Intel Core i7-10700K Review: Taking the Gaming Shine Off Core i9

[harlan4096]

Core i9 gaming at Core i7 pricing
 

Our Verdict

The Core i7-10700K essentially matches the Core i9-10900K's gaming performance after overclocking, but for $100 less. However, AMD alternatives are better for productivity work.

For

• Lower per-thread pricing
  
• Turbo Boost Max 3.0
  
• Excellent gaming performance
  
• High overclocking headroom
  
• Reasonable cooling requirements
  

Against

• No bundled cooler
  
• PCIe 3.0 interface
  
• Requires new motherboard
  
• Not much faster than Core i5 (in gaming)
  

Intel's Comet Lake has cratered into the market, bringing more threads to the company's Core i5 and i7 lineups along with more cores for the halo Core i9 family. In response to AMD's unrelenting pressure, Intel's revamped lineup offers more threads for the same pricing as previous-gen models. The Core i7-10700K slots in with eight cores and 16 threads for and MSRP of $374 / $349 (without GPU), though current street prices are higher. In fact, the 10700K offers the same number of cores and threads as the previous-gen Core i9-9900K, but for $114 less, making it a contender for our list of Best CPUs.

As expected, Intel reserved the best features for its halo Core i9-10900K, like support for its Thermal Velocity Boost that triggers higher boost speeds if the chip runs below a certain temperature. However, the Core i7-10700K still marks the debut of Turbo Max 3.0 to the Core i7 family. This tech targets the 10700K's two fastest cores, which peak at 5.1 GHz, with lightly threaded workloads to improve snappiness. That results in a surprisingly close competition for gaming supremacy between the Core i7-10700K and the Core i9-10900K. 
 The Intel Core i7-10700K also comes with a 3.8-GHz base clock that, paired with its 16 threads, improves its standing against price-comparable Ryzen processors in threaded desktop PC applications, while the snappy single-threaded performance gives it an outright win in lightly-threaded apps. The Core i7-10700K also proves to be a nimble overclocker that doesn't generate an untenable amount of excess heat, so off-the-shelf water coolers can unlock big gains. 

Overall, the Core i7-10700K gives you nearly the same gaming performance as the Core i9-10900K, but for $110 less, and overclocking eliminates any meaningful difference in gaming performance between the chips. You also get extremely competitive single-threaded performance at stock settings. 

AMD isn't sitting still, though. The company recently announced a new line of Ryzen XT processors that should bring slight performance improvements over the existing chips. Still, more importantly, the pending chips have resulted in lower pricing on the existing processors. The competing $300 Ryzen 7 3700X isn't as adept in gaming and only holds a slight edge in creativity applications, so it slots in as a lower-cost alternative. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 9 3900X retails for a fantastic $415, and its 12 cores offer far more performance in threaded workloads, making it the go-to productivity chip. 

The Core i7-10700K leads in gaming, but cost-conscious shoppers may prefer Intel's own Core i5-1600K, which is a better value for lower-cost gaming rigs. This leaves the Core i7-10700K as a good choice for high-end gaming machines, and it definitely takes the shine off Intel's Core i9-10900K (and its egregious power consumption) for overclocking enthusiasts and the frame-rate obsessed. 
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