Intel 8700K Upgrade

[killroy67]

Im looking to do a upgrade from my current platform which is a I7 4790 (no K) and was considering the 8700K with the
GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS GAMING WIFI. The only thing is Im concerned about the spectre exploit and if it would be a problem. I know Intel is patching but does the patching work?

 

[Thatguybil]

Yes, as much as it can.

IE the patches make an exploit that is timing sensitive and makes it more timing sensitive and difficult to pull off.

 

[Sancus]

Keep in mind that Spectre requires code running on your computer. The most likely vector for this is web browsers, and they have introduced mitigations and will continue to do so. It was really a bigger threat for servers IMO, because it allowed breaking out of virtual machines so for example you could read memory that was running in a virtual machine that you did not have access to.

In the case of a typical gaming desktop, it's not really a bigger threat than any number of other browser-based JS exploits. Keep your browser and Windows patches up to date and don't worry about it.

 

[amd80286]

Don't worry if you are common user.

 

[DuronBurgerMan]

It's kind of overblown and overhyped. It's not likely to be an issue for you. I'd buy your 8700k and be happy with it - and just remember to periodically check for BIOS updates, which you should honestly be doing anyway.

 

[Heloperator]

I think BIOS updates scare people though.

 

[Sancus]

There's no reason to bother with the BIOS updates. Honestly they were half-baked to begin with. KB409007 includes the latest microcode updates for Spectre #2 via Windows Update.