• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Intel Core i7-4790 Incrementally Faster than i7-4770K: Review

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,274 (7.69/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
TweakTown went ahead and posted the first formal review of Intel Core i7-4790, the fastest Core "Haswell" Refresh quad-core processor. Tested on an unnamed Z97 Express motherboard, with discrete graphics, the chip was found to be only incrementally faster than the i7-4770K, and just what you'd expect from a 100 MHz clock speed bump. The i7-4790 is clocked at 3.60 GHz, with a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 4.00 GHz, compared to the 3.50 GHz and 3.90 GHz clocks of the i7-4770K. It lacks an unlocked base-clock multiplier, and so its overclocking potential is severely limited, and close to non-existent; and so the i7-4790 is really a chip for those who want the best gaming performance, and don't intend to overclock their CPUs. Enthusiasts may want to hold out for "Devil's Canyon." Find the full review at the source.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
3 (0.00/day)
System Name Old but good
Processor Core i7 3770K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z77-UD5
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory 4 x 4gb G-Skill F3-14900CL9D Sniper
Video Card(s) XFX R9-280X
Storage 2x OCZ vertex2 60gb in Raid 0 for OS, 2x WD 1tb for storage
Display(s) Acer S2iHL
Case Coolermaster Storm Scout 2
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply XFX XTR750
Software Windows 7, tri boot with Windows 8 and Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/8180814
Obviously this benchmark does not utilize a 6 core CPU with 12 threads

Of corse it doesn't, both the 4770K and its predecessor the 3770K had only 4 cores, so why would this have more?
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
2,785 (0.61/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name MoneySink
Processor 2600K @ 4.8
Motherboard P8Z77-V
Cooling AC NexXxos XT45 360, RayStorm, D5T+XSPC tank, Tygon R-3603, Bitspower
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600C8
Video Card(s) GTX 780 SLI (EVGA SC ACX + Giga GHz Ed.)
Storage Kingston HyperX SSD (128) OS, WD RE4 (1TB), RE2 (1TB), Cav. Black (2 x 500GB), Red (4TB)
Display(s) Achieva Shimian QH270-IPSMS (2560x1440) S-IPS
Case NZXT Switch 810
Audio Device(s) onboard Realtek yawn edition
Power Supply Seasonic X-1050
Software Win8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores 3.5 litres of Pale Ale in 18 minutes.
What a waste of time. The only real point of interest being voiced (for the top end SKUs) is how well it overclocks and whether the revised thermal interface material is any better than the previous two generations.

Also quite weird that AMD's sole representative is the (relatively) old FX 8150.

TT reaffirming their relationship with the cutting edge :eek:
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
336 (0.07/day)
System Name Matar Extreme PC.
Processor Intel Core i9-10900KF @5.2GHZ AVX-1 & Uncore @4.6GHZ @1.285v
Motherboard Gigabyte Z590 UD , With PCIe X1 Card intel killer 1650x card
Cooling CoolerMaster ML240L V2 AIO with MX6
Memory 4x16 64GB DDR4 3600MHZ CL16-19-19-39 G.SKILL Trident Z NEO
Video Card(s) Nvidia ZOTAC RTX 3080 Ti Trinity overclocked +100 core +1000 mem
Storage WD black 512GB Nvme OS + 1TB 970 Nvme Samsung & 4TB WD Blk 256MB cache 7200RPM
Display(s) Lenovo 34" Ultra Wide 3440x1440 144hz 1ms G-Snyc
Case NZXT H510 Black with Cooler Master RGB Fans
Audio Device(s) Internal , EIFER speakers & EasySMX Wireless Gaming Headset
Power Supply Aurora R9 850Watts 80+ Gold, I Modded cables for it.
Mouse Onn RGB Gaming Mouse & Logitech G923 & shifter & E-Break Sim setup.
Keyboard GOFREETECH RGB Gaming Keyboard, & Xbox 1 X Controller
VR HMD Oculus Rift S
Software Windows 10 Home 22H2
Benchmark Scores https://www.youtube.com/user/matttttar/videos
Of corse it doesn't, both the 4770K and its predecessor the 3770K had only 4 cores, so why would this have more?
I made a mistake I thought I saw i7-4960 I deleted my post
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 96GB (2 x 48 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
Of corse it doesn't, both the 4770K and its predecessor the 3770K had only 4 cores, so why would this have more?

If you look at the raw benchmarks they also test 6-core CPUs as well, although I am left to wonder why btarunr chose to use the memory bandwidth charts as the figure in the original post. Of all the benchmarks that is probably the one with the least correlation to real world performance.

Although looking at the charts does lead to the question as to why the processors with the 4-channel memory controllers have 50% less bandwidth than the ones with the 2-channel memory controllers.

