At the recent CES 2021 event, Intel officially announced its 11th gen Rocket Lake-S core series of processors during the press briefing, notably the Core i9-11900K flagship SKU. Official announcement slides were leaked as well, which showed an almost 19% IPC boost with this new CPU.
Intel’s 11th gen desktop processor lineup will feature both Rocket Lake-S and Comet Lake-S “refresh” CPUs. The 11th generation lineup includes 13 Rocket Lake/RKL and a total of 13 Comet Lake refresh desktop CPUs.
Rocket Lake lineup features the core i9, i7 & i5 variants, while the Comet Lake refresh desktop CPUs will come in Core i3, Pentium & Celeron variants.
Intel has officially confirmed that its 11th gen Rocket Lake-S desktop CPUs will be launching on the 30th of March, 2021. In response to Hardwareluxx, an Intel spokesperson confirmed the Rocket Lake CPU’s launch schedule. The review and sales NDA ends on the 30th of March at 6 AM (Pacific Time), so you have to wait for two more weeks for the reviews to go live.
But as I mentioned before, German retailer Mindfactory has been selling these 11th gen core processors even before the official embargo date. Almost 1 month ahead of launch. It now appears that AnandTech has also managed to grab one of these retail processors for their testing and review.
The retail Core i7-11700K sample obtained by AnandTech for review appears to be the first comprehensively tested Rocket Lake CPU, even before its official announcement and release.
But before continuing you should read this notice posted by AnandTech, because reviewers are still under NDA.
These are the full specs of this processor.
The Intel Core i7-11700K is a desktop processor with 8 cores, using the Rocket Lake-S architecture based on the socket LGA 1200. But thanks to Intel hyper-threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 16 threads. Core i7-11700K has 16MB of L3 cache and operates at 3.6 GHz by default, but can boost up to 5 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Core i7-11700K on a 14 nm production process.
With a TDP of 125 W, the Core i7-11700K consumes a lot of power, so good cooling is definitely needed. Intel’s processor supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel interface. The highest officially supported memory speed is 3200 MHz, but with overclocking (and the right memory modules) you can go even higher.
For communication with other components in the computer, Core i7-11700K uses a PCI-Express Gen 4 connection. This processor features the UHD Graphics 750 integrated graphics solution.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Core i7-11700K, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware.
Programs using Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications. Besides AVX, Intel is including the newer AVX2 standard, too, but not AVX-512.
Now, we have some early gaming benchmark results courtesy of AnandTech, but full system specs were not disclosed because of NDA. The system BIOS used was also not likely final, so the gaming performance might slightly differ (once tested on a system using a compatible BIOS).
As AnandTech’s Dr. Ian Cutress said, “As per our processor testing policy, we take a premium category motherboard suitable for the socket, and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the manufacturer’s maximum supported frequency.”
“While we can’t disclose the motherboard used due to NDA reasons, it has already been announced by the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the BIOS used is likely not the final variant that will be used for Rocket Lake’s retail launch later this month, and further BIOSes may contain potential minor adjustments to performance or turbo responses.”
I will only focus on the main gaming benchmarks, and I suggest you to read the full review article posted by AnandTech, if you want to get more information on this Rocket Lake processor’s performance.
The test system featured an Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti FE graphic card used for the gaming tests. Core i7-11700K and Ryzen 9 5800X were both tested using DDR4-3200 memory, but the i7-10700K and Core i9-9900KS were tested with DDR4-2933 and DDR4-2666 memory kits, respectively.
The test most likely appears to have being done on a Z590 motherboard platform. ADATA’s 16 GB DDR4-3200 (CL22) memory kit and a True Copper heatsink with dual SST-FHP141-VF fans were also used for this system.
So without further ado here are the gaming benchmarks. I’m only sharing the lower resolution benchmarks, since they are more CPU-bound, with the game quality settings set to low/min.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided. For this title, Anandtech tested the following resolutions: 600p Low, 1440p Low, 4K Low, 1080p Max.
