Intel Core i7-11700T vs Intel Core i7-8086K Comparison

The Intel Core i7-11700T and the Intel Core i7-8086K represent two distinct design philosophies separated by three years of architectural evolution, yet both occupy the same 56th percentile among all CPUs. The 11700T is a low-power Rocket Lake part with a 35W TDP, while the 8086K is a 95W Coffee Lake anniversary edition. The benchmark data reveals a fascinating split: the newer part dominates nearly every Cinebench and single-core test, while the older part wins decisively in Geekbench multi-core. This head-to-head analysis breaks down the exact scores, deltas, and architectural reasons behind these outcomes.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the data is the consistency of the 11700T’s victories across the Cinebench suite. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the 11700T scores 1304 against the 8086K’s 1206, a delta of 8.1%. The single-core R15 result mirrors this almost exactly: 184 versus 170, an 8.2% advantage. Moving to R20, the margins hold steady at 8.1% for multi-core (5436 vs 5029) and 8.2% for single-core (767 vs 709). In R23, the 11700T again leads by 8.1% in multi-core (12945 vs 11975) and by the same 8.1% in single-core (1827 vs 1690). This uniformity across all three Cinebench versions suggests a fundamental per-clock or per-IPC advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

The single-core story continues in Geekbench, where the 11700T posts 1824 versus 1697 for the 8086K, a 7.5% lead. This is slightly narrower than the Cinebench single-core deltas, but it reinforces the same conclusion: the Rocket Lake architecture extracts more work per cycle than Coffee Lake, even when the 8086K’s boost clock is 400 MHz higher on paper. The data shows the 11700T’s lower clock speed (4.60 GHz boost vs 5.00 GHz) is more than compensated by its newer core design.

However, the single exception is glaring. In Geekbench multi-core, the 8086K wins decisively with 7920 points against the 11700T’s 6621, a delta of -16.4% from the 11700T’s perspective. This is not a marginal loss; it is a rout. The 8086K’s 6 cores and 12 threads somehow outperform the 11700T’s 8 cores and 16 threads in this specific test by over 1,200 points. The data does not explain why, but the result is unambiguous. Out of the eight head-to-head benchmarks, the 11700T wins seven, yet the one loss is large enough to warrant serious attention.

Where Each One Wins

The 11700T is the clear winner in all rendering and CPU-bound single-threaded workloads that use Cinebench as a proxy. Its 8.1% to 8.2% margins across R15, R20, and R23, in both single and multi-core variants, indicate that it handles both lightly-threaded tasks (like legacy applications) and heavily-threaded tasks (like 3D rendering) with equal efficiency. The Geekbench single-core result, a 7.5% lead, confirms that even in a different benchmark methodology, the 11700T’s per-core performance is superior. For users running photo editing, web browsing, or older software that favors one to four threads, the 11700T should be the pick based on these numbers.

The 8086K’s sole victory is in Geekbench multi-core, a test that often stresses memory latency, cache coherence, and thread scheduling in ways that differ from Cinebench. Its 7920 score versus 6621 for the 11700T represents a 16.4% advantage. This suggests that for workloads that resemble Geekbench’s multi-threaded patterns—potentially including certain productivity suites, file compression, or code compilation—the older processor retains a significant edge. The data does not support extending this win to other multi-core tests, since the 8086K loses all three Cinebench multi-core comparisons, but the Geekbench result stands as a counter-example to the 11700T’s overall dominance.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the Intel Core i7-11700T is the better processor for the majority of workloads. It wins seven of eight head-to-head tests, with margins between 7.5% and 8.2% across all Cinebench versions and Geekbench single-core. Its average benchmark score of 3864 also exceeds the 8086K’s 3800, a 1.7% overall advantage. The 11700T’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2718 (deltaPct -0.3) and the Intel Xeon E-2286M (deltaPct 1.1), indicating it sits in a competitive mid-range bracket. The 8086K, by contrast, is closely matched with the Intel Core i7-9700KF (deltaPct 0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 9 4900H (deltaPct -0.5), making it a slightly lower-performing entry in the same tier.

