Intel Core i7-11700K Processor: Review (Special)/ Overclocking/ Benchmark/ Specification (Specs)- November 2021 is on the way. The release of hybrid processors of the Alder Lake family has taken place, they have already appeared on sale and have even been tested by many users. What does the Core i7-11700K have to do with it? The question is reasonable. For some, the Rocket Lake CPU line has become a “passing option” between the past and the future, and some are completely sure that the eleventh generation is a “swan song” for the glorious 14 nm process technology, which it would be time to gradually forget about. But we still want to put an end to the issue, which concerns the practical application of these CPUs (Rocket Lake). Such a need arose in the course of acquaintance with the monitored stone.
The Core i7-11700K turned out to be the very CPU that proved that the eleventh generation is not a “passing”.
The previously tested Core i5-11400F and Core i5-11600K processors left mixed impressions. We’ve found that Rocket Lake CPUs offer best-in-class single-thread performance and PCIe 4.0 support, but otherwise nothing revolutionary.
Intel Core i7-11700K CPU Review & Benchmarks vs. AMD 5800X, 5900X
In something stones the eleventh generation turned out to be even worse than their predecessors. This is both wild heat dissipation, and weak overclocking (the eighth / ninth / tenth generation CPUs show much more impressive results in terms of overclocking), and high cost compared to the Comet Lake / Coffee Lake CPUs (and they, by the way, are not inferior in multi-threaded / gaming performance to representatives of Rocket Lake).
Our opinion on this matter was changed by the Core i7-11700K. It not only turned out to be significantly more powerful colleagues with exactly the same number of computational threads, and also older brothers tenth generation with a large number of physical cores, but also proved that Rocket Lake family models can be overclocked well (maybe you got a good copy).
Intel Core i7-11700K: Specification (Specs)
| Core i7-10700K | Core i7-11700K | Core i9-10900 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical process | 14 nm | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Kernels / threads | 8/16 | 8/16 | 10/20 |
| Socket | LGA 1200 | LGA 1200 | LGA 1200 |
| Clock frequency | 3800/5100 MHz | 3600/5000 MHz | 2800/5200 MHz |
| L3 cache | 16 MB | 16 MB | 20 MB |
| TDP | 125 W | 125 W | 65 W |
| Memory support | DDR4-2933, two channels | DDR4-3200 dual channel | DDR4-2933, two channels |
| PCI-E version | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Integrated graphics | UHD Graphics 630 | UHD Graphics 750 | UHD Graphics 630 |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | Yes | Not |
| Instructions | Intel SSE4.1 Intel SSE4.2 Intel AVX2 | Intel SSE4.1 Intel SSE4.2 Intel AVX2 Intel AVX-512 | Intel SSE4.1 Intel SSE4.2 Intel AVX2 |
| Price | 380$ | 400$ | 440$ |
In this article, we want to talk a little more about the heat dissipation of the Core i7-11700K processor, the removal of limits (PL1 and PL2) and CPU overclocking on a motherboard with an Intel Z490 chipset (because of the architectural innovations of the Rocket Lake family, the capabilities of the 500-series platform and integrated graphics performance has already been written in the article about the Core i5-11600K).
Disabling limits (PL) and increasing the nominal power of the Intel Core i7-11700K
Regular TDP 8-core stone Core i7-11700K, according to the developers, does not exceed 125 watts. This is partly true, because immediately after installing the specified CPU into the motherboard (without entering the BIOS), you will see approximately 126-128 W (1.057 V) under load.
But still, the real indicator of the Core i7-11700K is 200 W (1.2 V). How so? The official website indicates 125 watts, the CPU-Z program says 125 watts. Where did 200 watts come from? It’s time to remember the so-called Power Limit (more on this in the article about the Core i9-10900).
Automatic limiter forms the coveted figure of 125 watts. But at what cost? The price of performance. Until you manually remove the limits (PL1 and PL2) in the BIOS (some motherboards allow you to do this with a single switch), your CPU will not function at its maximum. This applies to virtually all stones eleventh line (both locked and unlocked).
Intel specifically took such a step (restrictive) so that the real TDP, firstly, does not frighten an unprepared user and, secondly, the CPU does not overheat in complex tasks. For shelling out for a cooler that can handle 200 watts stonenot everyone is ready.