DEMD is often considered a CPU-limited title, so when the 11700K is better than the older Intel CPUs is at the low resolution, low quality setting, that confirms that. But as we ramp up the resolution, and the quality, the 11700K falls behind ever so slightly in both averages and percentiles.
Final Fantasy XIV. For this title, Anandtech tested the following resolutions: 768p Minimum, 1440p Minimum, 4K Minimum, 1080p Maximum.
As the resolution increases, the 11700K seemed to get a better average frame rate, but with the quality increased, it falls back down again, coming behind the older Intel CPUs.
Final Fantasy XV. Anandtech tested the following resolutions: 720p Standard, 1080p Standard, 4K Standard, 8K Standard.
World of Tanks. Tested on 768p Minimum, 1080p Standard, 1080p Max, 4K Max (not a preset).
Borderlands 3. As BL3 supports resolution scaling, AnandTech used the following settings: 360p Very Low, 1440p Very Low, 4K Very Low, 1080p Badass.
F1 2019. Tested on 768p Ultra Low, 1440p Ultra Low, 4K Ultra Low, 1080p Ultra. The Ego engine is usually a good bet where cores, IPC, and frequency matters. Despite this, the 11700K isn’t showing much of a generational improvement.
Far Cry 5. Tested on 720p Low, 1440p Low, 4K Low, 1440p Max.
Gears Tactics. Tested on 720p Low, 4K Low, 8K Low, 1080p Ultra. Gears is the one test where 1080p maximum settings shines ahead of the pack. Although at high resolution, low quality, although all five CPUs are essentially equal, it still sits behind AMD’s Ryzen APU.
GTA 5. Testing done on 720p Low, 1440p Low, 4K Low, 1080p Max.
Red Dead Redemption 2. Game tested on 384p Minimum, 1440p Minimum, 8K Minimum, 1080p Max.
Strange Brigade. Strange Brigade supports Vulkan and DX12, so both were tested on 720p Low, 1440p Low, 4K Low, 1080p Ultra.
As we can see from the above gaming benchmarks, Rocket Lake-S CPU shows rather disappointing results, which is surprising given the 19% IPC increase claim by Intel over the previous 10th gen Comet Lake CPU lineup.
The improvements Intel has made to its processor seem to do very little in these gaming tests, and in a lot of cases, we see performance regressions rather than improvements. If Intel is touting a +19% IPC, then why is gaming performance so adversely affected?
The reason given by Anandtech is that Rocket Lake has some regressions in core-to-core performance and its memory latency profile, which made it slow in gaming. It appears that the Intel Core i7-11700K suffers from increased L3 cache latency. From 43 cycles on Comet Lake-S to 51 cycles on the Rocket Lake.
“The biggest change is that the L3 latency is now ~51 cycles, rather than ~43 cycles. This is probably where a lot of the core-to-core latency performance drop comes in, as we are now seeing latencies of 28-30 nanoseconds on most cores, rather than 18-24 as observed on Comet Lake.
The much slower L3 in raw cycles is contrary to what we saw on the Sunny Cove version of this core, and with no obvious answer as to why this might be the case, but it does lend itself a lot as to the gaming performance. Intel may at a later date disclose the exact reasons for this structural change.”
Lastly, we have the power consumption and temperature numbers. The CPU has a default TDP of 125W but it reached 225W during AVX2 workloads, with a temperature value of 81C. General workload was around 130-155 W at 60C. However, the CPU also peaked at 292W during the AVX-512 workload.
This was during an all-core AVX-512 workload, automatically set at 4.6 GHz, and the CPU hit 104C momentarily. There’s no indication that the frequency reduced when hitting this temperature, and the cooler used was easily sufficient for the thermal load, which means that on some level we might be hitting the thermal density limits of wide mathematics processing on Intel’s 14nm node.
Rocket Lake is going to be hot and power-hungry and will definitely require you to invest in a beefy AIO liquid cooler, alongside a high quality rated PSU.