However, the 8086K should not be dismissed outright. For any user whose primary application behaves like Geekbench multi-core, the 16.4% lead translates into real-world responsiveness. The data shows that the 8086K is not obsolete; it simply excels in a narrower band. The 11700T is the default recommendation for balanced performance across rendering, single-threaded tasks, and general computing. The 8086K is the choice for those who know their specific workload matches its one winning benchmark pattern. Given that both parts are end-of-life and share the same 56th percentile ranking, the decision hinges on whether you trust the seven consistent wins or the one large outlier.

FAQ

Q: How many benchmarks did each processor win?

A: The Intel Core i7-11700T won seven of the eight head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core i7-8086K won only one (Geekbench multi-core).

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in Geekbench multi-core, where the 8086K scores 7920 against the 11700T’s 6621, representing a 16.4% difference in favor of the 8086K.

Q: Are all Cinebench results consistent in their winner?

A: Yes, the 11700T wins all six Cinebench tests (R15, R20, R23, each in single and multi-core) with deltas ranging from 8.1% to 8.2%.

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The 11700T has an average benchmark score of 3864, while the 8086K averages 3800, a difference of 64 points (1.7%).

Q: Do both processors have the same percentile ranking?

A: Yes, both the 11700T and the 8086K sit at the 56th percentile among all CPUs, according to the database.

Q: What is the single-core performance difference in Geekbench?

A: The 11700T scores 1824 in Geekbench single-core, while the 8086K scores 1697, giving the 11700T a 7.5% advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures despite sharing the same 14 nm process node from Intel. The 11700T uses the Rocket Lake architecture, codenamed Rocket Lake, while the 8086K uses Coffee Lake. This architectural gap explains the benchmark results: Rocket Lake is a newer design that delivers higher instructions-per-clock, which is why the 11700T wins single-core tests despite a lower boost clock (4.60 GHz vs 5.00 GHz). The core counts differ as well: the 11700T has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the 8086K has 6 cores and 12 threads. Despite having fewer cores, the 8086K wins Geekbench multi-core, suggesting that Rocket Lake’s additional cores do not always translate to advantages in every threading model.

Cache hierarchies also differ significantly. The 11700T has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, compared to 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 for the 8086K. The shared L3 cache is 16 MB on the 11700T versus 12 MB on the 8086K. These larger caches likely contribute to the 11700T’s Cinebench wins, as rendering workloads frequently reuse data. The memory bandwidth also favors the 11700T, with 51.2 GB/s versus 42.7 GB/s for the 8086K. The PCIe interface differs too: the 11700T supports Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while the 8086K is limited to Gen 3 with 16 lanes. Integrated graphics are present on both, with the 11700T featuring UHD Graphics 750 and the 8086K featuring UHD Graphics 630.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification difference is the TDP: the 11700T is rated at 35W, while the 8086K is rated at 95W. This is a 60W gap that explains why the 11700T’s base clock is 1400 MHz compared to 4000 MHz for the 8086K. The boost clocks also differ, with 4.60 GHz for the 11700T and 5.00 GHz for the 8086K. The socket types are incompatible: the 11700T uses Intel Socket 1200, while the 8086K uses Intel Socket 1151. Memory support is DDR4 for both, but the bandwidth differs as noted (51.2 vs 42.7 GB/s). The 11700T has a launch MSRP of $323, while the 8086K launched at $425. The 8086K has an unlocked multiplier, making it overclockable, whereas the 11700T is locked. The release dates are 2021-03-15 for the 11700T and 2018-06-04 for the 8086K. The die size is 276 mm² for the 11700T, with no die size listed for the 8086K. The part numbers are SRKNT for the 11700T and SR3QQBX80684I78086K for the 8086K. Both are end-of-life and listed as desktop market segments, with ECC memory not supported on either.