Intel Core i7-8700K die is much larger than the 7700K (delid photos)

Today we can repost the first photos of a delidded Intel Core i7-8700K "Coffee Lake-S" processor! So far Intel kept tight-lipped about the die size and number of transistors of Coffee Lake-S, as the company now considers this proprietary information. As the photo below reveals, one of the problems here is probably that the new generation is quite a bit larger than Kaby Lake-S.

Larger chips mean Intel can get fewer dies out of a single wafer so if pricing stays the same, and it's hard to imagine pricing going up right now, this means Intel's margins will be taking a slight hit. This isn't bad for consumers but Intel seems to obfuscate this a little bit from its investors.

Anyway, the photo below compares the die of the new 8700K with the 7700K. There are no accurate measurements yet but VideoCardz estimates the Coffee Lake-S die area is about 151mm², which makes it 29mm² larger than the 7700K. Basically, the chip is about 25 percent larger due to the two extra cores on the 8700K.



5GHz without a problem
Reviewers reportedly told VideoCardz that the 8700K is a decent overclocker. With decent cooling (like AiO watercooling), you should be able to hit 5GHz.

Core i5-8400 may be the sweetspot
Launch reviews will consist of the 8700K and the 8400 and it appears the latter will become a very popular option for new PC builds. The Core i5-8400 is a six-core, six-threaded processor with a very decent price/performance ratio. We should find out more tomorrow, after the reviews go live.

Chips are already listed online
One last remark, it appears various webshops around the world are already listing Coffee Lake-S. Newegg for example is showing the 8700K as out of stock but you can order it for $379.99.