So here it is – Intel's fastest ever CPU. In fact, it’s the company’s first to hit 5GHz out of the box and also has the promise of better overclocking for those that aren’t content with stock speed performance. The main reason for the existence of the Core i7-8086K, though, is to commemorate the launch of the first true desktop processor and the first x86 processor, which paved the way for the countless models that followed – the 8086. Windows, modern multi-core processors, PC gaming – everything owes something to the 8086 and the way it helped shape the industry 40 years ago.
Intel Core i7-8086K prices: UK – £379.99, US – $419
Intel might have been beaten by AMD to the 5GHz milestone, but that was by the hideously power-hungry FX-9590 back in 2014. On sub-15nm manufacturing processes, though, it’s Intel that’s winning the frequency race and combined with enviable efficiency, it’s still the dominant player in the CPU market. That said, AMD has made huge gains in the last 12 months so all eyes are on Intel to see how it responds.
In many ways, though, the Core i7-8086K is not about taking the fight to AMD. This is indeed Intel’s first CPU that’s able to reach 5GHz out of the box without overclocking, but this is only on a single core. If you load up more than one core, then you’ll see exactly the same performance as you would using a Core i7-8700K, which incidentally, retails for around $70 less, since their turbo frequencies are otherwise identical.
The core specifications of these two Coffee Lake CPUs are the same too. Both have a TDP of 95W and are made using a 14nm manufacturing process, both have six cores and 12 threads compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X‘s eight cores and 16 threads and aside from the Core i7-8086K’s slightly higher single core turbo boost frequency at 5GHz compared to 4.7GHz for the older Core i7-8700K.
Clearly, you might ask why, if the two CPUs are essentially the same under the hood, that Intel didn’t push the Core i7-8700K to 5GHz at launch and the answer most likely comes down to its conservative headroom and that some examples are manufactured that aren’t able to reach 5GHz using Intel’s prescribed voltage limits for a stock speed CPU. With the Core i7-8086K, though, the suspicion is that they are simply speed-binned Core i7-8700Ks, and that brings the promise of higher overclocks from an already overclocking-friendly processor.
Performance
You can see my other processor reviews below:
AMD: Ryzen 7 2700X, Ryzen 5 2600X, Ryzen 5 2600, Ryzen 7 2700, Ryzen 3 1300X, Threadripper 1950X, Threadripper 1920X, Ryzen 5 2400G, Ryzen 3 2200G
Intel: Core i7-8700K Core i3-8100, Intel Core i9-7980XE, Core i7-7700K, Core i7-7740X
My test gear consists of:
Intel system
Asus ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming
AMD System
Asus ROG Crosshair VII hero
Common components
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Edition
16GB Corsair Vengeance 3000MHz memory
Samsung 500GB 960 Pro M.2 SSD
Corsair RM850i PSU
Windows 10 with Spectre and Meltdown security patches applied
Gaming
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Ashes of the Singularity
World of Tanks
Fallout 4
Final Fantasy XV
Futuremark VR Mark
Unigine Superposition
Content creation
Cinebench
HandBrake
PCMark Photo Editing
Power consumption: Stock speed
Power Consumption: Overclocked
Performance discussion
The overclocked speed for the Core i7-8700K was 5GHz and the Core i7-8086K did manage to better this, albeit only by 100MHz at 5.1GHz using 1.3V, which is as far as I’d take things for a 24/7 overclock. It’s a lottery, though, but seeing as 5GHz was pretty good for a Core i7-8700K and this new CPU was actually a retail sample as Intel didn’t really sample it to the press, the fact it hit 5.1GHz with ease is encouraging, if not spectacular.
There were small gains from the 300MHz single-core advantage, such as the 11 point rise in the single-core Cinebench score, edging out an even bigger lead over AMD, but gains were minimal overall., including in games. The higher overclock saw a similar result – the Cinebench score of 1,690 was 60 points higher than the Core i7-8700K, but still way off AMD’s eight-core CPUs, while the PCMark 10 Photo Editing score was over 200 points higher.
Should you buy it?
Unlike other anniversary or limited edition CPUs, such as the Pentium G3258, the Core i7-8086K is maybe not quite that appealing as a product in terms of speed or value. It’s fast to be sure, but not that much faster than the Core i7-8700K and certainly not worth the extra cash, even for an extra 100MHz or two in overclocking headroom.
Reaching the 5GHz milestone is commendable, though, as is the 40th anniversary of the 8086 processor and the fact Intel’s naming scheme just happens to have done full circle (actually it’s the third time at least that we’ve had 8000-series Intel CPUs!), meant that this was an opportunity not to be missed and I for one am glad they did something to remember the 8086, although I think they could maybe have gone further with the packaging. It’s maybe a shame too, though, that they couldn’t use their highly-anticipated Core i9-9900K eight-core CPU instead, because that looks set to make much more of an impact and is something I can’t wait to get my hands on.
