[SOLVED] Real Talk: 12 Threads vs 8 Cores

[josephspitman]

Im considering building a new PC after many good years on my 7700k, but am conflicted on whether to upgrade to the 8700k or 9700k.

The pricing isnt that big of a difference, so the question comes down to the fact that the 9700k doesnt have two threads per core, whilst the 8700k does- and as such, the 8700k actually has more logical processors than the newer 9700k.

The benefit of the newer cpu then becomes the default turbo of 5Ghz- and yet the 8700k is apparently easy to overclock to 5GHz with BIOS tweaks and decent cooling.

So whats better? 5GHz with 12 “threads” with six cores, or 8 “threads” with 8 cores?

Only other variable I could add is if I get the 9700KF, I can overclock that past 5GHz without needing better cooling... and its cheaper.

Edit: Yeah Im not jumping on the Ryzen train, so dont tempt me there

 

[jeremyj_83]

Im considering building a new PC after many good years on my 7700k, but am conflicted on whether to upgrade to the 8700k or 9700k.

The pricing isnt that big of a difference, so thw question comes down to the fact that the 9700k doesnt have two threads per core, whilst the 8700k does- and as such, actually has more logical processors.

The benefit then of the newer cpu then becomes the default turbo of 5Ghz- and yet the 8700k is evidently renowned for being easy to overclock to 5GHz with BIOS tweaks and decent cooling.

So whats better? 5GHz with 12 “threads” on six cores, or 8 “threads” on 8 cores?

Only other variable I could add is if I get the 9700KF, I can overclock that past 5GHz without needing better cooling... and its cheaper.

Ryzen 3700X will give you 8c/16t and about 5% slower than the 9900k, running at stock speeds, in gaming but 5% faster in productivity. Also the Ryzen is $70 cheaper than the 9700k.

 

[josephspitman]

Ryzen 3700X will give you 8c/16t and about 5% slower than the 9900k, running at stock speeds, in gaming but 5% faster in productivity. Also the Ryzen is $70 cheaper than the 9700k.

Ye no, sorry. Im still an Intel fanboi

 

[jeremyj_83]

Ye no, sorry. Im still an Intel fanboi

I would wait to upgrade then. The 10 series will be released soon so prices may fall on the 9 series or the i7 10 series will be 8c/16t. Just remember that with any of these you need to get good aftermarket cooling to let them run as good as they can.

 

[josephspitman]

I would wait to upgrade then. The 10 series will be released soon so prices may fall on the 9 series or the i7 10 series will be 8c/16t. Just remember that with any of these you need to get good aftermarket cooling to let them run as good as they can.

Hmm yeah, probably a good idea.
Though theres still a good chance Intel will pull the same single thread per core stuff on the next version, just on a higher frequency- so they can keep the i9 selling point going. So its still a decent question on how having a few extra threads aids in performance.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Hmm yeah, probably a good idea.
Though theres still a good chance Intel will pull the same single thread per core stuff on the next version, just on a higher frequency- so they can keep the i9 selling point going. So its still a decent question on how having a few extra threads aids in performance.

The 7th, 8th, 9th, and soon 10th gen desktop CPUs are all variants of 6th Gen Skylake so the IPC is basically identical. The only difference is Intel has been able to refine the 14nm process so much that they have been able to squeeze as much clock speed out of it as they can. That means your ST performance will be higher since clock speed is higher.

 

[zx128k]

Time spy cpu 8700k Average score: 7970 and best scores approx. 9300 3DMark - Time Spy ► i7-8700K @ 5,1GHz + 3,86GHz CL16 + GTX 1080Ti ◄ (1080p, DX12) all the top score are extreme overclocks. 5.3GHz and above. Top 50 are 6GHz LN2 runs.
9700k Average score: 8074 and best scores approx. 8074-9942. Above 71 the crazy overclocks begin >5.1GHz.
9700kf Average score: 8050 and best scores approx. 8050-9800. <5.2GHz
There is always a few really high scores at the top which I like to ignore as very few people will get that score.

Stock

Looks very close to being equal with the 9700k a little ahead sometimes at stock. The overclock being what matters next as they are both close to one another at 5GHz with a 2080ti @ 2100MHz.

This is the data we can easily find for the chances of getting a give clock speed for the two cpu's 8700k and 9700k.

8700K	4.80GHz	4.60GHz	1.375V	100%
8700K	4.90GHz	4.70GHz	1.387V	Top 99%
8700K	5.00GHz	4.80GHz	1.400V	Top 83%
8700K	5.10GHz	4.90GHz	1.412V	Top 49%
8700K	5.20GHz	5.00GHz	1.425V	Top 17%
8700K	5.30GHz	5.10GHz	1.437V	Top 4%

9700K	4.90GHz	4.70GHz	1.337V	100%
9700K	5.00GHz	4.80GHz	1.350V	Top 90%
9700K	5.10GHz	4.90GHz	1.362V	Top 38%
9700K	5.20GHz	5.00GHz	1.375V	Top 9%
9700K	5.30GHz	5.10GHz	1.387V	Top 1%

source

 

[geofelt]

Both are somewhat comparable.
How to decide:

If you go by the passmark benchmarks, the 8700K scores 15935 vs. 17197 for the 9700k.
That is when all threads are fully loaded.
In games, it is not so easy to fully load 12 threads vs 8.
On the single thread performance side, the 8700K scores 2687 vs 2813 for the 9700K.
You chances of a 5.0 oc are about the same for both.
How much more than 5.0 do you really need?

9700KF would, in theory be easier to oc because of the non functioning of the integrated graphics.

Still, how well you can OC a chip is determined mostly by your luck of the bin.

If you will have a discrete graphics card, and I assume you will for gaming, look at the 9700KF
The savings will get you a stronger graphics card.

The kinds of games that will use more than 6 threads will be multiplayer games with many participants.
The 8700K option might be better for that.
If that is your game, why not go whole hog with a 9900K?

On all of the options above, you can also have them professionally delidded for better cooling. Cost is about $50. your chip will also be binned so you know about what your oc limit will be.

 

[zx128k]

Could be hard getting a binned 8700k. If silicon lottery prices are a good example of the price of a binned 9900k it won't be cheep. https://siliconlottery.com/collections/all/intel-i9-9900ks