The Six Skulls Update for World War Z is a MAJOR update with a large number of changes and fixes. There was, however, no mention of any performance boost.
But we can now confirm that the World War Z Six Skulls Update will give everyone a nice boost in performance!
The World War Z Six Skulls Update
On 3 July 2019, Saber Interactive released the big Six Skulls Update for World War Z.
It features a new Extreme (Six Skulls) difficulty level, with the Wakizashi sword and a unique Sniper Rifle as rewards for beating back the hordes of Zeds.
Saber Interactive also introduced a huge list of changes, but it conspicuously did not mention anything about improving performance…
New Features
Added new 6 skulls difficulty mode.
Added Wakizashi melee weapon for completing any level on the new difficulty mode.
Added unique Sniper Rifle variant for completing all levels on the new difficulty mode.
Ammo crates now have limited ammo available based on difficulty level. The amount of ammunition drained from the ammo crate depends on the weapon and how much ammo the player has left. On average, the distribution is:
Easy – unlimited refills.
Normal – unlimited refills.
Hard – 12 full refills.
Insane – 6 full refills.
Extreme – 6 full refills.
AI
Slightly reduced the number of special zombies that can spawn in idle state.
Reduced the total number of special zombies that can be present simultaneously from 6 to 4 on all difficulties except Extreme difficulty, which will have 5.
Slightly increased cooldown between special zombie spawns.
Very slightly reduced the total number of zombies that can spawn during non-swarm waves.
Increased AI bots’ efficiency on Insane difficulty.
Improved balance of zombie waves when playing without AI bots.
Improved friendly auto turrets on higher difficulties (previously their damage did not scale).
Enemy auto turrets will deal slightly less damage on higher difficulties, but will have more health.
Fixed issue that was preventing AI bots from attacking zombies when they were under masking effect.
Special zombies will no longer be able to grab player through thin walls.
Improved Lurker jump behavior; he will be able to spot and jump on players from above more efficiently.
Greengold and Svetlana friendly NPCs will use silenced pistols and will no longer undermine stealth for players.
Quality of Life
AI bots will no longer explode barrels and mines by accidental shooting.
Added HUD icon when teammates are carrying car parts on Jerusalem 2.
Added HUD icon when teammates are carrying explosive charges on Tokyo 2.
Added sound notification when zombie is approaching or attacking from behind.
Added a 6 second masking effect for players that respawn or join the game in progress (without screen effect).
Added a 2 second masking effect for players that are revived (without screen effect).
Added an indicator for remaining mortar shots.
UI
Added weapon perks display on Weapon Customization screen.
Minor UI and localization fixes.
Weapons
Added missing laser sight beam effect for Assault Carbine and Assault Rifle.
MAG5 Machine Gun’s damage increased by 50% (in PvE only).
Chainsaw will now generate noise in all of its attack modes.
Fixed issue that was causing the Chainsaw to not stagger zombies in some cases.
Perks
Gunslinger
Sleight of hand. Weapon switch speed increased from 50% to 100%.
Last Resort. When both primary and secondary weapon magazines are dry you can perform 4 (was 2) more melee strikes without fatigue and damage 2 (was 1) more targets with each melee strike.
Desperado. Pistol damage increased from 25% to 50%.
Free Refill. Primary weapon ammo restored 2% (was 1%) for each kill made with equipment.
Executioner. Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 100% (was 25%) chance to refill one equipment charge (cooldown 60 seconds, was 10 seconds).
Switcheroo. Switching between primary and secondary weapons increases firearm damage by 50% (was 25%) for 3 seconds.
Thrifty. Reloading a weapon with less than 25% ammo in the magazine provides a 35% firearm damage boost (was 25%) for 5 seconds.
Gun Fanatic. Fixed perk conditions triggering early in some cases.
Hellraiser
Unshakeable. Self inflicted explosive damage is reduced by 90% (was 60%).
Pickpocket. Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 100% (was 25%) chance to refill one equipment charge (cooldown 60 seconds, was 10 seconds).
I’ll Take That. Killing a special zombie gives 100% (was 25%) chance to restore one equipment charge (cooldown 60 seconds, was 10).
Deep Pockets. Heavy weapon ammo capacity increased by 35% (was 25%).
Predator. Killing special zombies boosts firearm damage by 100% (was 50%) for 10 seconds.
Medic
Combat Medic. Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 50% (was 10%) chance to receive a Medkit (cooldown 180 seconds, was 10).
Pickpocket. Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 100% (was 25%) chance to refill one equipment charge (cooldown 30 seconds, was 10 seconds).
I’ll Take That. Killing a special zombie gives 100% (was 25%) chance to restore one equipment charge (cooldown 30 seconds, was 10).
