Intel Core i7-11700KF: A hair slower, but better value than Core i9

Conclusion

8 cores, 16 threads. From this point of view, it is the same configuration as the Core i9-11900K(F). However, the Core i9 is a significantly more expensive processor and, especially in games, it has a much higher power consumption. At the same time, the difference in performance is minimal. It follows that with higher efficiency, the Core i7-11700K(F) has a more attractive price-performance ratio.

Conclusion

The Core i7-11700KF processor does not lag significantly behind the Core i9-11900K in games. In Full HD resolution, the average loss is only by 3% and is gradually decreasing. In QHD it’s only 2% and in UHD only 1%, which even the biggest perfectionists will not distinguish. It doesn’t make sense to further explain the differences in gaming performance even when compared to AMD processors. With the Ryzen 9 5900X, this is the most balanced duel at the level of average differences, which also fits into one percent.

The analysis of performance in the individual games already points to some major differences. The R9 5900X seems to be more suitable for Counter-Strike: GO, where the game on Ci7-11700KF in FHD is 19% slower. In QHD, this difference decreases to 5% and in UHD the game changes and Intel is 3% (19.5 fps) faster. The Core i7-11700KF in higher resolutions is also slightly better than the R9 5900X in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, F1 2020 or in Total War Saga: Troy. Ryzen does a hair better in Borderlands 3 and in lower resolution in general (FHD) and extremely low resolution in combination with low graphics settings. The difference is pretty significant there, up to -12% in favor of the Core i7, but it should always be stated only on a theoretical level (out of interest). No one will probably prefer playing in 720p@low.

In games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider or DOOM Eternal the performance levels of the Ci7-11700KF, R9 5900X, but also Ci9-11900K are very similar in terms of QHD (1440p) and higher resolutions, for which it is assumed that this price class of processors will serve for. Due to the fact that the gaming performance of the Ci7-11700KF is on average only 3% (FHD) and less (QHD and UHD) lower than the Ci9-11900K, the Core i7 is a significantly more efficient processor. Its power draw is lower by 15–17% and only Total War Saga: Troy exceeds the 125 W TDP. The Ci9-11900K is above 125 W all the time, which means that on setups respecting the time limit for PL2, game performance may decrease slightly.

In any case, the coefficients of performance per watt or per price favor the Core i7 Rocket Lake significantly more than the Core i9. The Core i5 (11400F and 10400F) are even better in this regard, but at the expense of significantly lower performance, even for gaming. The higher efficiency of the Ci7-11700KF is also manifested in non-gaming areas. For example in 3D rendering or video encoding, the performance of the Core i7 compared to the Core i9 is only 2–3% lower, but the power draw difference is 6% to the detriment of the 11900K. A similar performance difference (on average about 4%) from the point of view of Ci7-11700KF is also in video editing, photo editing, graphic effects, but also (de)compression, (de)cryption, mathematical calculations or physical simulations/a>.

The comparison of single-threaded performance is also remarkable (in audio encoding, Y-cruncher or in Geekbench 5), where the Core i9 has thanks to significantly higher TVB clock a performance advantage of roughly 4–5 %, but at 15% lower power draw. In single-threaded tasks, the Ci7-11700KF can be even more efficient than the Ryzen 9 5900X due to lower clock rate.

As with the Core i9, the Core i7 also reaches higher temperature levels and needs a cooler of high capacity. Especially with video encoding using the AVX-512 instruction set, when the temperatures with the Noctua NH-U14S cooler at maximum speed exceed 90 °C under heavy load. However, the quality of the thermally conductive material/solder under the IHS is just as effective as on the Core i9’s silicon, as the small reduction in temperature corresponds to the slightly lower power consumption.

In conclusion, we can say that the Core i7-11700KF is a more economical (energy and price) alternative to the Core i9-11900K(F) processor, which will not give you that much extra. The price of the Ci7-11700KF is lower than that of the Ryzen 7 5800X, which is still currently the cheapest Vermeer with eight cores. We can’t give it a “Smart Buy!”, but the Core i7-11700KF deserves the “Approved” award.

We’ve got the games for our tests from Jama levova

Special thanks to Blackmagic Design (for a licence to DaVinci Resolve Studio), Topaz Labs (for licences to apps DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI) and Zoner (for a licence to Photo Studio X)


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