In this article, we will be sharing our opinion, as well as showing you benchmarks & results that lead us to conclude which is the best i7 for Gaming.
It’s generally known that i7’s have an exceptional performance in all kinds of tasks, be it for video rendering, be it for gaming, especially when compared with their predecessors the Core I5 and Core I3, the I7 processors excel in everything, however, truth be told, there’s not much of a difference between a good I7 and the latest & best I5’s on market in terms of gaming FPS’s (Frames per second), the I7’s weren’t actually made with gaming in mind, we’re in 2021 and most games if not all, still can’t use HyperThreading which is one of the main features of the I7 and that is why so many people recommend buying I5’s instead of I7’s for gaming, however, if you’re willing to invest into an excellent I7 then you will see a MASSIVE difference when compared with I5’s, the best I7 processors are absolutely fantastic in terms of performance and would easily top any I5 by far as such we’re here to find the best I7 For Gaming.
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Best i7 Processor For Gaming
We were really not sure which to pick because there’s two excellent options, the I7 6700K, and the I7 5820K and each have their own strong points which we will address next.
Intel Core i7 6700K
- It is lga 1151. 6th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors
- Unlocked processor. Ddr4 & ddr3l support
- Display resolution up to 4096x2304
- Intel turbo boost technology
- Compatible with Intel 100 series chipset motherboards, It does not include a fan
The I7 6700K Specifications:
- 4 Cores
- 8 Threads
- 4Ghz Base Clock Frequency
- 4.2Ghz Turbo Frequency
- 91W Power Consumption
- DDR4 Support up to 2133Mhz
Intel Core i7-5820K
- Core i7-5820K (3.3GHz up To 3.6GHz with Turbo Boost)
- 15 MB SmartCache, 68GB/s Max Memory Bandwidth
- 6 Cores with 12 Threads, Thermal Design Power 140W
- HyperTthreading with Turbo Boost Technology
- Supports The latest VR Gaming Headsets
I7 5820K Specifications:
- 6 Cores
- 12 Threads
- 3.3Ghz Base Frequency
- 3.6Ghz Turbo Frequency
- 140W Power Consumption
- DDR4 Support up to 2133Mhz
If you want some more details on the 5820K then take a look at our Intel Core I7-5820K Review , I’m sure it will clear up some of your doubts and questions.
As you can see both of them have beast specifications, the I7 6700k has an enormous advantage over the I7 5820K in terms of Base & Turbo Clock, 700Mhz difference in terms of Base Frequency and 600Mhz in Turbo Frequency, and that’s a BIG deal, while the I7 also has a HUGE advantage over the I7 6700K due to having 6 Cores & 12 Threads whereas the 6700K only has 4 Cores and 8 Threads.
This was an enormous dilemma for us when we were trying to decide the best I7 For Gaming, gaming benchmarks are also quite similar, some report the I7 6700K being better while others say the I7 5820K being better it depends on a lot. However, we will share with you our opinion.
Nowadays in gaming, multi-core performance & optimization is still TERRIBLE, I7’s like the I7 5820K should be MILES away from I7’s with 4 Cores and 8 Threads, however, it isn’t, most games just aren’t good at all at being able to utilize all these cores & threads, if games ever got optimized properly I’m 100% sure the I7 5820K would easily be the best I7 processor for gaming without a doubt but since it isn’t, and I highly doubt it will ever be within the next 5-7 years and by then way better processors will be out in the market that will shadow over the I7 5820K.
Single-Core Performance is the King, currently, Single Core Performance is the most important factor for gaming and as such the 6700k ultimately destroys the I7 5820K, which is why we have chosen the I7 6700k as the best I7 for gaming, we would rather have high performance in every single game due to high single-core speed & performance than only having such high performance in a selected few which are optimized for multi-core & high threads and even then it still has similar performance to the I7 6700K. As such we conclude that the 6700K is the best I7 processor for gaming.
Top 5 Intel Core i7 Desktop Processor
- 8 Cores / 8 Threads
- 3.60 GHz up to 4.90 GHz / 12 MB Cache
- Compatible only with Motherboards based on Intel 300 Series Chipsets
- Intel Optane Memory Supported
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Cooling device not included - Processor Only
- Memory Support Maximum Capacity 64 GB Memory Support DDR4 2666 MHz ECC Memory No Channel Architecture Dual Channel Maximum Memory Bandwidth 41 GB/s
- 8 Cores /8 Threads
- Up to 4.7 GHz. Bus Speed = 8 GT/s. Cache = 12 MB Intel Smart Cache. Max Memory bandwidth = 41.6 GB/s
- Compatible with Intel 300 Series chipset based motherboards
- Bios update may be required for motherboard compatibility
- Supports Intel Optane memory
- Compatible Product Name:Intel Q370 Chipset,Intel B365 Chipset,Intel B360 Chipset,Intel H370 Chipset,Intel H310 Chipset,Intel Z390 Chipset,Intel Z370 Chipset
- 4 Cores / 8 Threads
- 3.60 GHz up to 4.20 GHz Max Turbo Frequency / 8 MB Cache
- Compatible only with Motherboards based on Intel 100 or 200 Series Chipsets
- Intel Optane Memory Supported
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Make sure this fits by entering your model number.
- 4 Cores / 8 Threads
- 3.60 GHz up to 4.20 GHz Max Turbo Frequency / 8 MB Cache. Sockets Supported: FCLGA1151, Max Memory Size: 64 GB, Memory Types: DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 at 1.35V
- Compatible only with Motherboards based on Intel 100 or 200 Series Chipsets
- Intel Optane Memory Supported
- 6 Cores / 12 Threads. Intel UHD Graphics 630.
- 3.20 GHz up to 4.60 GHz Max Turbo Frequency / 12 MB Cache.
- Compatible only with Motherboards based on Intel 300 Series Chipsets.
- Intel Optane Memory Supported
- Instruction set is 64-bit and instruction set extensions is intel sse4.1, intel sse4.2 and intel avx2. Features intel hyper threading technology