Patch Up. Fixed issue that was causing the perk to not trigger correctly in some cases.
Lobotomy. Fixed issue that was causing the perk to trigger with non-SMG weapons in some cases.
Fixer
Armory. Using a Supply Bag gives a 25% (was 15%) chance to restore one equipment charge.
Stand By Me. Increase firearm damage by 100% (was 50%) for 10 seconds when reviving or unpinning a teammate.
Pickpocket. Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 100% (was 25%) chance to refill one equipment charge (cooldown 90 seconds, was 10 seconds).
I’ll Take That. Killing a special zombie gives 100% (was 25%) chance to restore one equipment charge (cooldown 90 seconds, was 10).
Go Get ‘Em. Reviving a teammate will restore 25% (was 15%) of primary weapon’s ammunition for you and your teammate.
Efficiency. Supply Bag contains 25% more explosive ammo. Masking Grenade effect duration increased by 2 (was 5) seconds.
Darkness Falls. Masking Grenade gas cloud duration is increased by 5 seconds (was 3 seconds).
Slasher
Bullet-dodger – Take 100% (was 90%) less friendly fire from bullets while performing melee attacks.
With My Last Breath – Melee strikes damage 2 (was 1) more targets when health is below 25%.
Third Hand – Killing 5 (was 10) zombies with melee attacks in rapid succession instantly reloads your primary weapon.
Bloodlust – Killing special zombies with a melee weapon will increase firearm damage by 100% (was 50%) for 10 seconds.
Pickpocket – Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 100% (was 25%) chance to refill one equipment charge (cooldown 60 seconds, was 10 seconds).
Heavy Metal I. Fixed issue that was causing improved Chainsaw not to receive proper 50% damage increase.
Exterminator
Dragon Hide. Fire resistance increased by 100% (was 90%).
Pickpocket. Killing 15 zombies in rapid succession gives 100% (was 25%) chance to refill one equipment charge (cooldown 60 seconds, was 10 seconds).
Thrifty. 25% (was 15%) chance of using the Claymore or Molotov without depleting an equipment charge.
Stability
Fixed several gameplay crashes.
Levels
Fixed some gameplay bugs that were causing inability to progress in levels.
Improved navigation on NY 1 level.
Reduced the number of crates player has to deliver on NY 1 when playing solo.
Prevented several options to farm XP by suicide rushing Moscow 1, NY 3 and Tokyo 1.
General fixes
Fixed issue with item pickup progress not showing up in some cases.
Fixed issue with player overhead marker not showing up upon respawn in PvP in some cases.
Fixed issue with receiving party lead privileges causing soft lock in menus in some cases.
Fixed soft lock in menus when entering game settings while respawning in PvP.
Fixed Infector effect staying on screen in outro cinematics.
Fixed voice chat not being output to connected headset in some cases.
Fixed issue that was moving player over large distances when grabbed by a zombie swarm.
Fixed issue causing AI bots trying to shoot through walls.
Fixed issue causing scoreboard to stay on screen in outro cinematics.
Fixed issue causing Medkit progress bar to appear briefly upon respawn.
Fixed issue causing zombies to not receive melee damage in certain doorways.
Fixed issue causing Medkit healing to constantly interrupt in certain locations.
Fixed issue with a certain combination of perks causing Slasher to heal when receiving friendly fire.
Fixed issue causing player to receive another player’s melee weapon when joining a game in progress.
Added sound for receiving medals in PvP.
Sho is no longer wearing 2 helmets at the same time like a true badass.
PC Specific Fixes
Increased bleed out timer on Insane difficulty from 20 to 30 seconds (PC only).
Fixed issue with DLC weapons selection reset upon game restart.
Halfway through, we realised that we should have preserved the old data for a performance comparison. Fortunately, we still had some old data based on the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, so here was what we found…
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
AMD launched the Ryzen 7 processors in March 2017. Just over a year later, they finally launched the 2nd Gen Ryzen desktop processors, codenamed Pinnacle Ridge, and popularly known as Ryzen 2.
Here is everything you need to know about 2nd Gen Ryzen processors – key features, specifications, price and performance! As always, we will keep updating the article when new information comes to light.
Colloquially known as Ryzen 2, the 2nd Gen Ryzen desktop processors promise even to deliver even better price-performance value than their award-winning Ryzen brethren. But calling the actual models Ryzen 2 is confusing, because the Ryzen family is split into three numerically-named lines – Ryzen 7, Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3.
