Is the Intel Core i7-10700K still worth buying in 2021?
When Intel released the 11th generation processors that focused on single-core performance, it was definite that Intel was trying to reclaim its gaming throne. With the Intel Core i7-11700K in the market, we will do our best to give you an idea of why a 10th generation is still a viable option today.
The new offerings including PCIe 4.0 support, expanded memory speeds, and hyperthreading. What were the sacrifices that were made to reach a 10nm architecture? Intel’s Core i7-10700k has featured excellent gaming performance and great multi-core capabilities since its release. Its base clock speeds are 3.8 GHz with boosts of up to 5.1 GHz.
Reasons to Buy The Intel Core i7-10700k
The Intel Core i7-10700k has great single-core performance, which has always been the most important aspect when looking at gaming benchmarks. Its extra 2 cores and 4 threads help it perform better in multi-core applications. Memory speeds are not the best at 2933 MHz DDR4 memory but can still be increased via overclocking. The Core i7-10700K can perform at the same level as the next-generation Core i7 as long as there is overclocking. The affordability of the 10th generation Core i7 gives it more reason to be bought unless there is a need for the PCIe 4.0 support which is readily available with the 11th generation processors.
TDP and Turbo Max Technology 3.0
The TDP of 125 Watts means that pushing the i7-10700k over its base clocks via overclocking. This is an area where the 10th generation i7 shines, as overclocking improves performance greatly. Since this is one of the most sought-after options for higher-end gaming, the MSRP of this comes to ” “which is still the more affordable option if you want to be able to play even the newest triple-A games in the market. Additionally, the Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 directs your most critical workloads to your processor’s fastest cores giving it a better single-core performance.
Intel Core i7-10700K | Testing
CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K
DRAM: HyperX Predator 32GB DDR4 3200Mhz
Motherboard: Asrock Z490 Pro4
GPU: Inno3D GeForce RTX3070 iChill x4
SSD: Kingston A2000 500GB x 2
PSU: Deepcool 650W
Intel Core i7-10700K | Benchmarking
With the release of the 11the generation processors, the benchmarks that we are about to show are reasons why the Intel Core i7-10700K is still a viable option.
Metro Exodus (1080p | Ultra | RTX)
Metro Exodus is the third Metro game trilogy based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novel. This is a first-person shooter game with survival horror and stealth elements. Here we see an average 102 FPS during our gameplay while still having a 114 max FPS. We have chosen this as one of our games as this remains to be one of the most graphically pleasing and demanding games that are popular to date.
Cyberpunk 2077
(1080p | Ultra)
In terms of graphic depth and gravity, Cyberpunk 2077 is dubbed as the Crysis of the early 2020s demanding more from PCs compared to before. Fortunately, Cyberpunk is equipped with deep graphical options allowing you to customize neon-noir futuristic aesthetics to still run depending on your hardware. With the Intel Core i7-10700k, we managed to maintain a 71 FPS average while maxing out at 82FPS on Ultra settings without ray-tracing despite having the RTX 3070 on. With the ray-tracing on, we dipped down to around 65FPS average with a maximum of 68FPS.
(1440p | Medium | RT)
We cranked up the resolution, lowered the graphic settings, and switched on the ray-tracing and we managed to get more decent FPS at 96 and managing a minimum of 23 FPS which is honestly more than playable.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order ( 1440p | Epic)
While testing Star Wards Jedi: Fallen Order under 1440p and Epic settings, we generated an average of 116 FPS and a minimum of 29 FPS depending on the scenery.
Maxon’s Cinebench R23
Maxon’s Cinebench is one of the most used benchmark applications for reviewers and enthusiasts measuring the latest rendering architectures which includes Intel’s Embree ray tracing technology and other advanced features from both CPU makers allowing users to render the same scene with different hardware.
Check other build guides
Intel Core i7-10700K | Recommended Build
| Processor | Intel Core i7 10700K |
| Mobo | Asus TUF B460M Plus Gaming WiFi |
| GPU | Palit RTX 2060 Dual Fan |
| RAM | 8gb ddr4 3600 Kingston Fury black |
| SSD | 250gb Kingston A2000 SSD NVMe Gen3 |
| STORAGE | 2tb Seagate Barracuda hdd |
| Chassis | Deep Cool DC Matrexx 55 Mesh TG |
| Cooling | CM Cooler Master Hyper 212 Spectrum |
| PSU | Silver Stone SST, 750watts, Strider Gold |
This recommended build can still be further improved by upgrading the RAM to 16GB but with double the price. We have chosen the RTX 2060 as the price is between the GTX 1660s and RTX 3060. The price of this is around PHP 72,000 as a result of the price hike in hardware. The Intel Core i7-10700k is priced around Php22,895 in authorized retail shops in-store and online.
Verdict
Though Intel has already nailed a value ratio for the next-generation processors, getting the 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10700K for both productivity and gaming is still the more affordable and widely available processor in the market. For a long while in the processor space, Intel set prices and the competitor worked around that. Currently, there is a scarcity of chips. It is easy to say this processor would be a great option to attain high performance in content creation and gaming.