According to SiSoftware’s own benchmark results, the new Intel Core i7-11700K was slower than AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X, and also more inefficient than Skylake and power-hungry too.
These results clearly show that Intel’s performance, albeit substantial, still trails its main competitor, AMD. In a core-for-core comparison, Intel is slightly slower and a lot more inefficient as well.
There are rumors circulating that Intel could aggressively price these chips at around $400 USD for the Core i9 and $300 USD for the Core i7 SKU, which is necessary if they want to compete with AMD’s flagship Zen 3 processors.
Stay tuned for more tech news!
Hello, my name is NICK Richardson. I’m an avid PC and tech fan since the good old days of RIVA TNT2, and 3DFX interactive “Voodoo” gaming cards. I love playing mostly First-person shooters, and I’m a die-hard fan of this FPS genre, since the good ‘old Doom and Wolfenstein days.
MUSIC has always been my passion/roots, but I started gaming “casually” when I was young on Nvidia’s GeForce3 series of cards. I’m by no means an avid or a hardcore gamer though, but I just love stuff related to the PC, Games, and technology in general. I’ve been involved with many indie Metal bands worldwide, and have helped them promote their albums in record labels. I’m a very broad-minded down to earth guy. MUSIC is my inner expression, and soul.
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11th Gen is DOA Lake. More than 2x peak power draw of the 5800X, worse framerates than the: 5800X, 10700K, and even 9900K. Marred with latency issues and expected to be very hot. Inefficient, underwhelming, and overpriced to the tune of: $485.
Rocket Lake is a huge disappointment for sure. Glad I got a 5800X last fall. Underperforms, draws too much power, way overpriced. These Anandtech benchmarks are terrible though, looking for a wider series of benchmarks from something like TechSpot who does 1% lows too. Frametimes are very important.
Sounds like pure deflection. When it comes to desktop hardware, Anandtech is fine. Bringing up USB is a straight up deflection that serves to move the conversation away from the reality that this new Intel Gen is simply underwhelming.
Keep deflecting, the topic is about the review of performance for a CPU, not motherboard USB issues. If you want to whine and b*tch about hardware problems, go to the right place for it, not a hardware performance article, you clown.
LMFAO
Ian is the gold standard when it comes to cpu reviews you lying POS
My god – Rocket Lake is trash, isn’t it
yeah, they manage to make skylake even worse than it was before
>300W
Intel presents the Core i9590: Hold My PSU Edition
i wait for normal benchmarks
What constitutes “normal benchmarks” to you?
That’s strange. I thought AMD haters like yourself were all in favor of low res game benchmarking.
I guess this changed when Zen 3 was released.
Oh well
?
Never trust a single source for anything benchmark related.
so they lose to their own 9900K? wow
so many generations released in quick times even many people are on their old 7,8,9th gen
Not so Good for Intel I guess!!
Im still loyal to my i7 8700K.. i was thinking of upgrading to RocketLake..but i think i will stay with my 8700k for a year and a half.
Im still loyal to my 4770K @ 4.3GHz 😀
I have been using my current machine for almost 9 years, with only GPU and storage upgrades. Actually had plans to build a new monster rig this year but effin impossible to find anything in stock! I was planning to build a 5950X based rig….
Same.? I’m still loyal to my Intel core i7 4790 (non-K) 4’th gen SKU
Why shouldn’t you be? If it serves you well and you don’t need to upgrade, it’s fine.
Don’t listen to people projecting their desires and likes to you
?
Fitting name mate xd
i5 6600K here 😀
has been for the past 6 years
I upgraded just over a month ago from a i5 4570 4th gen to a 10700k and it blew me away how much faster/smoother everything is ?