Officially, they should be known as the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors, or the AMD Ryzen 2000 Series, like so :
[adrotate group=”2″]
AMD Ryzen 7 2000 Series
AMD Ryzen 5 2000 Series
AMD Ryzen 3 2000 Series
Even so, many people still insist on calling them the Ryzen 2 processors…
AMD Raven Ridge
The first AMD Ryzen 2 processors already hit the market on 12 February 2018. The AMD Ryzen 2000G Series, codenamed Raven Ridge, is considered to be part of the Ryzen 2000 series, even though they are based on the original Zen microarchitecture.
They are Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) – essentially Ryzen CPUs with integrated Vega graphics. You can read more about them in our articles :
The true 2nd Gen Ryzen desktop processors are codenamed Pinnacle Ridge. They are based on the Zen+ microarchitecture, and fabricated using the 12LP process technology. Here are the first four 2nd Gen Ryzen processors :
Existing AMD 300-series motherboards will support the new 2nd Gen Ryzen “Pinnacle Ridge” processors with a BIOS update, which should be available starting March 2018.
The AMD Ryzen 2000 Series Stack
According to the current AMD Ryzen 2000 Series Stack, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X replaces both the Ryzen 7 1700X and Ryzen 7 1800X.
2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 Specifications
Here are the specifications of the six AMD Ryzen 2000 series processors – four 2nd Gen Ryzen “Pinnacle Ridge” processors, and two Raven Ridge APUs.
Specifications
Ryzen 7 2700X
Ryzen 7 2700
Ryzen 5 2600X
Ryzen 5 2600
Ryzen 5 2400G
Ryzen 3 2200G
Code Name
Pinnacle Ridge
Pinnacle Ridge
Pinnacle Ridge
Pinnacle Ridge
Raven Ridge
Raven Ridge
Socket
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
Process Technology
12 nm FinFET
12 nm FinFET
12 nm FinFET
12 nm FinFET
14 nm FinFET
14 nm FinFET
Cores / Threads
8 / 16
8 / 16
6 / 12
6 / 12
4 / 8
4 / 4
Base Clock
3.7 GHz
3.2 GHz
3.6 GHz
3.4 GHz
3.60 GHz
3.50 GHz
Boost Clock
4.3 GHz
4.1 GHz
4.2 GHz
3.9 GHz
3.90 GHz
3.70 GHz
L2 Cache
4 MB
4 MB
3 MB
3 MB
2 MB
2 MB
L3 Cache
16 MB
16 MB
16 MB
16 MB
4 MB
4 MB
Integrated GPU
None
None
None
None
Radeon RX Vega 11
Radeon Vega 8
PCIe Lanes
16
16
16
16
8
8
Max. DDR4 Speed
DDR4-2933
DDR4-2933
DDR4-2933
DDR4-2933
DDR4-2933
DDR4-2933
TDP
105 W
65 W
95 W
65 W
65 W
65 W
Bundled Cooler
Wraith Prism
Wraith Spire (LED)
Wraith Spire
Wraith Stealth
Wraith Stealth
Wraith Stealth
Launch Price
US$ 329
US$ 299
US$ 229
US$ 199
US$ 169
US$ 99
2nd Gen Ryzen Price & Availability
The 2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 processors are available for sale beginning 19 April 2018, at the following price points :
Will the first generation Ryzen (Summit Ridge) processors get a price cut when the 2nd Gen Ryzen begins shipping? Find out in our article – Cheaper Ryzen CPUs When Ryzen 2 Launches?
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 Key Features Part 1
The AMD Ryzen 2 processors are based on an improved Zen microarchitecture, what AMD calls the Zen+ microarchitecture. Let’s take a closer look at what’s new with the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors!
2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 Tech Briefings
This time, we have not one, but TWO, tech briefings on the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors. This one was recorded at the March preview event in Bangkok, featuring Kevin Lensing (AMD Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Client Business Unit) and James Prior (AMD Senior Product Manager).
And here is an online tech briefing by Robert Hallock, AMD Head of Global Technical Marketing.
AMD Zen+ Microarchitecture
The 2nd Gen Ryzen processors are based on the improved AMD Zen+ microarchitecture, which delivers slightly better performance, with lower cache and memory latencies :
3% more 1T IPC (instructions per second)
13% lower L1 cache latency
34% lower L2 cache latency
16% lower L3 cache latency
11% lower memory latency
Official support for JEDEC DDR4-2933
12LP Process Technology
The 2nd Gen Ryzen processors are fabricated using the 12LP (12 nm Leading Performance) process technology from GlobalFoundries.
