Intel Core i7 8700T 6-core LGA1151

The Core i7-8700T is a 35W six-core, twelve-thread chip that's perfect for quiet servers, NAS builds, and compact PCs. It scores in the 85th percentile for efficiency, which is the whole point of this CPU. Pricing varies from USD 293 in the US to EUR 410-607 in Europe, so shop around. If you need low power draw and solid multi-threaded performance, this is a great pick. If you need gaming speed or AI performance, look elsewhere.

The PassMark numbers tell the story pretty clearly. Multi-threaded score of 10,212 puts it in the 63rd percentile overall, which sounds mediocre until you remember this thing is running at 35W. For comparison, a standard 65W i7-8700 non-T will push higher numbers, but it also pulls nearly double the power. The single-thread score of 2,299 lands in the 66th percentile, which means everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and light photo editing feel snappy enough.

The 12MB of L3 cache and 1.5MB of L2 cache help keep the six cores fed without hammering memory bandwidth. The 2.4GHz base clock is low, but the 4.0GHz boost gives you headroom for bursty workloads. Where this chip really shines is sustained multi-threaded work in a constrained thermal envelope. A NAS running Plex transcodes, a home server handling multiple containers, or a compact workstation that needs to stay quiet. The UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is nothing special, but it means you don't need a discrete GPU for a headless server or basic display output.

The competitive landscape for this chip is a bit unusual because it's an older platform. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is in our competitor list, but that's a completely different class of CPU, modern, high-power, and aimed at gaming. Comparing them directly isn't fair, but it does highlight the trade-off. The 8700T gives you efficiency and low power draw, while something like the 9800X3D gives you raw performance at a much higher TDP and price.

The Lenovo Ryzen 5 spare part and the ADVB3 Phenom II X6 are also in the mix, but those are older or OEM-specific parts that don't really compete on the same terms. The be quiet! Ryzen 3 Dark Rock Pro 5 is actually a CPU cooler, not a processor, so that's a data quirk in our competitor list. The real comparison for the 8700T is against other T-series Intel chips like the i5-8500T or i7-9700T, or against low-power AMD options like the Ryzen 5 2400GE. If you need the six cores and twelve threads, the 8700T is the sweet spot in the 35W TDP class.

Pricing on this chip is all over the place depending on where you shop. In the US you're looking at around USD 293 for a single listing. In Europe the spread is significant, EUR 410 on the low end and EUR 607 on the high end across four listings in Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. That's a EUR 197 gap for the exact same tray processor. If you're in Europe, it pays to shop around and check which store has the best deal before you click buy.

In Canada the spread is tighter, CAD 420 to CAD 464 across two listings, so a CAD 44 difference. Not as dramatic, but still worth checking both vendors. The value proposition here depends entirely on what you're building. If you need a low-power six-core chip for a server or compact PC, and you can find it at the lower end of those price ranges, it's a solid deal. If you're paying the high end, you're getting into territory where newer, more efficient options start to look tempting.

The Core i7-8700T is one of those chips that flies under the radar until you realize exactly what it's for. It's a 35W TDP part, which means it sips power compared to the 65W and 95W desktop CPUs most people are used to. Six cores, twelve threads, and a 4.0GHz boost clock in a package that barely gets warm. That's the pitch, and for the right build it's a genuinely compelling one.

This is a tray processor, not a retail box. You get the CPU in a plastic clamshell or anti-static wrap, no cooler, no fancy packaging. That's normal for OEM parts and it's part of why the price can be lower than a boxed equivalent. If you're building a small form factor PC, a home server, or a quiet NAS that needs real multi-threaded grunt without a jet engine fan, this chip makes a lot of sense.

What makes it interesting in 2025 is the efficiency angle. Our database puts it in the 85th percentile for efficiency among all CPUs we track. That's a standout score, and it's the reason people still hunt for these T-series chips on the used and tray market. The platform is old, LGA1151 with DDR4, but for a low-power workhorse it still holds up surprisingly well.

If you're building a gaming PC, skip this chip. The single-thread performance is only middle of the pack, and modern games will leave it struggling compared to even budget current-gen CPUs. You'd be better off with a Ryzen 5 5600 or an Intel i5-12400, both of which will run circles around the 8700T in gaming workloads while still being reasonably efficient.

Also skip it if you're planning to do any serious AI or machine learning work. The 48.5/100 score in our AI category is a weak spot, and the lack of modern instruction set extensions means you'll be waiting around for workloads that newer chips chew through. If you need AI performance, look at something with AVX-512 support or a dedicated GPU. And if you're not comfortable buying a tray processor without a retail warranty, this isn't the chip for you either.

If you're building a home server, a NAS, or a compact PC where noise and power consumption matter more than raw speed, the i7-8700T is a genuinely good choice. The 35W TDP means you can cool it with a tiny heatsink or even passively in some cases. Six cores and twelve threads give you enough headroom for Plex transcoding, Docker containers, and light virtualization without breaking a sweat.

But if you're building a gaming rig or a workstation where single-thread performance is critical, look elsewhere. The 66th percentile single-thread score means it's fine for everyday use, but it won't keep up with modern chips in latency-sensitive tasks. And if you're planning to run AI or LLM workloads, the 48.5/100 score in that category is a clear signal to spend your money on something with more modern instruction set support and higher memory bandwidth.