Intel Core i5-8500T vs Intel Core i7-9700 vs Intel Core i7-8700K

Intel Core i5-8500T

The Intel Core i5-8500T is a desktop processor of the Coffee Lake generation. It offers 6 cores clocked at 2.1 - 3.5 GHz and is manufactured in the again improved 14nm process (14nm++). As a "T" model, te i5-8500T is rated with a low 35 Watt TDP and therefore sometimes even used in laptops.

Thanks to the additional 2 cores, the Coffee Lake 6-core CPUs can offer a performance uplift of up to 50% in multithreaded workloads compared to the Kaby Lake predecessors. 

Intel Core i7-9700

The Intel Core i7-9700 is a high end desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It integrates 8 cores (no Hyperthreading therefore also 8 threads) clocked at 3 - 4.7 GHz. Compared to the similar named Core i7-9700K, the 9700 has no open multiplicator for easy overclocking, offers lower clock speeds and offers a reduced TDP.

Compared to the old Core i7-8700, the 9700 offers two more real cores but no Hyperthreading. Therefore, the performance gain is not that big - depending on the app. The single core performance was slightly improved thanks to the higher Turbo clocks. As a high end desktop CPU, the i7-9700 is well suited for demanding tasks and gaming.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 graphics card is clocked at up to 1.2 GHz and offers no advantage compared to previous generations. As it is a very low end GPU, only some low demanding games like Hearthstone can be played with it (see GPU page for benchmarks).

Intel specifies the TDP at 65 Watt (instead of the 95W of the faster models) and therefore the CPU wont need a high end desktop cooling system.

Intel Core i7-8700K

The Intel Core i7-8700K is a high-end desktop processor with six cores based on the Coffee Lake architecture and was announced in September 2017. The processor clocks at between 3.7 and 4.7 GHz and can execute up to twelve threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading. According to Intel, the CPU is manufactured in an improved 14nm (14nm++) process. The i7-8700K is comparatively easy to overclock thanks to the unlocked multiplier.

Performance

Due to the two additional cores, performance has increased by almost 50% compared to the Core i7-7700K when all cores are in use. Single-core performance has not improved since its Kaby Lake predecessor. As a high-end model, the i7-8700K is suitable for the most demanding applications and games.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is supposed to offer higher performance as its clock rate has been increased by 50 MHz. The build is identical to that of the Intel HD Graphics 630. We do expect a performance improvement, but as a low-end solution it will probably only display current games smoothly at reduced details - if at all.

Power Consumption

Intel specifies the TDP with 95 watts. Therefore, well-dimensioned cooling systems should easily manage to deal with the created heat. We expect increased efficiency due to the higher performance.