[adrotate group=”2″]
This is really a 14 nm process, with improvements and a tighter pitch, so the die size and transistor count remain the same. However, the improved process allows for these improvements :
top clock speed increased by 250 MHz
“all core” now overclock around 4.2 GHz
CPU voltage is reduced by about 50 mV at all clock speeds
up to 11% lower power consumption, compared to 14 nm
up to 16% better performance per watt, compared to 14 nm
Precision Boost 2
Precision Boost 2 is one of the biggest improvements in AMD SenseMI. It replaces the old 2-core boost model, with a linear boost model. This allows for much greater performance for games and applications that use more than 2 cores.
Precision Boost Overdrive
James Prior revealed that AMD will introduce a feature called Precision Boost Overdrive in the future. The motherboard will be able to communicate its actual capabilities to the 2nd Gen Ryzen processor, allowing for better boost profiles and a relaxed vcore limiter with better motherboards.
Extended Frequency Range 2 (XFR 2)
XFR 2 boosts the 2nd Gen Ryzen processor’s performance by 4-7%, depending on the performance of the installed CPU cooler.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 Key Features Part 2
Soldered IHS
All 2nd Gen Ryzen processors will feature soldered heatspreaders, using premium indium alloy solder. This allows die temperatures to be reduced by 10°C.
Multiplier Unlocked
Like its predecessor, the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors are all multiplier unlocked, so you have full flexibility in overclocking them. Fun fact : The entry-level A320 chipset, which doesn’t allow CPU overclocking, will still allow you to overclock the DDR4 memory.
New Wraith Prism Cooler
The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (Price Check) now comes with the new Wraith Prism cooler, which is basically the Wraith Max with a “swirling vortex of colour“. The heatsink fin profile was reshaped to allow for better compatibility with smaller motherboards.
The heatsink was also improved with direct contact heat pipes. The fan is also quieter at just 37 dBA, although there is a switch that allows the fan to be overclocked.
AMD 400-Series Chipsets
AMD announced the AMD X470 chipset to complement the new 2nd Gen Ryzen processors. Eventually, they will also release the B450 chipset in mid-2018. However, this does not mean you need to pair the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors with an AMD X470 motherboard.
The 2nd Gen Ryzen processors are drop-in compatible with AMD 300-Series motherboards, with one caveat – they must have an updated BIOS. To help you with that, motherboards that have the updated BIOS will come with an AMD Ryzen Desktop 2000 Ready sticker.
The AMD X470 is very similar to the previous-generation X370 chipset. It is an evolutionary upgrade that improves idle power draw, and introduces an improved power infrastructure to help 2nd Gen Ryzen processors achieve higher boost speeds.
The AMD 400-Series chipsets boast better memory routing, better VRM and power layouts, and a lower idle power of less than 2 watts. While the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors will run on the existing AMD 300-series motherboards, an AMD 400-Series motherboard will allow for better overclocking, and a free AMD StoreMI licence.
[adrotate group=”1″]
AMD StoreMI Technology
AMD StoreMI is an OEM version of the Enmotus FuzeDrive Basic. It combines all of your storage drives into a single virtual storage drive. It can even add up to 2 GB of DDR4 memory as a very fast cache to the combined drive.
The software than automatically assigns frequently used data blocks to the fastest storage devices, optimising your storage devices to deliver the best performance possible. This allows you to leverage your much faster SSD and system memory to boost the performance of your HDD drives.
According to AMD’s tests, StoreMI will let you load your games faster by 2.8X, and applications by 9.8X.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 Demos
We had an early preview of the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors in Bangkok. Here are videos of the previews and demos :
First Look At The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
This was our first look at the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (Price Check). AMD ran it on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WIFI) motherboard, with G.SKILL Sniper X DDR4 memory. It was also our first look at the new AMD Wraith Prism cooler, with its RGB LED ring, and illuminated fan blades.
Extreme overclocker Sami Mäkinen from AMD’s Technical Marketing team showed us how to overclock the 2nd Gen Ryzen processor using the new AMD Ryzen Master 1.3 utility.
[adrotate group=”1″]
The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Up Close!
The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (Price Check) processor is the top-of-the-line Ryzen 7 model. It has eight Ryzen processor cores, with a 3.7 GHz base clock, and a 4.3 GHz boost clock. It supports SMT (simultaneous multi-threading), and can therefore handle 16 threads simultaneously.
