Conclusion
Our research shows it's 100-150MHz better than the in-house Core i7-8700K when approaching the 5GHz barrier.The limited release of the Intel Core i7-8086K is more of a marketing push than real-world benefit over the readily-available Core i7-8700K. Plumbed in with the same frequencies on all but a single core, this new chip is a speed-binned version of the Coffee Lake architecture.
There's little point in forking out the extra £60 or so for this model - £380 vs. £320 - if running at stock speeds, but it does make a modicum of sense when going for an all-core 5GHz on a mainstream Intel platform cooled by a capable heatsink.
Research shows it's 100-150MHz better than our in-house Core i7-8700K when approaching the 5GHz barrier, and if you like that number, the best chance is with this processor. In that case, the £60 premium is probably less than you'd pay a specialist company that guarantees certain overclocks via their own binning. We expect most Core i7-8086K chips to hit a perfectly stable all-core 5GHz with sub-1.3V.
Of course, being a limited edition chip, with around 42,000 available to the public, the prudent enthusiast may just keep one aside for future appreciation - geeks and their money are easily parted for limited-run products.
More pragmatically, the higher boost clocks increase Intel's lead in light-load tests when compared to AMD Ryzen, though those eight-core, 16-thread CPUs still do very well from a bang-for-buck and multithreaded performance perspective.
Intel is asking you to pay a 20 per cent premium for a chip that is likely to overclock better than the Core i7-8700K. Is it worth it? That absolutely depends upon your overclocking viewpoint and whether having a limited-edition processor tickles your fancy.
You'll know if you want one.
Overclocks to all-core 5GHz easily
Potent Coffee Lake architecture
Limited edition
No cooler in box
Intel Core i7-8086K
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The Intel Core i7-8086K processor is available to purchase from Scan Computers.
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