We remember that the Core i7-11700K is an unlocked processor, which means that you can increase its nominal performance in two ways: by removing the already mentioned limits, or by increasing the clock frequency (multiplier, or BCLK).
The second option is much more efficient and simpler than the first, since you don’t have to visit the Power Limit tab at all. You only need to increase the multiplier and voltage (if necessary), and the notorious limits disappear by themselves. Locked CPUs do not have this benefit.
Supplemental Oxygen (this is how you can call the adjustment of the parameters PL1, PL2 and Turbo Time Parameter towards the maximum increase) gives a noticeable increase in performance to the processors of the tenth and eleventh generations, sometimes even enormous (remember the Core i9-10900 again).
If you have a powerful cooling system at your disposal, help your CPU breathe freely (the built-in protection options will still prevent it from overheating).
Heat dissipation of the Intel Core i7-11700K processor
At “factory rating” (125 W, 1.057 V), the Core i7-11700K heats up to 55 degrees under load (open stand). A powerful Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black cooler (950 rpm, completely silent version) was used to cool the processor.
In the “real nominal” (200 W, 1.2 V), that is, after adjusting the values of PL1 and PL2 (and the Package Power Time Window) in the BIOS, the temperature of the Core i7-11700K under load reaches 72 degrees (the same cooler, the same propeller speed).
Overclocking the Core i7-11700K is a completely different figure. Each additional 200 MHz adds 40-50 W to the default heat dissipation of the CPU (say, at 4800 MHz it already allocates 260 W, at 5000 MHz – 300 W), but we will talk about this below.
Intel Core i7-11700K Processor: Test stand
Motherboard – ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero (Wi-Fi)
RAM – XPG Spectrix D50 DDR4-3600 (2×8 GB)
Video card – MSI Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming X Trio
Power Supply – Fractal Design Ion+ Platinum 860W
Cooler – Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black
Performance and test results
The Core i7-11700K is the best processor we’ve ever tested in terms of power one thread and gaming. Obviously, there are 12th generation CPUs on the market now that show more impressive numbers in these operations, but today we are not talking about them.
The reviewed CPU surprised us in matters of multithreading. It is significantly more powerful than its predecessor (Core i7-10700K) and the 8-core Ryzen 7 3800X, but the most important thing is that the Core i7-11700K is ahead of the Core i9-10900 with disabled limits in almost all benchmarks. Here is the updated Cypress Cove architecture.
It turns out that it’s better (and cheaper) to get an 8-core Core i7-11700K than a 10-core Core i9-10900, as the more affordable CPU is often more powerful in multimedia/professional tasks. And if you overclock it…
Intel Core i7-11700K Processor: Overclocking
At one time, the Core i5-11600K refused to function stably at 5000 MHz, but the Core i7-11700K conquered this mark without any problems. No errors or crashes. That’s just the temperature under load did not want to fall below 88-89 degrees (300 W). And where the temperature is high, there are the notorious limits (Power Limit), which are triggered in a similar situation.
To smart automation did not make adjustments to the results of our testing, it was decided to lower the clock frequency of all cores to 4800 MHz and at this value drive away benchmarks again. At 4.8 GHz monitored stone emits 260 W (1.296 V) and heats up to 80 degrees, and the Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black cooler rotates at maximum speed (1500 rpm).
Operating at 4800 MHz, the Intel Core i7-11700K leaves no chance for 8-core competitors and the 10-core Core i9-10900. The gap is impressive.
Conclusion
Rocket Lake Processor Family at the start many users/journalists scolded (to be honest, we were not imbued with the capabilities of the 6-core Core i5-11600K), but the Core i7-11700K helped to assess the situation from a different angle.
Perhaps it took time. Perhaps a successful copy of the CPU fell into our hands. But it was the Core i7-11700K that turned out to be the very CPU that proved that the eleventh generation is not “passing”.
The significant benefits of the PCI-E 4.0 interface and support for AVX-512 instructions can be discussed for a long time. However, it makes no sense to doubt that the Rocket Lake lineup has productive solutions (and even with a decent overclocking potential), which are significantly more powerful than their predecessors, it makes no sense.
Right now, the Core i7-11700K is one of the best processors in the “under 29,000 rubles” category (of course, we remember the existence of the Ryzen 7 5800X). For gaming, it is perhaps too good, but for overclocking experiments and professional / work needs, it is ideal. Recommended.
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