Intel’s Core i7-9700K is an unlocked 9th generation Coffee Lake CPU. It is an 8 core, 8 thread processor. The 9700K features 12 MB of cache, a 95W TDP and Intel UHD 630 graphics. Like the other 9th generation chips, it is compatible with Intel’s new Z390 chipset as well as last years Z370 chipset (with an updated BIOS). The 9700K has stock base / boost clocks of 3.6 / 4.6 GHz and a single core boost of 4.9 GHz (compared to 3.6, 4.7 and 5.0 GHz for the flagship 9900K). This translates to almost identical single, quad and octa core performance between the 9900K and 9700K. Mainstream PC games do not benefit from more than six threads, so at $350 (25% cheaper than the 9900K), the 9700K offers far better value for money to gamers. That said gamers have very little reason not to consider the i5-9600K which, when overclocked, offers almost equivalent performance at a 35% discount. [Oct '18CPUPro]
The 5800X3D has the same core architecture as the 5800X but it runs at 11% lower base and 4% lower boost clocks. The lower clocks are in exchange for an extra 64MB of cache (96MB up from 32MB) and around 40% more money. For most real-world tasks performance is comparable to the 5800X. Cache sensitive scenarios such as low res. canned game benchmarks with a 3090-Ti ($2,000 USD) benefit at the cost of everything else. Be wary of sponsored reviews with cherry picked games that showcase the wins, conveniently ignore frame drops and gloss over the losses. Also watch out for AMD’s army of Neanderthal social media accounts on reddit, forums and youtube, they will be singing their own praises as usual. Instead of focusing on real-world performance, AMD’s marketers aim to dupe consumers with bankrolled headlines. The same tactics were used with the Radeon 5000 series GPUs. Zen 4 needs to bring substantial IPC improvements for all workloads, rather than overpriced "3D" marketing gimmicks. New PC builders have little reason to look further than the $260 12600K which, at a fraction of the price, offers better all round performance in gaming, desktop and workstation applications. Users with an existing AM4 build should wait just a few more months for better performance at lower prices with Raptor Lake or even Zen 4. The marketers selling expensive “3D” upgrades today will quickly move onto Zen 4 (3D) leaving unfortunate buyers stuck on an overpriced, 6 year old, dead-end, platform. [Mar '22CPUPro]
We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]
Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.