I’ve been using that processor for a looong time, same as you, with only GPU and storage upgrades. Even with an ultrawide monitor, it was able to keep up at reasonable graphics settings with all new games. However, this year the upgrade virus got into my brain and several thousands later and bruised elbows, I am sitting on a 5800x, 32gb gskill 14cas, 2 tb m.2, 3090 and a super ultrawide monitor. My wife has gotton awfully quiet these past weeks, I think something must be brewing…
Still running a 3770k with a 3080 TUF OC! Looking to get a 5950x when they iron out the bugs, but may wait now until next year.
A power hungry CPU for sure, not worth upgrading/purchasing any RKL lineup processor.
But maybe the final performance will differ with new BIOS and system drivers ? but the gains are marginal
No.. HU confirmed that.
What’s wrong with AT though ? GN isn’t any better though.
Do you mean that Intel’s CPUs need to be tinkered with to work properly?
??
Oh an one more thing you LYING POS since you mentioned HU, they did a
video on this review and SAID that their results are similar to Ian’s..
One effing imbecile like you vs Dr. Ian from Stanford. Yeah we are going to
listen to you.. Go cry in corner you pos lying looser.
You go and bark somewhere else, snowflake.
Glad I picked one up a couple months ago
The Rocket Lake look gonna be the trash ever launched
Is INTEL dying? I think so
Metal, as someone that keeps reading and knowing a lot about CPU’s and computers (Cus thats what you do now lol) do you think its better to wait until the end of this year and the new Intel And AMD CPU’s?
I got an I5 2500k still, and i’ve been wanting to upgrade for years. DDR5 memory, much better CPU’s and PCI 5 are also coming real soon… so i just don’t know lol. I waited this long, i could wait more but at the same time… hmm.
Wait it out for Alder Lake if you are an Intel only fan.
I am in the same boat, Have been wanting to upgrade this 2014 Haswell 5960X pc for over a year.
All planned and had everything picked out for Zen 3 either 5900X or 5950X, Can’t get anything. Already hearing of Zen 4 that sounds like an impressive update, I may as well wait it out for that.
Not really interested in Intel anything these days until they finally get their node shrink in order, Too much heat and power currently.
Yeah, thats exactly what im wondering and thinking too… especially about the heat and power. Also Zen 4 sounds really good (and Alder Lake)
Alder Lake sounds interesting with big/little cores, Just depends how they implement it for general use, Should use less power for desktop but am curious how it will work for games, Don’t think they can do too much more without a node shrink though unfortunately.
Yea, i always wanted that.. less power when you don’t really need it. Also, i need a new Integraded GPU too so AMD is not exactly my goal for now.. altho.. that sweet sweet performance… it’s never been this hard to deside if i want a new computer or not.
Quite the opposite; is never been easier, especially at this very moment with lack of supply, massively inflated prices, Intel being a total mess and DDR5 coming rather soon.
You answered yourself just right. You’ve waited this long, wait for all that and make a generational leap on every level altogether.
Don’t restrict yourself to Intel though, especially for how they’re doing these times and the upcoming likely dubious big/little architecture.
I guess there is nothing else to do but wait. Lets hope my computer wont die before that
This cpu just turned out to be hardware dlc for those who wanted pcie 4 support.
AT is the only reviewer of the batch (GN, HUB, etc) that’s capable of reviewing hardware the other reviewers can’t even touch like server parts. And you call them pathetic?
Seriously now?
“rumors circulating that Intel could aggressively price these chips”
They need to because Ryzen annihilated it!
Ya, I noticed that as well.
At least AMD can argue its a lower power draw. Not sure what the hell is up with that 11700K, coming in behind even the 5800K, and breaking even with the 9900KS.
Lmao its so far behind the 5800x in both performance and power usage you question why they even bothered
Very lackluster cpu from INTEL. Idk but lately INTEL is mucho garbage. They need to wake up. I expect them to put up a fight in 2-4years. Until then, AMD is the clear winner!
That difference is only observed in one single game. In the other games, it’s either a trade with the 5800X or the 2 year old i9 being slightly ahead. Furthermore, that’s standard graphics, differences become only further null when you increase the graphics settings and make the game more GPU bound.