

[DRagor]

The true star of 8th Gen Core series: i5-8400

Most reviewers received two CPUs, the 8700K and 8400. The latter is representing Core i5 series. Based on the reviews I saw, this processor will have an amazing performance to price ratio. This is a 6-core CPU with clock speeds up to 4 GHz. The 7800X and 6800K CPUs look really bad compared to this sub-200 USD CPU. Great value here, if there’s any CPU to go out of stock, it’s probably the i5-8400.

Now, does that mean a quick bye bye to Ryzen 1600? At least in medium-gaming segment.

 

[TechyInAZ]

The true star of 8th Gen Core series: i5-8400

Most reviewers received two CPUs, the 8700K and 8400. The latter is representing Core i5 series. Based on the reviews I saw, this processor will have an amazing performance to price ratio. This is a 6-core CPU with clock speeds up to 4 GHz. The 7800X and 6800K CPUs look really bad compared to this sub-200 USD CPU. Great value here, if there’s any CPU to go out of stock, it’s probably the i5-8400.

Now, does that mean a quick bye bye to Ryzen 1600? At least in medium-gaming segment.

Well the 1600 still has hyperthreading where as the core i5 does not, so in the long run I think both are going to be pretty much equal. But since games are not really scaling above 6-8 threads ATM, the 8600K will probably be best for a while.

 

[Hellfire13]

The true star of 8th Gen Core series: i5-8400

Most reviewers received two CPUs, the 8700K and 8400. The latter is representing Core i5 series. Based on the reviews I saw, this processor will have an amazing performance to price ratio. This is a 6-core CPU with clock speeds up to 4 GHz. The 7800X and 6800K CPUs look really bad compared to this sub-200 USD CPU. Great value here, if there’s any CPU to go out of stock, it’s probably the i5-8400.

Now, does that mean a quick bye bye to Ryzen 1600? At least in medium-gaming segment.

Seems so. But it is still good value chip with 12 threads at that price for light workstation work and running multiple VMs. Specially for apps that use more than 6 threads.

 

[mdd1963]

The first 8600K/7600K comparison at HardOCP hits the web...
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2017/10/05/intel_coffee_lake_core_i58600k_vs_7600k_at_5ghz_review/1
Summary: IPC gains? Zero.... Clock for clock, core for core, they perform the same at 5 GHz....

 

[-Fran-]

So, it's an almost confirmed fact Intel just slapped/glued 2 extra cores into KabyLake, rebrand it as CoffeeLake and force you to get a new platform for it.

That pink elephant is getting fatter, darn!

Cheers!

 

[Olle P]

Like someone says in that twitter "thread" (whatever they're called), this reeks of a quick cash-grab. ...

More like a quick damage control with this premature release. CPUs and regular chipsets won't be readily available anytime soon.
Coffee Lake becomes Coffee Break...

 

[goldstone77]

Newegg