This CPU has several noteworthy features:
- Intel’s latest quad-core flagship, following many iterations (4 cores, 8 threads – tick-tock architecture changes over many years due to lack of competition)
- The 7700K is the slightly improved 14 nm top model to the 6700K, a formerly very popular and powerful Skylake processor and the third model series (Broadwell was the first) developed with this structure size
- Factory-installed inferior thermal paste between the heat spreader and die, making it one of the CPUs with the highest potential for improvement in this regard (the 8th generation was also like this, but from the 9th generation onwards, soldering was used again).
- Due to problems Intel had with the process change to smaller lithography, the 14 nm technology was recast, but is now mature (“does everything that clock speed allows”).
- Fewer cores compared to today means more performance budget for each individual core for overclocking – cooling is also easier
- High base clock speed compared to the boost clock speeds of similar models before and after, 4.20 GHz base clock speed and maximum single-core boost of 4.50 GHz
One major drawback is that Microsoft draws the line at Kaby Lake for Windows 11. Only the 8xxx model series (Coffee Lake) officially supports Windows 11, and anything less than that is out of the question. But that doesn’t really bother me, as the requirements can be easily circumvented and Windows isn’t really the only operating system in the world.
What can the i7-7700K do?
⧉ Intel
⧉ Intel
⧉ Intel| Name S-Spec | Intel Core i7-7700K SR33A |
| Clocks | Base clock: 4.20 GHz Cores / max. Turbo-Boost: 1 – 4.50 GHz 2 – 4.40 GHz 3 – 4.40 GHz 4 – 4.40 GHz |
| Socket | LGA 1511 |
| Architecture / Lithography | Kaby Lake (14 nm+) |
| Caches | L1 : 256 KB L2: 1 MB L3: 8 MB |
| RAM clock | DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400 |
| TDP | 91 Watts |
| Integrated graphics | HD Graphics 630 Generation 9.5 – GT2 24 EUs 192 ALUs 441,6 GFLOPS at 1,15 GHz 1197 PassMark-Points |
| Compatible chipsets | Sunrise Point: H110, B150, Q150 H170, Q170, Z170 C232, C236 Union Point: B250, Q250 H270, Q270, Z270 |
What is the goal?
I want to push this processor model to its everyday limits.
As a final “hurrah” for the x86 quad-core flagship era, which has lasted many years.
The model I had cannibalized should be in very good condition, as it never really got to show its true potential. It was never overclocked, as the motherboard would not have allowed it anyway. Good conditions, the silicon can hardly be worn out.
“Just for fun” or what?
The resulting system will also have a practical use – we have been operating a “kitchen PC” for several years now. It is used for recipes, but also for watching movies or series, listening to music such as web radio, etc. For a long time, it was connected to a 24″ Hanns-G Full HD touchscreen monitor* and was also operated via this.
The old hardware is now so outdated (an AMD Phenom X4 II system, 4 GB DDR2 RAM, Nvidia GT 710 with 2 GB DDR3 VRAM, a Zotac 120 GB SSD on SATA-I – with Windows 8.1 x64) that it was time for an upgrade anyway. Especially since a new touch screen model from iiyama with 4K resolution* was being considered and the old system was already reaching its limits with Full HD.
Here, the response speed of the system is much more important than having many cores – with a very fast quad-core like this one, the whole thing would run smoothly for many years. The highest load will probably be caused by Windows updates.
Let’s continue with the first big step of this upcoming journey.