The AMD Ryzen 5 2600X (Price Check) processor is the top-of-the-line Ryzen 5 model. It has six Ryzen processor cores, with a 3.6 GHz base clock, and a 4.2 GHz boost clock. It supports SMT (simultaneous multi-threading), and can therefore handle 12 threads simultaneously.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
A detailed performance analysis of the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X and Ryzen 5 2600 processors was leaked before the launch. It compared their performance against the Ryzen 7 1700X and Intel Core i7-6700K processors. For your convenience, here are the leaked performance charts :
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The Complete 2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 Presentation Slides
Here are the fifty (50) 2nd Gen Ryzen @ Ryzen 2 presentation slides for your perusal!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Intel fans have been waiting eagerly for the Intel Coffee Lake desktop processors ever since AMD introduced their Ryzen 7, Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 family of processors. Coffee Lake is the codename for the 8th Generation Intel Core desktop processors that Intel is going to launch very soon. Here is everything you need to know about the 8th Generation Intel Core desktop processors.
Updated @ 2017-10-10 : Updated the Malaysian pricing for the Intel Coffee Lake processors.
Updated @ 2017-10-09 : Added the Intel Coffee Lake Malaysia price and availability, as well as other minor updates.
Updated @ 2017-09-26 : Added new information and table on the Intel Coffee Lake processor prices and availability. Various other updates.
Originally posted @ 2017-09-11
The Intel Coffee Lake Processors
Codenamed Coffee Lake, the 8th Generation Intel Core processors are the first Intel processors in years to command great interest. Why? Because they will all boast two additional processor cores, finally delivering the big performance boost we have been waiting for.
With Intel Coffee Lake, Intel is changing the number of cores in the Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 processor families :
The first slew of Intel Coffee Lake processors to hit the market are the Core i7-8700K, the Core i7-8700, the Core i5-8600K, the Core i5-8400, the Core i3-8350K, the Core i3-8300 and the Core i3-8100.
Intel will also launch three Pentium models based on Coffee Lake – the Pentium G4720, the Pentium G4700 and the Pentium G4660. They will be priced at less than US$100 MSRP.
The Intel Coffee Lake Processor Specifications
Here is a table comparing the key specifications of the Intel Coffee Lake processors :
Specifications
Core i7-8700K
Core i7-8700
Core i5-8600K
Core i5-8400
Core i3-8350K
Core i3-8300
Core i3-8100
Cores
6
6
6
6
4
4
4
Threads
12
12
6
6
4
4
4
Base Clock
3.7 GHz
3.2 GHz
3.5 GHz
2.8 GHz
4.0 GHz
4.0 GHz
3.6 GHz
Boost Clock
4.7 GHz
4.6 GHz
4.4 GHz
3.9 GHz
None
None
None
L1 Cache
384 KB
384 KB
384 KB
384 KB
256 KB
256 KB
256 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1 MB
1 MB
1 MB
L3 Cache
12 MB
12 MB
9 MB
9 MB
8 MB
6 MB
6 MB
Multiplier Unlocked
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
TDP
95 W
65 W
95 W
65 W
91 W
65 W
65 W
[adrotate group=”1″]
Worldwide Price & Availability
Intel will officially make the 8th Generation Intel Core desktop processors available on 5 October 2017. We confirmed this date through multiple sources. If you are checking for the availability of these processors online to pre-order, here are their part numbers :
Intel Core i7-8700K : BX80684I78700K
Intel Core i7-8700 : BX80684I78700
Intel Core i5-8600K : BX80684I58600K
Intel Core i5-8400 : BX80684I58400
Intel Core i3-3850K : BX80684I38350K
Intel Core i3-8100 : BX80684I38100
Most of the processors will be priced at the same price points as the preceding 7th Generation Core processor models. Intel will only hike the prices of the K-grade models of the Core i7 and Core i5 families.
All other Core i7, i5 and i3 models : PRICE PARITY!
Intel just confirmed that our leaked information is correct. Check out the official prices for the Intel Coffee Lake processors (in 1K quantities) :
8th Gen Intel Core
7th Gen Intel Core
Difference
Model
Launch Price
Model
Launch Price
Core i7-8700K
$359
Core i7-7700K
$339
+$20
Core i7-8700
$303
Core i7-7700
$303
–
Core i5-8600K
$257
Core i5-7600K
$242
+$15
Core i5-8400
$182
Core i5-7400
$182
–
Core i3-8350K
$168
Core i3-7350K
$168
–
Core i3-8100
$117
Core i3-7100
$117
–
Of course, those are price premiums for 1K quantities. The final market price will be considerably more expensive, at least initially. IO-Tech, for example, leaked EU prices of the K-grade processors that show a considerable price premium on those parts :
Intel Core i7-8700K : €419 (+€95 premium)
Intel Core i5-8600K : €299 (+€75 premium)
Intel Core i3-8350K : €199 (+€50 premium)
Intel Coffee Lake Malaysia Price & Availability Updated!
