When it comes to getting the best CPU for gaming, there have never been more options. What used to be one or two processor models separated by clearly distinct features and performance is now a wide array of many different processor types with all kinds of confusing names. 

If getting the most value for your money is the most important thing to you, then the Intel Core i7 6700k is your best bet. If you are one of those people that need the absolute best and money is of no concern to you, then you may want to look at the slightly better performing but much more expensive Core i7 6800k.

When it comes down to it, 6800k vs 6700k gaming performance is pretty close. This is because games just don’t make the most efficient use of more than 4 cores. The Intel Core i7 6800K has 6-cores that are each closed at 3.4 GHz. The 6700K has 2 less cores, but those cores are operating at a much higher 4.0 GHz clock speed. You may be curious as to which one will be better for gaming. 

CPU Naming Schemes Have Got A Lot More Complex

Remember when the choice was easy? Back in the day, the choices were Pentium or a Celeron from Intel or an Athon or a Duron from AMD. So, there were really only 4 main choices and even those were easy. No one wanted a Duron or a Celeron so it really just came down to what clock speed Athlon or Pentium you could afford. 

Of course, each of those chips had its own revisions, each which added more features or higher performance, but it was mainly just a handful or processor names running at various speeds at various price points. 

That was then and this is now. Now, there are many different overlapping CPU generations that all have (or dont have) various important (and not so important) features.

So, if you are planning on building a gaming desktop, you have your heart set on Intel, and no reasonable person would ever be able to convince you to go with AMD instead, then you are in the right place. 

6700K vs 6800K Compatibility

Both the 6700k and the 6800k are Intel processors that come from the same sixth generation. So, they are going to run the same software without issue. Also, because of these processors being so closely related, they both use socket 1151 and DDR4 memory. 

This means that the 6700k and the 6800k are both compatible with the same motherboards, chips, graphics cards, etc. 

There is nothing that you can do with a 6800k that you can’t also do with a 6700k. In fact, performance would be so similar that you may not even be able to tell if someone swapped out your 6800k with a 6700k without you seeing it happen. 

Comparing 6700k vs 6800k Gaming

The Intel Core i7 6800K is clocked at 3.4 GHz and has 6-cores vs 4-core 4.0 GHz configuration of the i7 6700K. The general consensus is that gaming software and even operating systems are not properly optimized to make use of more than 4 threads in a given application. 

So, right off the bat you would think that a higher clocked processor of similar design would be better for gaming so long as you have at least 4 cores to work with. 

That is, however, not always the case as games, operating systems, and software in general has developed and evolved quite extensively over the past decade to incorporate and make use of high-core-count CPUS. 

Differences Between The Intel 6700k vs 6800k

In terms of architecture, the 6700k and the 6800k are essentially the same CPU with a few key differences. The 6800k has 6 cores at 3.4Ghz while the 6700k has 4 cores at 4.0ghz. 

Intel Core i7 6800K

• Benchmarks are 17.7% higher than the 6700k
• The 6800k is slightly newer 
• Includes TXT (Trusted Execution Technologies) that protect the system from viruses and rootkits 
• Much More More Expensive 
• Consumes around 50% more power than the 6700K

Intel Core i7 6700K

• The 6700k is slower in benchmarks than the 6800k
• The 6700k costs a lot less than the 6800k
• The 6700k has far lower power consumption, so that means it will spend more of its time at a higher clock speed.

Features That The 6700k and 6800k Have In Common 

• Like other Core i7 CPUs, both chips have HyperThreading enabled, which allows one physical CPU to perform as 2 logical ones. This increases performance because it lets one part of the CPU continue to do work while the other is loading instructions. 
• Quick Sync video acceleration that speeds up the encoding and decoding of video. 
• Hardware CPU Virtualization which allows the use of virtual machines. 
• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard Instructions Set) A set of hardware-acceleration encryption and decryption protocols. 

Do I Really Need A 6800K For Gaming?

Absolutely not. While it is important to have a fast processor for gaming, you don’t have to have the highest end one. In fact, you don’t really need a very powerful CPU at all to enjoy gaming. 

The CPU is important, sure, and the choice of CPU will make a tangible impact on gaming performance, but the graphics card makes much more of a difference. As long as you have a decent graphics card, you can use pretty much any modern, quad core CPU to play your favorite games. 

Because of the fact that the graphics card does most of the heavy lifting when playing a game, the difference between a top-end CPU and a mid-range CPU ends up being in the single digit percentage differences in terms of actual frame rates. 

So, it’s often much better to get a slightly lower-end CPU and use that money, instead, on a higher end graphics card. 

In fact, you don’t even need 6700k for gaming. You could do just fine with a Core i5 or even a Core i3, depending on the type of games you are playing. Like I said, the graphics chip and graphics memory are far more responsible for gaming performance. 

Is An i7 6800K Good For Gaming?

Well, sure it is. The i7-6800K is one of the most powerful processors that Intel released for its 6th generation of Core chips. In fact, the 6800k performs almost as well as Intel’s more expensive i7-6850K.

But remember, it’s not going to make that big of a difference in gaming. So, if you also use your computer to get serious work done, then you may want to upgrade to a 6800k. 

If you are, however, only using your PC for gaming and already happen to have a 6700k, there is no sense in upgrading your CPU. Instead, maybe you should look at upgrading your RAM or storage. 

Is An i7 6700K Good For Gaming?

Yes, the 6700k is also good for gaming. Remember, both of these chips are high end, multi-core, high clock speed parts. So, they are both going to have really great gaming performance. 

Is The 6700K Still Good In 2020?

Absolutely. The i7-6700K processor is still very fast in 2020. In fact, the 6700k gets over 8000 on passmark. That may be low on the list compared to today’s cutting edge chips, but that is still a really high score. Pretty much anything over 5000 is going to provide an excellent experience. 

Is i7 6700K Better Than i5 6600K?

Yes. The Intel Core i5-6600K is built on a 14nm manufacturing process and is faster than the 6600K in both single and multi-core performance. This is because unlike the 6600K, the 6700K has Hyperthreading enabled, which gives the 6700k a massive increase in performance. 

Conclusion

When it comes to the best gaming CPU, there are many options. Many uses have widdeled the dozens of options down to just 2 cpus and a single use-case: The 6600k vs 6800k for gaming. 

At the end of the day, the 6800k is about 20% more powerful on paper. This is because the 6800k has more cores. While game and operating system development has come a long way, it’s still pretty rare to make use of more than 4 threads. 

If frames per second per dollar is the most important factor, then you are definitely going to want to go with the Intel Core i7 6700k. If, on the other hand, you want the highest frame rate possible, price is no issue, and it’s worth it to you to get a tiny bit more performance while paying almost twice as much, then the Intel Core i7 6800k is your best bet. 

Also, it’s important to consider the fact that the GPU (graphics card) is going to be doing the majority of the work when you are playing a game. So, you may just want to get 6700k and use the extra money to upgrade your graphics card. 

We hope this article helped you learn more about 6800k vs 6700k in terms of gaming performance and which one to buy. Thanks for reading!

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Email