Intel Core i7-8700 vs Intel Core i9-10850K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i7-8700 vs Intel Core i9-10850K tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Furmark, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, SuperPi, MATLAB, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime, 3DMark, Gears 5, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Halo Infinite
Rainbow Six Siege
Borderlands 3
Watch Dogs Legion
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Fallout 76
Last Man Standing
Grand Theft Auto V
Cyberpunk 2077
Overwatch
Red Dead Redemption 2
Apex Legends
Death Stranding
Valorant
Valheim
DOOM: Eternal
Fortnite

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10850K or Intel Core i7-8700.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i7-8700

53%

Core i9-10850K

57%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10850K is 7% better than Core i7-8700. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-8700

53%

Core i9-10850K

56%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Control, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.8	99.8
Valorant	107.7	113.4
Cyberpunk 2077	60.3	63.5
Apex Legends	101.2	106.6
Call of Duty Warzone	80.8	85.1
Overwatch	87.2	91.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.3	78.3
DOOM Eternal	53.8	56.7
Warzone	84.0	88.5
Assassin's Creed	90.4	95.3
Valheim	89.4	94.1

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i7-8700

64%

Core i9-10850K

36%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-8700 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10850K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i7-8700	Intel Core i9-10850K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	203	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1434	2616
Cinbench 20 Single-core	481	536
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3547	6318
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1146	1367
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7969	16820

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i7-8700	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	2706	3074
Multi-Core	13125	23350

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i7-8700	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	1260	1383
Multi-Core	6618	11578

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i7-8700	Intel Core i9-10850K
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	FCLGA1200
Core name	Coffee Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	10
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz	5.1 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	3200 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	12 MB	20 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-10850K is 11% better than Core i7-8700 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10850K has 4 more core than Core i7-8700. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700 is better: 1
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10850K is better: 30
Although it should be understood that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i7-8700 and Intel Core i9-10850K before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i7-8700 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10850K specs and review.