Here in Malaysia, only these four Coffee Lake CPUs are available, with considerable variation in the initial prices quoted by ETECH PC and Compuzone. ETECH PC is offering a lower price because the processor must be part of a system build. Compuzone, on the other hand, sells the retail boxed processors.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The 8th Generation Intel Core processors, codenamed Coffee Lake, are the first Intel processor family to garner so much interest in recent history. Thanks to the Ryzen Effect, Intel is finally increasing the number of processor cores across the board. FINALLY. In this review, we are going to take a close look at the new Intel Core i7-8700K processor that boasts 6 cores capable of handling 12 simultaneous threads.
The 8th Generation Intel Core Processors
The Intel Core i7-8700K headlines the new 8th Generation Intel Core processor family. Here is a table comparing their key specifications :
Specifications
Core i7-8700K
Core i7-8700
Core i5-8600K
Core i5-8400
Core i3-8350K
Core i3-8300
Core i3-8100
Cores
6
6
6
6
4
4
4
Threads
12
12
6
6
4
4
4
Base Clock
3.7 GHz
3.2 GHz
3.5 GHz
2.8 GHz
4.0 GHz
4.0 GHz
3.6 GHz
Boost Clock
4.7 GHz
4.6 GHz
4.4 GHz
3.9 GHz
None
None
None
L1 Cache
384 KB
384 KB
384 KB
384 KB
256 KB
256 KB
256 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1 MB
1 MB
1 MB
L3 Cache
12 MB
12 MB
9 MB
9 MB
8 MB
6 MB
6 MB
Multiplier Unlocked
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
TDP
95 W
65 W
95 W
65 W
91 W
65 W
65 W
The Intel Core i7-8700K Hexa-Core CPU
The Intel Coffee Lake (8th Gen) processors are built on the same 14 nm process technology as the Intel Skylake and Kaby Lake processors, albeit refined. In addition to the two extra processor cores, it packs a 50% larger L3 cache and support for faster DDR4-2666 memory.
Even with the two additional cores and a larger L3 cache, the Intel Core i7-8700K looks like any other LGA 1151 processor that have come out of Intel’s factories in years past. However, it cannot be used in older Intel 100-series or 200-series motherboards. Even though it uses the same LGA 1151 socket, its pin configuration has changed. It must be installed in an Intel 300-series motherboard.
The Intel Core i7-8700K has 2 extra cores and handles 50% more threads than the Intel Core i7-6700K, but has a slightly lower base clock speed. However its boost clock goes all the way to 4.7 GHz, if a single core is used. Let’s see how it performs against the field!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
3D Rendering Speed – CINEBENCH R15
CINEBENCH R15 is a real-world 3D rendering benchmark based on the MAXON Cinema 4D animation software. This is a great way to accurately determine the actual performance of a processor in 3D content creation.
CINEBENCH R15 Single Core
This Single Core test is not reflective of real world performance, but it is useful to find out the performance of the individual core.
We already knew from our Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check) and Ryzen 5 1500X (Price Check) reviews that the Intel Skylake core is about 8% faster than the AMD Ryzen core. Intel made improvements to the Coffee Lake core but do not let the results fool you – most of it is due to the higher clock speed.
When it runs with a single core, the Intel Core i7-8700K has a turbo boost clock of 4.7 GHz – a full GHz over its base clock speed. If we adjust the results to account for the higher clock speed, the Intel Coffee Lake core is about 9.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen core.
CINEBENCH R15 Multi Core
This shows the real-world 3D rendering performance of the five processors. Impressively, the 6-core Intel Core i7-8700K came within 5% of the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check), which is an 8-core, 16-thread processor!
Even more impressive is the fact that the Intel Core i7-8700K was 72% faster than the Core i7-6700K in this test. That is a double-digit improvement worth crowing about!
CINEBENCH R15 MP Ratio
The analysis of the Multi-Processing Ratio is useful in checking the efficiency of the SMT implementation. The MP Ratio is independent of the processor’s clock speed.
After adjusting for their clock speed differences, we estimate that the SMT implementation in the Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check) is about 12% more efficient than Hyper-Threading in the Intel Core i7-8700K.
[adrotate group=”1″]
Video Transcoding Speed – HandBrake
HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoding utility. Video transcoding basically converts a video file from one resolution / format to another. As you can imagine, it’s very compute-intensive. In our test, we converted a 4K video of 1.3 GB in size into a 1080p video (HQ1080p30).
The Intel Core i7-8700K transcoded the 1.3 GB video in just over 5 minutes – about 13.3% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check) and 46% faster than the Core i7-6700K. Very nice!
Radial Blur Speed – Photoshop CC 14
The radial blur filter adds the perception of motion to a picture. This is a compute-intensive operation that benefits from multiple processing cores. This radial blur test was performed on a single 13.5 megapixel photo, with a filesize of 4,910,867 bytes.
