Delidded Core i7-8700K reveals 29mm² more Die Area Than Kaby Lake

Intel is set to release their 8th Gen Coffee Lake processors tomorrow, on October 5th. While specifications of the chips have already been revealed, new information regarding their die size has just surfaced on the web. Recently, someone delidded Core i7-8700K processor and found a slightly elongated die.

Intel Core i7-8700K Specifications – Hexa-Core CPU Clocked at 4.7GHz Boost

The Core i7-8700K is the flagship processor of the Coffee Lake lineup. Built using Intel’s updated 14nm process, the chip features 6 cores and 12 threads, clocked at 3.8GHz base and 4.7GHz maximum Turbo.

The 8700 offers several frequency ranges based on the amount of functional cores, which are as follows:

• Core i7-8700K 6 Core Clock Speed – 4.3 GHz
• Core i7-8700K 4 Core Clock Speed – 4.4 GHz
• Core i7-8700K 3 Core Clock Speed – 4.5 GHz
• Core i7-8700K 2 Core Clock Speed – 4.6 GHz

Furthermore, the chip has an unlocked multiplier to make overclocking easier. It packs 12 MB of L3 cache along with a GT2 tier iGPU. The TDP is rated at 95W.

The chip will only be compatible with Intel’s brand-new 300 series motherboard. It will support dual channel DDR4 memory clocked at native speeds of 2666 MHz and up to 4400 MHz+ (OC). The Core i7-8700K will cost USD $359 at launch.

Delidded Core i7-8700K Pictured, Features die area of around 150mm2

Folks over at HKEPC have delidded Core i7-8700K (removed its integrated heatspreader or IHS). They posted image of the delidded chip on their Facebook page, which reveals Intel is still using thermal paste between IHS and the CPU die.

You can see that the Coffee Lake die has the same width as the Kaby Lake, but it’s visibly longer. The Core i7-8700K has a die size of approximately 151mm², compared to the 126mm² of the Core i7-7700K. This gives 8700K around 29mm² more die area to fit a pair of extra cores, plus a proportionate increase in L3 cache to 12 MB.

This should mean the flagship Coffee Lake chip can easily hit 5GHz, especially with AIO cooling. For those looking to go beyond that point, delidding would be the way to go although risky.

Leaked benchmarks show the Core i7-8700K performing well against the 7700K. It outpaces the flagship Kaby Lake by around 42.49% in multi-core performance which is pretty impressive indeed. We expect the 8700K will be a great option for mainstream builders. What do you think?