Intel Core i7-7700K Processor Review
Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake CPU Performance
The 7th Generation Intel Core i7 Kaby Lake desktop processors have been officially announced and the Intel Core i7-7700K is the new flagship LGA1151 processor for Intel! Intel Kaby Lake desktop performance numbers have been leaked for more than two months now, so if you are reading this review we truly appreciate it and thank you for supporting Legit Reviews and all the independent reviews that we have been doing since 2002! Intel is releasing 16 new LGA1151 processors today for the Kaby Lake desktop processor launch. The good news is that all of these processors are backwards compatible with existing Intel 100 series boards after a UEFI update and of course the new Intel 200 series boards that were also announced today. Pricing on the flagship desktop model, the Intel Core i7-7700K, start at $339 and then go all the way down to just $138 on the lower-end dual-core models.
Intel 7th Generation ‘Kaby Lake’ LGA1151 Desktop CPU Lineup
| SKU Name | Cores/Threads | Core Clock | Boost Clock | L3 Cache | TDP | Graphics | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i7-7700K | 4/8 | 4.2 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 8 MB | 91W | 630 | $339 |
| Core i7-7700 | 4/8 | 3.6 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 8 MB | 65W | 630 | $303 |
| Core i7-7700T | 4/8 | 2.9 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 8 MB | 35W | 630 | $303 |
| Core i5-7600K | 4/4 | 3.8 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 6 MB | 91W | 630 | $242 |
| Core i5-7600 | 4/4 | 3.5 GHz | 4.1 GHz | 6 MB | 65W | 630 | $213 |
| Core i5-7600T | 4/4 | 2.8 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 6 MB | 35W | 630 | $213 |
| Core i5-7500 | 4/4 | 3.4 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 6 MB | 65W | 630 | $192 |
| Core i5-7500T | 4/4 | 2.7 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 6 MB | 35W | 630 | $192 |
| Core i5-7400 | 4/4 | 3.0 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 6 MB | 65W | 630 | $182 |
| Core i5-7400T | 4/4 | 2.4 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 6 MB | 35W | 630 | $182 |
| Core i3-7350K | 2/4 | 4.2 GHz | N/A | 4 MB | 60W | 630 | $168 |
| Core i3-7320 | 2/4 | 4.1 GHz | N/A | 4 MB | 51W | 630 | $149 |
| Core i3-7300 | 2/4 | 4.0 GHz | N/A | 4 MB | 51W | 630 | $138 |
| Core i3-7300T | 2/4 | 3.5 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 35W | 630 | $138 |
| Core i3-7100 | 2/4 | 3.9 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 51W | 630 | $117 |
| Core i3-7100T | 2/4 | 3.4 GHz | N/A | 3 MB | 35W | 630 | $117 |
Intel only sent over the Core i7-7700K processor today for us to take a look at, so our focus will be on this 91W TDP quad-core processor with 8-threads thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading technology.
The big difference between the on the Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake processor and the Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake processor is that the new Kaby Lake processors are built using the improved 14nm+ FinFET process that has had a number of refinements done that have allowed Intel to get higher clock frequencies without increasing power. That has allowed Intel to gain 200MHz on the base clock and an impressive 300MHz max turbo frequency on the Core i7-7700K over the Core i7-6700K while keeping the power exactly the same at 91W TDP. Both processors have the same amount (8MB) of L3 cache and even the tray pricing is the same at $339 apiece.
| Core i7-7700K | Core i7-6700K | |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Series | 7th Generation | 6th Generation |
| Architecture | Kaby Lake | Skylake |
| Process Tech | 14nm+ | 14nm |
| Cores/Threads | 4/8 | 4/8 |
| Base Clock | 4.2 GHz | 4.0 GHz |
| Max Turbo Clock | 4.5 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| SmartCache | 8MB | 8MB |
| TDP | 91 watt | 91 watt |
| Max. Memory | 64GB | 64GB |
| Graphics | HD Graphics 630 | HD Graphics 530 |
| Graphics Compute Units | 24 | 24 |
| Graphics Clocks | 350 – 1150 MHz | 350 – 1150 MHz |
| Tray Price | $339 | $339 |
Just looking at the Intel Core i7-7700K processor you won’t see many changes as it is still an unlocked LGA1151 processor! Intel still allows for BCLK and Multiplier adjustments for overclocking Kaby Lake processors and you should easily expect to overclock beyond 5 GHz on the core clock with good cooling like a closed loop liquid cooler.
The other big addition inside Intel’s 7th Generation Core series processors is the addition of a new media engine for HEVC 10-bit (H.265) and VP9 hardware accelerated decoding for improved media performance. Having a dedicated media engine handling video decode is a big deal as it helps ensure media playback is smooth and will improve power efficiency for the latest video formats.
Let’s take a look at the test system and then the test results!