Intel Core i7 3770K  vs 3770 

A power user is one who loves tweaking settings in order to get the most out of his machine, thus it's important for him to have a CPU that's capable of overclocking. But does overclocking really offer better performance at a significant margin? For this matchup, we'll compare two processors, one overclockable, one stock: the Intel Core i7 3770K versus the Intel Core i7 3770.

Both are quite similar: they’re Quad Core processors with 8 threads, 8 MB cache and decent HD 4000 integrated graphics. They can turbo boost up to 3.9 GHz and draw power at 77W TDP, which is expected from a processor with this type of performance.

They have many differences, however: the 3770K has a higher clock speed of 3.5 GHz, whereas the 3770 only has 3.4 GHz. Most importantly, the K series is blessed with an unlocked multiplier, which can easily overclock up to 4.7 GHz on air alone, thus squeezing every last bit of performance out of the processor. Let’s see if our test results support our claims.

Benchmarks show the 3770K’s obvious advantage in the PassMark overclocked test, where it scored 118% better than the 3770. In other tests however, the results were not as dominant: only 3-5% gains were seen in the 3DMark11, PassMark single core and Geekbench tests. This shows that if not for the overclocking, these chips are essentially similar (except for the 3770K’s added 100 MHz clock speed).

In conclusion, the Intel Core i7 3770 is still a solid performer that can duke it out at stock speeds. But as far as power users are concerned, overclocking the Intel Core i7 3770K is an exhilarating trip to the fast lane, and is worth every penny. Just make sure to keep your power supply and temperatures in check, to ensure a stable running system.