Consumercarts

Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more

Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F vs Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K: Comparison

9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F vs 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K p-core boost clock compared

P-core boost clock is the dividing line, 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F 4.7 GHz against 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K 4.9 GHz. Measured rather than claimed: in Puget Bench for Photoshop v1.0 the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K returns 5,643.13 against 5,278.67, a 6% lead. There is a split on unlocked multiplier as well, No on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F versus Yes on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K. Base power is not the same on both, 65 W on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F versus 95 W on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K.

Who each one is for

it is not the pick for enthusiasts wanting to overclock, the unlocked i7-9700K offers that flexibility. It is equally the pick for gaming-focused desktop builds wanting near-i7-9700K performance without paying for overclocking headroom or integrated graphics. Take the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K for gaming-focused desktop builds wanting strong 8-core per-core performance without paying for the i9-9900K's hyperthreading. It is not the one for buyers needing maximum multi-threaded throughput for content creation, the 16-thread i9-9900K handles that better.

Where the two are identical

Everything else lines up. Total cores, performance cores, efficiency cores, total threads and l3 cache read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 16 further specifications as well.

Which is cheaper, 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F or 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K?

The 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K asks 25% more, $374 against $299 for the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F.

Frequently asked questions

Do the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F and 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K differ on p-core base clock?

Yes. P-Core Base Clock reads 3.0 GHz on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F versus 3.6 GHz on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K.

Is the Socket the same on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F and 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K?

It is. Both are listed at FCLGA1151, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Which is cheaper, 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F or 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K?

The 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K asks 25% more, $374 against $299 for the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Brand

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Intel
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Intel
  • Product Line

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Core i7
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Core i7
  • Form Factor

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Desktop
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Desktop
  • Model Number

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    9700F
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    9700K
  • Codename

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Coffee Lake
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Coffee Lake Refresh
  • Release Year

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    2019
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    2018
  • TDP

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    65 W
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    95 W
  • iGPU

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    None
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • Market Segment

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Desktop
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Desktop
  • Microarchitecture

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Coffee Lake
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Coffee Lake Refresh, 9th Gen Intel Core
  • Socket

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    FCLGA1151
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    FCLGA1151
  • Socket Status

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    End of Life
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    End of Life
  • Process Node

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    14 nm
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    14 nm
  • Total Cores

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    8
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    8
  • Performance Cores

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    8
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    8
  • Efficiency Cores

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    0
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    0
  • Total Threads

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    8
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    8
  • SMT Enabled

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    No
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    No
  • P-Core Base Clock

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    3.0 GHz
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    3.6 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    4.7 GHz
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    4.9 GHz
  • Unlocked Multiplier

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    No
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Yes
  • L2 Cache

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    2 MB
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    2 MB
  • L3 Cache

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    12 MB
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    12 MB
  • Base Power

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    65 W
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    95 W
  • Bundled Cooler

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Intel Laminar RM1
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    None
  • Memory Type

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    DDR4-2666
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    DDR4-2666
  • Max Memory Speed

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    2666 MT/s
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    2666 MT/s
  • Memory Channels

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    2
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    2
  • Max Memory Capacity

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    128 GB
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    128 GB
  • ECC Support

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    No
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    No
  • Integrated Graphics

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    No
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Yes
  • Copilot Plus Certified

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    No
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    No
  • PCIe Generation

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    PCIe 3.0
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    PCIe 3.0
  • PCIe Lanes

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    16
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    16
  • Launch MSRP

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    $299
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    $374
  • Retail Availability

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    Discontinued
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    Discontinued

Benchmarks

  • Photo Editing
  • Puget Bench for Photoshop v1.0

    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F
    5,278.67-6%
    Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
    5,643.13Best

    Puget SystemsView More Details

    Puget Systems runs a fixed set of real Photoshop jobs: opening and saving large files, resizing, content-aware fill, blurs and filters. A higher score means less waiting on the tasks a retoucher repeats all day.

    Photoshop is decided mostly by how fast a few cores are, not how many there are, so a chip with fewer but faster cores often beats one with more cores. Treat a gap under about 5 percent as something you would never notice while working.

Which one should you pick?

Choose 9700F if you want the higher L2 cache (2 MB vs 2 MB), the higher L3 cache (12 MB vs 12 MB) and the higher memory channels (2 vs 2).

Choose 9700K if you want the higher puget bench for photoshop v1.0 (5,643.13 vs 5,278.67).

Price comparison

RetailerIntel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700FIntel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K
Consumercarts listing

$299.00

View on Consumercarts listing

$374.00

View on Consumercarts listing

Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.

More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)