Unlocked CPU necessary?

[Alphazulumike 0]

I'm planning to build a PC with around $1500 budget. I've got my eyes on the new coffee lake i7s for my CPU. However, I'm seeng that there's around $40-50 difference between the 8700k and the 8700 (non-k version).

Is it really worth spending that extra 50 for overclocking capability? Does overclocking really have a unanimous gain in perfomance in P3D? Please help.

[W2DR 1,859]

The turbo speed of the 8700 is 4.6Ghz. The maximum overclock on  the 8700K is probably going to be 5.1-5.2Ghz. So, what does that extra 10% in speed get you? Probably no more 6-7% increase in framerate. But the difference in price between the 8700 and the 8700K is more than just the $50 for the CPU. You'll  have to allow for additional cooling as well and that's probably another $50-200. If it were me, and it will be soon (I hope), I'd go for the 8700 and forget about the OC..........Doug

[AnkH 2,233]

To be honest: the all-core Turbo is 4.3GHz, the 4.6GHz you only get if only a single core is used. And yes, Prepar3d v4.x will use all available cores resulting in a max. clock speed of 4.3GHz "only". While I totally agree that those 10% would not make that much of a difference, 5.0GHz vs. 4.3GHz is already 16%. This still does not make the difference between unplayable and completely fluid, in heavy scenarios it might however be a nice extra. For me, everything below 20FPS is unbearable, and with the 8700K you have some overhead compared to the 8700. 

But, as Doug pointed out correctly, the "ideal" setup of an 8700K comes along with higher clocked RAM (3200MHz or more) and a better cooling solution, adding some $ on this side. You budget of 1500$ should however allow this easily.

[W2DR 1,859]

46 minutes ago, AnkH said:

To be honest: the all-core Turbo is 4.3GHz, the 4.6GHz you only get if only a single core is used

Didn't know that.....thanks.....Doug

[Alphazulumike 0]

2 hours ago, AnkH said:

To be honest: the all-core Turbo is 4.3GHz, the 4.6GHz you only get if only a single core is used. And yes, Prepar3d v4.x will use all available cores resulting in a max. clock speed of 4.3GHz "only". While I totally agree that those 10% would not make that much of a difference, 5.0GHz vs. 4.3GHz is already 16%. This still does not make the difference between unplayable and completely fluid, in heavy scenarios it might however be a nice extra. For me, everything below 20FPS is unbearable, and with the 8700K you have some overhead compared to the 8700. 

But, as Doug pointed out correctly, the "ideal" setup of an 8700K comes along with higher clocked RAM (3200MHz or more) and a better cooling solution, adding some $ on this side. You budget of 1500$ should however allow this easily.

Thanks. I've decided to settle with 8700k. However, it is kind of hard to squeeze an 8700k and a GTX 1070 into a 1500 dollar budget, as of now. Probably best to wait until GPU prices come down, I suppose (thank you, bitcoin miners, for that).

[Alphazulumike 0]

3 hours ago, W2DR said:

The turbo speed of the 8700 is 4.6Ghz. The maximum overclock on  the 8700K is probably going to be 5.1-5.2Ghz. So, what does that extra 10% in speed get you? Probably no more 6-7% increase in framerate. But the difference in price between the 8700 and the 8700K is more than just the $50 for the CPU. You'll  have to allow for additional cooling as well and that's probably another $50-200. If it were me, and it will be soon (I hope), I'd go for the 8700 and forget about the OC..........Doug

Thanks for the reply. I'll probably go with the unlocked version.

[LRBS 943]

From my experience with this I7-8700K CPU, at 4.7 GHZ turbo mode I was getting a few stutters with 744 PMDG, as soon as I was at 4.8 and up to 5.0 no stutters at all with good visuals.

I would adventure to say that after 4.9 is no difference at all, just a number (perhaps just overheating), so for that reason I'm at 4.8 and very happy. Also you have to understand that P3D is still in development and they have different issues, plus that each computer parts are different, basically what you would see on a computer it will be different on other computer.

So, imho please stay way from I7-8700 and get the I7-8700K.

Best of luck

Alex

[denali 74]

Yes, absolutely go with the unlocked version.  P3D is dependent on your CPU speed more than anything else.  The 8700k is a  fantastic overclocker compared to all previous generations.  You will want a good AIO cooler, not a heatsink/fan.  It's a little bit more of an expense, but it is the core of your computer and helps futureproof.  A 1070 is a fine choice, as it's comes out just right over the edge of what you need to keep up with the 8700k.  Ram speed is also important in P3D unlike other games, but not as important as CPU.  16GB is more than enough.  I don't know if 8 is OK, I would think it works but not in the range where you're out of possible bottlenecking because of memory demands.

[n4gix 4,947]

If nothing else, going with the 8700k will give you the option to overclock and upgrade your system at some future point...