The Intel Core i7-8700K did very well in this test, applying the radial blur filter in just 8 seconds – less than a second (9%) slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check)! It was 57% faster in this test than the Core i7-6700K. Very impressive!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
3DMark – Time Spy (DirectX 12)
In the Time Spy CPU test, the Intel Core i7-8700K was 19% slower than the Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check) and 30% faster than the Core i7-6700K. However, its overall score was actually a tad higher than that of the Ryzen 7 1800X .
Ashes of the Singularity (1080p)
In the RTS game, Ashes of the Singularity, the single core CPU performance has a significant effect on the actual frame rate.
The performance of the Intel Core i7-8700K in this game perplexed us. Despite reinstalling the drivers and benchmarking over and over again, we kept getting the same results. For some reason, the Core i7-8700K was actually 4% slower than the Ryzen 5 1500X (Price Check), 14% slower than the Ryzen 7 1800X (Price Check), and 18% slower than the Core i7-6700K.
[adrotate group=”1″]
Ashes of the Singularity (4K)
When we bumped up the resolution to 4K, the performance difference was greatly reduced. Even so, the Intel Core i7-8700K continued to underperform, basically matching the AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (Price Check) in performance.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Total War: Warhammer (1080p)
Like Ashes of the Singularity, the single core performance appears to be crucial in Total War: Warhammer.
Again, the Intel Core i7-8700K perplexed us by underperforming in Total War: Warhammer. In fact, it was even slower than the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X (Lowest Price)!
Let’s remember that these are the actual frame rates, not the actual CPU performance.
Total War: Warhammer (4K)
When we increased the resolution to 4K, all other four processors delivered practically the same average frame rates. Naturally, at this high resolution, the graphics card was the most important factor in delivering high frame rates.
However, the Intel Core i7-8700K continued to buck the trend by delivering noticeably lower frame rates. Its average frame rate was 9% lower than the other four processors.
[adrotate group=”1″]
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (1080p)
The CPU performance has a smaller effect with FPS games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. On the other hand, it supports multi-core processors. In any case, the Intel Core i7-8700K continued its trend of underperforming with games. Its average frame rate was roughly on par with the Ryzen 5 1500X (Price Check).
The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt (4K)
When we bumped up the resolution to 4K though, all five processors were virtually equivalent in performance. That’s not to say that they are equally fast, just that the graphics card mattered far, far more at such a high resolution.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Summary & Verdict On The Intel Core i7-8700K
The Intel Core i7-8700K is a breath of fresh air. Finally, Intel has a new processor worth boasting about. Thanks to the two additional cores, and the consequently larger L2 and L3 caches, it is significantly faster than its predecessor, even those built on the same microarchitecture and process technology.
The multi-core applications we tested just lapped up the extra cores and deliver significantly better performance. Even its single-core performance was improved, mostly due to the higher clock speed.
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 72% faster than the Core i7-6700K in 3D rendering
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 46% faster than the Core i7-6700K in video transcoding
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 57% faster than the Core i7-6700K in applying the radial blur filter
The Intel Core i7-8700K was just 4.8% slower than the Ryzen 7 1800X in 3D rendering
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 13.3% slower than the Ryzen 7 1800X in video transcoding
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 8.8% slower than the Ryzen 7 1800X in applying the radial blur filter
But when it came to games, everything turned on its head. Perplexingly, it performed poorly in all of our game tests, delivering frame rates that were slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (Price Check), and even the Ryzen 3 1300X (Lowest Price)!
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 18% slower than the Core i7-6700K in Ashes of the Singularity
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 19% slower than the Core i7-6700K in Total War: Warhammer
The Intel Core i7-8700K was 3.4% slower than the Core i7-6700K in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
As those frame rates are heavily influenced by the graphics card, we think it is likely an issue with the motherboard. We will need to take more time to figure out what’s wrong. We will retest and update this review as soon as we can.
But based on the raw performance of the processor in the applications we tested, we feel safe to say that the Intel Core i7-8700K is definitely the Core i7 processor that Intel fans have been waiting for.
Reading Suggestions
Don’t forget to also read our other Intel Coffee Lake and AMD Ryzen-related articles :
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Intel fans have been waiting A LONG TIME for the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs, codenamed Coffee Lake. Thanks to the Ryzen Effect, they promise a new level of performance unseen in recent years from Intel. For the first time ever, the Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 CPUs will come with two additional cores!
Earlier, we shared with you leaked details of the Coffee Lake CPUs – price, specifications and availability. Now, we will share with you the Intel presentation on the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs.
