Intel Core i9-9980XE vs Intel Core i7-8700K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i9-9980XE vs Intel Core i7-8700K tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as WPrime, PassMark, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, Handbrake, Gears 5, SuperPi, PCMark 10, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, 7zip, RealBench, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8700K or Intel Core i9-9980XE.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9980XE

59%

Core i7-8700K

54%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9980XE is 8% better than Core i7-8700K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9980XE

60%

Core i7-8700K

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.2	95.7
Valorant	120.7	108.7
Cyberpunk 2077	67.6	60.9
Apex Legends	113.5	102.2
Call of Duty Warzone	90.5	81.6
Overwatch	97.8	88.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.3	75.0
DOOM Eternal	60.3	54.4
Warzone	94.1	84.8
Assassin's Creed	101.4	91.3
Valheim	100.2	90.3

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 i9-9980XE

23%

Core i7-8700K

49%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-8700K is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9980XE since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i9-9980XE	Intel Core i7-8700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	201	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3240	1447
Cinbench 20 Single-core	459	487
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7516	3689
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1124	1209
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22944	8960

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

	Intel Core i9-9980XE	Intel Core i7-8700K
Single-Core	2551	2760
Multi-Core	32096	13949

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

	Intel Core i9-9980XE	Intel Core i7-8700K
Single-Core	1178	1402
Multi-Core	17856	7536

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-9980XE	Intel Core i7-8700K
Announcement date	October 01, 2018	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Skylake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	8
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	18	6
Threads	36	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	3200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	24.75 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
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 i7-8700K is 18% better than Core i9-9980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9980XE has 12 more core than Core i7-8700K. 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 i9-9980XE is better: 24
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700K is better: 8
Although it should be understood that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i9-9980XE and Intel Core i7-8700K before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-9980XE specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8700K specs and review.