Hyper-Threading is a patented technology from the house of Intel, brought into the market in 2002 with the Pentium 4 processor. In this architecture of the processor, a single microprocessor is made to act like two discrete processors logically.
It is a fact that most of the computer programs don’t make 100% utilization of the CPU cores. Therefore, to make the full-fledged use of the physical cores, Intel designed this architecture. Hyper-Threading is also similar to the Simultaneous Multi-Threading architectures of the AMD processors. Let’s uncover whether intel is still using this Hyper-Threading concept in its i7 9700k series of processors and what are the recommended motherboard for i7 9700K.
What are the benefits of Hyper-Threading?
The processors that come with Hyper-Threading architecture were able to execute more than one instruction sets sent by the operating system at the same time. When the processor can process concurrent operations in a single clock cycle, then the amount of work done and overall throughput is also increased drastically.
It was the scenario before multi-processor architecture. In due course of time, operating systems became powerful enough to distribute workload between multiple processors. With this, the concept of Symmetric Multiprocessing came into the picture and marked a paradigm shift from Hyper-Threading enabled processors.
Does Hyper-Threading has its worth in the current market?
It is a fact that Hyper-Threading is no longer essential for present-day high-end gaming. However, it is beneficial for professional tasks like editing, multi-tasking, and rendering. With new advancements, all these tasks can be well-taken care of by the processor cores without any visible lag. The new generation processors from Intel and AMD have more or less resolved the normal operations without the use of the Hyper-Threading feature. Let us know more about one of the latest high-end processors aimed at high-performance delivery from Intel.
Intel i7 9700k: Detailed Review
The i7 processors from Intel have been the flag bearer of high-performance computing PCs. The i7 9700K processor is one of the premium offerings from Intel that gets eight physical cores and shuts down the Hyper-Threading concept. Hyper-Threading has been in the market for more than 17 years, but most of the processors from Intel have made their way without this feature. Does this mean there will be a performance downgrade? Let us find it out.
Performance Review: Intel i7 9700 without Hyper-Threading
Intel had launched the i7 9700k in a perfect sweet spot below the mightier i9 9900 and above the i7 8700. With unmatched gaming and streaming experience, the i7 9700k is known for its smoother performance delivery. As per the gaming performance is to be considered, the i7 9700 is only 1% slower than its successor i9 9900. Whereas, when the non-gaming performance of the processor is analyzed, it is still far more ahead than many of its competitors.
Do the processors suffer from the absence of Hyper-Threading?
The newly launched i7 processors from Intel are a lot more powerful as compared to be the earlier processors. Even though they don’t come with the Hyper-Threading feature, but the increased core on the chips does well compensate for the loss.
What are the technical specifications of the i7 9700k?
- Processor Number: i7-9700K
- Lithography: 14 nm
- Number of cores: 8
- Number of threads: 8
- Processor Base Frequency: 3.6 GHz
- Max Turbo Frequency:4.90 GHz
- Cache:12 MB Smart Cache
- Bus Speed:8 GT/s DMI3
- TDP: 95
- Max Memory Size: 128 GB
- Memory Types: DDR4-2666
- Max no. of Memory Channels: 2
- Max Memory Bandwidth: 41.6 GB/s
PROS:
- Great Performance
- Power Efficient
CONS:
- Comes without a cooler
- Expensive
Verdict
The Intel i7 9700K doesn’t come with the Hyper-Threading feature. However, these processors are one of the decent choices for gaming, streaming, and all professional jobs. The multi-core and multi-threading architecture makes it very similar to the top of the line i9 processors. In the real world, it would be very difficult for any professional or gamer to feel the absence of Hyper-Threading, as the other things are very well put together in the package. It is not at all the times the processor responsible for seamless operations. At times the motherboard, memory, graphics card, power supply, and many other stuffs account for an amazing performance.