Note On Availability
In our earlier article on the Intel Coffee Lake CPUs, we revealed that Intel would be launching them on 5 October 2017. In fact, tech publications privy to this presentation had to sign an NDA not to reveal this until 5 October 2017.
However, after Intel gave this presentation on 22 September 2017, it got leaked. So Intel basically cancelled their NDA, and here we are with this tech report.
Please note that the Coffee Lake CPUs are still only going to hit the market on 5 October 2017. It’s just the announcement that got brought up to 25 September 2017.
The 8th Gen Intel Core Desktop CPU
The processors being announced today are the premium desktop models. Intel had earlier released the 8th Gen Intel Core mobile CPUs in August. That was, confusingly, based on the previous-generation “Kaby Lake Refresh” microarchitecture.
As we revealed in our Intel Coffee Lake article, the new 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors now have up to 6 processor cores that can handle up to 12 simultaneous threads. You can also see from this slide that they definitely planned to launch these processors on 5 October 2017.
[adrotate group=”1″]
Basically – MORE Cores!
What everyone is excited about is the fact that Intel is introducing two extra cores into each Coffee Lake CPU!
In addition to more cores, the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors have larger caches.
A New Chipset Too
This is no secret either – the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors will run on the new Intel 300 series chipset, the first of which is the Intel Z370 chipset.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Better Gaming Performance
Intel promises that the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs will deliver significantly better performance. They paired the Core i7-8700K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, and noted the following improvements over the Core i7-7700K :
25% higher frame rate in Gears of War 4
45% better performance while gaming + streaming + recording in PlayerUnknown’s Battleground
32% faster 4K video editing in Adobe Premier Pro
There’s the inevitable comparison with older processors to provide a greater performance contrast. Interestingly, Intel only compared against a 3-year CPU (the Intel Core i7-4790K) this time, instead of a 5-year old CPU as they did in past years.
Better Overclocking
Unlike AMD whose Ryzen processors are all unlocked, Intel is still restricting the multiplier lock for all 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors, except for their K-grade processors. But they promise better overclocking features like :
Per Core Overclocking
An increase in Memory Ratio up to 8,400 MT/s
Real-time memory latency control
Extended PLL trim controls
Enhanced package power delivery
Performance Tuning Protection Plan (optional)
[adrotate group=”1″]
8th Gen Intel Core Desktop CPU Specifications
Here is a table comparing the key specifications of the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors :
Specifications
Core i7-8700K
Core i7-8700
Core i5-8600K
Core i5-8400
Core i3-8350K
Core i3-8300
Core i3-8100
Cores
6
6
6
6
4
4
4
Threads
12
12
6
6
4
4
4
Base Clock
3.7 GHz
3.2 GHz
3.5 GHz
2.8 GHz
4.0 GHz
4.0 GHz
3.6 GHz
Boost Clock
4.7 GHz
4.6 GHz
4.4 GHz
3.9 GHz
None
None
None
L1 Cache
384 KB
384 KB
384 KB
384 KB
256 KB
256 KB
256 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1.5 MB
1 MB
1 MB
1 MB
L3 Cache
12 MB
12 MB
9 MB
9 MB
8 MB
6 MB
6 MB
Multiplier Unlocked
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
TDP
95 W
65 W
95 W
65 W
91 W
65 W
65 W
8th Gen Intel Core Price & Availability
As we revealed in our Intel Coffee Lake article earlier, Intel is only hiking the price of their Core i7 K-grade CPUs by $20 and their Core i5 K-grade CPUs by $15. All other 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPU SKUs will maintain price parity with the 7th Gen models they replace.
8th Gen Intel Core
7th Gen Intel Core
Difference
Model
Launch Price
Model
Launch Price
Core i7-8700K
$359
Core i7-7700K
$339
+$20
Core i7-8700
$303
Core i7-7700
$303
–
Core i5-8600K
$257
Core i5-7600K
$242
+$15
Core i5-8400
$182
Core i5-7400
$182
–
Core i3-8350K
$168
Core i3-7350K
$168
–
Core i3-8100
$117
Core i3-7100
$117
–
While Intel announced the details of the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs on 25 September, they are only making these processors available on 5 October 2017, as originally planned.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The 8th Gen Intel Core Desktop CPUs Summarised
Basically, the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs are pretty much the 7th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs with two additional cores, and larger caches. There are no major architectural changes, just some tweaks here and there.
That said, the additional cores and larger caches alone will give the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs a BIG boost in performance. That’s what got so many people hyped about it.
[adrotate group=”1″]
The Complete 8th Gen Intel Core Presentation Slides
Here is the complete set of presentation slides for the 8th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs for your perusal :
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
