Intel Core i7 11700KF Review

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The Intel Core i7 11700KF CPU is available to us. The Core i9-11900K and Core i5-11600K were the two processors that garnered the most interest when Intel unveiled their 11th Gen Core “Rocket Lake” desktop processor family in March.

We just recently caught up with Intel’s fantastically priced Core i5-11400F, and now we’re looking at the Core i7, which was the company’s top model until the Core i7-8700K. To better compete with AMD’s Ryzen 7 series, Intel gave the mainstream desktop sector the Core i9 designation.

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Back to eight Cypress Cove cores, brah; this time, we test the Intel Core i7 11700KF, an 8-core component with a more affordable pricing. The K indicates that it is unlocked, and the F indicates greater value because you can save a few dollars. The MSRP of this F-suffixed CPU, which has integrated graphics turned off, is US$380. Will it be sufficient to defeat the Ryzen 7 5800X conflict?

16 threads on 8 cores. It has the same configuration as the Core i9-11900K(F) from this perspective. However, the Core i9 is a substantially more costly CPU and consumes a lot more power, particularly while playing games. The performance difference is small at the same time. Therefore, the Intel Core i7 11700KF offers a more desirable price-performance ratio because of its improved efficiency.

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Intel Core i7 11700KF Specifications

The Comet Lake Core i9-10900K(F) costs $114 less than the Intel Core i7 11700KF, which is a price difference of around 18%. Some people might not even notice, but the price premium for the faster but still octa-core Rocket Lake is starting to add up when you take into account the Ci9-10900K(F)’s even stronger performance compared to the two cores lighter Ci7-10700K(F).

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Although the single-core boost differential for Rocket Lake CPUs is 100 MHz greater, there won’t likely be a strong justification for the price rise. Only 5 GHz should be the maximum single-core boost frequency for the Intel Core i7 11700KF and 5.3 GHz for the Core i9-11900K(F). The cores of the Ci7-11700K(F) and Ci9-11900K(F) are identical in terms of size, measuring 276.4 mm2.

A combination of somewhat lower clock speeds and the absence of Thermal Velocity Boost and Adaptive Boost distinguish the Intel Core i7 11700KF and i7-11700KF from the i9-11900K/KF. While Adaptive Boost, which opens extra boost bins across all task thread counts, especially higher-threaded ones, was mentioned as an intriguing feature in our i9-11900K review, Thermal Velocity Boost was observed in our i9-11900K review to be effectively an additional Turbo multiplier when thermals allow.

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The i7-11700KF remains unlocked, and it offers the same overclocking potential as the Core i9. Like the Intel Core i7 11700KF we’re studying today, Intel has been releasing SKUs with the “F” brand extension in the retail channel for the previous two of generations.

These chips have deactivated iGPUs, allowing Intel to use dies with defective graphics processors and charge $10–$20 less for them. For gamers who rely on graphics cards, this is a good price. Although it is permanently inactive, the iGPU technically still occupies space on the silicon chip.

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These chips have deactivated iGPUs, allowing Intel to use dies with defective graphics processors and charge $10–$20 less for them. For gamers who rely on graphics cards, this is a good price. Although it is permanently inactive, the iGPU technically still occupies space on the silicon chip.

Intel Core i7 11700K Essential Information 

Product Collection11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors
Code NameProducts formerly Rocket Lake
Vertical SegmentDesktop
Processor Numberi7-11700KF
StatusLaunched
Launch DateQ1’21
Lithography14 nm
Recommended Customer Price$411.00 – $421.00
Use ConditionsPC/Client/Tablet

Intel Core i7 11700KF Specs

Total Cores8
Total Threads16
Max Turbo Frequency5.00 GHz
Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency5.00 GHz
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency4.90 GHz
Processor Base Frequency3.60 GHz
Cache16 MB Intel® Smart Cache
Bus Speed8 GT/s
TDP125 W
Configurable TDP-down Base Frequency3.10 GHz
Configurable TDP-down95 W

Intel Core i7 11700KF Performance

The performance of the Intel Core i7 11700KF is 20% quicker than that of the 10th generation Intel Core i7 10700K, although it is a little slower than the 5800x from AMD. With lots of capacity for multitasking, the Intel Core i7 11700KF is more than adequate for everyday chores like browsing, streaming, and utilizing office productivity software. Now, if your regular workflow includes using 3D, picture, and video editing software, the 8-core i7 11700KF should have no trouble handling such tasks.

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The multi-threaded set of tests performs four separate Blender renderings, four HandBrake runs, POV-Ray, Cinebench R20, and the Corona ray-tracing benchmark.

The multi-threaded tests are where things become a little more interesting. The tests, which consist of a set unit of work, finish in about the same amount of time, so there isn’t much of a performance benefit from increasing the power limitations. However, as you can see in the chart above, there is a significant rise in power consumption. Remember that, at least with our motherboard, each increase in power only results in a 1% gain in performance. What a bad compromise. 

There isn’t much to think about in this situation. The Intel Core i7 11700KF operates as we would expect it to and routinely hits its 5.0 GHz boost clock. 

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Intel Core i7 11700KF Conclusion

Things appear to become more challenging as the RKL generation’s available core count increases. Therefore, it’s possible that this explains why Intel switched from 10 cores to 8. Once the processors have longer PL2 states, the energy levels and related heat quickly become difficult to handle.

However, Intel does manage to make the most of 14nm production, as I previously said in the 11900K evaluation. I think it is safe to say that while backporting CPU cores from 10nm to 14nm could succeed, it is not generally a good fit for 14nm. Given that the power drain is the underlying cause of all problems, it would have been extremely intriguing to see what this generation would have been able to do on 10nm or 7nm.

Overall performance isn’t awful, but when compared to a Ryzen 7 5800X, the major rival CPU, the 11700K(F) rapidly loses its attraction. Applications and multi-threaded performance on Ryzen are much slower. Intel performs a respectable job gaming-wise with the fastest graphics money can buy.

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