Frequently Asked Questions About Intel® Core™ i7 Desktop Processors

All Intel® Core™ i7 Desktop Processors support Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

No, there are no new chassis requirements for the Intel® Core™ i7 Desktop Processor platform. We highly recommend using a Thermally Advantaged Chassis (TAC). 

• 64-bit operating systems don't support 16-bit components, 16-bit processes, or 16-bit applications
• 16-bit applications and software aren't validated on 4th Generation Intel® Processor families
• 16-bit may run on 32-bit operating systems, but it's not optimized for 32-bit OS
• Consult with your software vendor for a 32-bit or 64-bit version to use with the newer hardware and operating system

Visit the Intel® Processor Installation Support Center for more information on installation and socket integration.

The Intel® Core™ i7-9700K, i7-9700KF, i7-8700K, i7-8086K, i7-7700K, and i7-6700K Processors require a thermal solution for a 130W Processor Thermal Design Power (TDP). These processors have a thermal envelope of 130W and a power consumption of 95W except i7-7700K which has 91W.

It depends. First, check that the socket of your desktop board supports your processor package type. You can get this information from your desktop board manufacturer.

Once you find the model number of your desktop board, visit the appropriate support page on the manufacturer support site. The site typically lists supported processors for your board. Use the Intel® Desktop Compatibility Tool to see if your board supports your new processor.

¹Requires Intel® 300 Series Chipset motherboards to deliver the rated performance.

• Fan heatsinks for the LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, and LGA1156 sockets are compatible if the processor thermal and power requirements are the same.
• Fan heatsinks for the LGA2011 and LGA2011-v3 sockets are also compatible if the processor thermal and power requirements are the same.

Intel® Core™ i7-87xx Desktop Processors use a chipset based on the Intel® 300 Series Chipset Boards. Intel® Core™ i7-67xx and i7-77xx Desktop Processors use a chipset based on the Intel® 100 and 200 Series Chipset Boards. The i7-87xx processors are NOT compatible with Intel® 100 and 200 Series Chipset Boards.

We recommend you check with your board manufacturer. Confirm your desktop board supports the processor you want to use.

Intel® Core™ i7-2xxx Desktop Processors use a chipset based on the Intel® 6 Series Chipset Boards. Intel® Core™ i7-3xxx Desktop Processors use a chipset based on the Intel® 7 Series Chipset Boards. The processors are backward and forward compatible with some notable exceptions.

We recommend you check with your board manufacturer. Confirm your desktop board supports the processor you want to use.

If you're installing an Intel® Core™ i7-3xxx Processor into a desktop board based on the Intel® 6 Series Chipsets, you may need an updated BIOS, ME8 firmware, and drivers. Always check with your desktop board manufacturer for supported processors and the recommended update process.

LGA2011 socket compatibility

The following processors are compatible with the LGA2011 socket. They're backward and forward compatible if the board manufacturer provided a BIOS update with the processor microcode updates. Check with your board manufacturer to confirm your board is compatible with the processor you intend to use.

• 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3820K, i7-3930K, and i7-3960X Processors
• 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4820K, i7-4930K, and i7-4960X Processors

LGA2011-v3 socket compatibility

The following processors are compatible with the LGA2011-v3 socket. They're backward and forward compatible if the board manufacturer provided a BIOS update with the processor microcode updates. Check with your board manufacturer to confirm your board is compatible with the processor you intend to use.

• Intel® Core™ i7-5960X Processor Extreme Edition, Intel® Core™ i7-5930K Processor, and Intel® Core™ i7-5820K Processor
• Intel® Core™ i7-6950X Processor Extreme Edition, Intel® Core™ i7-6900K Processor, Intel® Core™ i7-6850K Processor, and Intel® Core™ i7-6800K Processor

To find out more about board and processor compatibility, go to the Intel® Desktop Compatibility Tool.

The Intel® Core™ i7-4790K Processor is compatible with Intel® Desktop Boards with Intel® 9 Series Chipsets (Z97, H97). Check with your desktop board manufacturer for i7-4790K compatibility based on the Intel® 8 Series Chipsets.

We recommend using memory that adheres to the JEDEC memory specification. Anything over this voltage can damage the processor or significantly reduce processor life span.

• For DDR3 memory: 1.5 volts, plus or minus 5%
• For DDR3L memory: 1.35 volts, plus or minus 5%
• For DDR4 memory: 1.2 volts, plus or minus 5%

ECC support depends on the motherboard and chipset. If your processor is supporting ECC, you need to check with your motherboard vendor to see if they are also supporting it.

All Intel® Core™ i7 Desktop Processors support Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

Learn about Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and see Intel® Turbo Boost Technology frequently asked questions.

The specific SKUs that support this product are:

• Intel® Core™ i7-68xx and i7-69xx processor series (Desktop processor)
• Intel® Core™ i7-7820X Processor (Desktop processor)
• Intel® Core™ i7-9800X Processor (Desktop processor)
• Intel® Core™ i7-10xxx Processor (Desktop processor)