 
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
1,248 (0.31/day)
System Name Gentoo64 /w Cold Coffee
Processor 9900K 5.2GHz @1.312v
Motherboard MXI APEX
Cooling Raystorm Pro + 1260mm Super Nova
Memory 2x16GB TridentZ 4000-14-14-28-2T @1.6v
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 LiquidX Barrow 3015MHz @1.1v
Storage 660P 1TB, 860 QVO 2TB
Display(s) LG C1 + Predator XB1 QHD
Case Open Benchtable V2
Audio Device(s) SB X-Fi
Power Supply MSI A1000G
Mouse G502
Keyboard G815
Software Gentoo/Windows 10
Benchmark Scores Always only ever very fast
I don't even wan to think about cleaning up my CLU just to upgrade from 4770K to 4790K for that 100MHz... hope these are better binned so they can help extend Z8/97's life.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
2,785 (0.61/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name MoneySink
Processor 2600K @ 4.8
Motherboard P8Z77-V
Cooling AC NexXxos XT45 360, RayStorm, D5T+XSPC tank, Tygon R-3603, Bitspower
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600C8
Video Card(s) GTX 780 SLI (EVGA SC ACX + Giga GHz Ed.)
Storage Kingston HyperX SSD (128) OS, WD RE4 (1TB), RE2 (1TB), Cav. Black (2 x 500GB), Red (4TB)
Display(s) Achieva Shimian QH270-IPSMS (2560x1440) S-IPS
Case NZXT Switch 810
Audio Device(s) onboard Realtek yawn edition
Power Supply Seasonic X-1050
Software Win8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores 3.5 litres of Pale Ale in 18 minutes.
Although looking at the charts does lead to the question as to why the processors with the 4-channel memory controllers have 50% less bandwidth than the ones with the 2-channel memory controllers.
Well, that's going to have to remain a mystery as long as TT keep their test system fit-outs secret. Maybe they outfitted their 4 channel board with a couple of sticks of DDR3-1066 !?!?!
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 96GB (2 x 48 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
Maybe they outfitted their 4 channel board with a couple of sticks of DDR3-1066 !?!?!

It's likely literally a couple of sticks, as in two instead of four.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 96GB (2 x 48 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
because its an Ivy bridge?

Both the 3770K and the 4960X have Ivy bridge cores. The 4960X has a 4 channel memory controller while the 3770K has a 2 channel memory controller, yet suspiciously the 4960X has lower memory bandwidth.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
2,785 (0.61/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name MoneySink
Processor 2600K @ 4.8
Motherboard P8Z77-V
Cooling AC NexXxos XT45 360, RayStorm, D5T+XSPC tank, Tygon R-3603, Bitspower
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600C8
Video Card(s) GTX 780 SLI (EVGA SC ACX + Giga GHz Ed.)
Storage Kingston HyperX SSD (128) OS, WD RE4 (1TB), RE2 (1TB), Cav. Black (2 x 500GB), Red (4TB)
Display(s) Achieva Shimian QH270-IPSMS (2560x1440) S-IPS
Case NZXT Switch 810
Audio Device(s) onboard Realtek yawn edition
Power Supply Seasonic X-1050
Software Win8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores 3.5 litres of Pale Ale in 18 minutes.
It's likely literally a couple of sticks, as in two instead of four.
This is Tweaktown, it could just as easily be that they recycled the benchmarks from an old bench using a AIDA64 2.xx build. :laugh:
 
Joined
Jan 21, 2013
Messages
3,842 (0.94/day)
System Name Zotan
Processor i9-10850K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z490 Gaming X AX
Cooling H100
Memory 32GB Viper 3200
Video Card(s) Zotac RTX3080
Case Airflow 275R
Power Supply RMX850
Benchmark Scores d1nky@hwbot.org
''What will be more interesting is the release of the K based processors. While they will carry the same speed bump, what we're really hoping for is better overclocking in both the core and memory department.''

(source tweaktown)


This is what may persuade me to buy one, and maybe a lot more enthusiasts!
 
Joined
May 7, 2014
Messages
55 (0.02/day)
Both the 3770K and the 4960X have Ivy bridge cores. The 4960X has a 4 channel memory controller while the 3770K has a 2 channel memory controller, yet suspiciously the 4960X has lower memory bandwidth.
slightly lower performance, maybe they only used 2sticks lol
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 96GB (2 x 48 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
This is Tweaktown, it could just as easily be that they recycled the benchmarks from an old bench using a AIDA64 2.xx build. :laugh:

You're right, but it's even worse. If you look closely at the article it says:

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.00.1035BETA

So a 2010 era benchmark for a 2014 processor.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
2,785 (0.61/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name MoneySink
Processor 2600K @ 4.8
Motherboard P8Z77-V
Cooling AC NexXxos XT45 360, RayStorm, D5T+XSPC tank, Tygon R-3603, Bitspower
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600C8
Video Card(s) GTX 780 SLI (EVGA SC ACX + Giga GHz Ed.)
Storage Kingston HyperX SSD (128) OS, WD RE4 (1TB), RE2 (1TB), Cav. Black (2 x 500GB), Red (4TB)
Display(s) Achieva Shimian QH270-IPSMS (2560x1440) S-IPS
Case NZXT Switch 810
Audio Device(s) onboard Realtek yawn edition
Power Supply Seasonic X-1050
Software Win8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores 3.5 litres of Pale Ale in 18 minutes.
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
6,457 (1.41/day)
Processor Intel® Core™ i7-13700K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory 32GB(2x16) DDR5@6600MHz G-Skill Trident Z5
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 AMP Holo
Storage 2TB SK Platinum P41 SSD + 4TB SanDisk Ultra SSD + 500GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
Display(s) Acer Predator X34 3440x1440@100Hz G-Sync
Case NZXT PHANTOM410-BK
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium PCIe
Power Supply Corsair 850W
Mouse Logitech Hero G502 SE
Software Windows 11 Pro - 64bit
Benchmark Scores 30FPS in NFS:Rivals
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
3 (0.00/day)
System Name Old but good
Processor Core i7 3770K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z77-UD5
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory 4 x 4gb G-Skill F3-14900CL9D Sniper
Video Card(s) XFX R9-280X
Storage 2x OCZ vertex2 60gb in Raid 0 for OS, 2x WD 1tb for storage
Display(s) Acer S2iHL
Case Coolermaster Storm Scout 2
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply XFX XTR750
Software Windows 7, tri boot with Windows 8 and Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/8180814
TweakTown went ahead and posted the first formal review of Intel Core i7-4790, the fastest Core "Haswell" Refresh quad-core processor. Tested on an unnamed Z97 Express motherboard, with discrete graphics, the chip was found to be only incrementally faster than the i7-4770K, and just what you'd expect from a 100 MHz clock speed bump. The i7-4790 is clocked at 3.60 GHz, with a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 4.00 GHz, compared to the 3.50 GHz and 3.90 GHz clocks of the i7-4770K. It lacks an unlocked base-clock multiplier, and so its overclocking potential is severely limited, and close to non-existent; and so the i7-4790 is really a chip for those who want the best gaming performance, and don't intend to overclock their CPUs. Enthusiasts may want to hold out for "Devil's Canyon." Find the full review at the source.

I made a mistake I thought I saw i7-4960 I deleted my post
Ok, gotchya.



Source: TweakTown

T
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
2,785 (0.61/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name MoneySink
Processor 2600K @ 4.8
Motherboard P8Z77-V
Cooling AC NexXxos XT45 360, RayStorm, D5T+XSPC tank, Tygon R-3603, Bitspower
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600C8
Video Card(s) GTX 780 SLI (EVGA SC ACX + Giga GHz Ed.)
Storage Kingston HyperX SSD (128) OS, WD RE4 (1TB), RE2 (1TB), Cav. Black (2 x 500GB), Red (4TB)
Display(s) Achieva Shimian QH270-IPSMS (2560x1440) S-IPS
Case NZXT Switch 810
Audio Device(s) onboard Realtek yawn edition
Power Supply Seasonic X-1050
Software Win8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores 3.5 litres of Pale Ale in 18 minutes.
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
3,145 (0.69/day)
Processor 8700k Intel
Motherboard z370 MSI Godlike Gaming
Cooling Triple Aquacomputer AMS Copper 840 with D5
Memory TridentZ RGB G.Skill C16 3600MHz
Video Card(s) GTX 1080 Ti
Storage Crucial MX SSDs
Display(s) Dell U3011 2560x1600 + Dell 2408WFP 1200x1920 (Portrait)
Case Core P5 Thermaltake
Audio Device(s) Essence STX
Power Supply AX 1500i
Mouse Logitech
Keyboard Corsair
Software Win10
It's Haswell refresh guys, what were you expecting? A new microarch?

We all know the real deal will be X99's 8 core CPUs.
 

cadaveca

My name is Dave
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
17,232 (2.63/day)
although I am left to wonder why btarunr chose to use the memory bandwidth charts as the figure in the original post.

I suppose that you answered your own question.

It's Haswell refresh guys, what were you expecting? A new microarch?
We all know the real deal will be X99's 8 core CPUs.

So I guess I don't need to do a 4790 review then, eh? But then...why do I have one? :p

I mean, given that there was some obvious confusion about what is/was coming, I'm not surprised by the reactions. It's a non-K chip, not some flagship model. And then, with X99, we have DDR4 to deal with too...or so the rumour goes.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
3,145 (0.69/day)
Processor 8700k Intel
Motherboard z370 MSI Godlike Gaming
Cooling Triple Aquacomputer AMS Copper 840 with D5
Memory TridentZ RGB G.Skill C16 3600MHz
Video Card(s) GTX 1080 Ti
Storage Crucial MX SSDs
Display(s) Dell U3011 2560x1600 + Dell 2408WFP 1200x1920 (Portrait)
Case Core P5 Thermaltake
Audio Device(s) Essence STX
Power Supply AX 1500i
Mouse Logitech
Keyboard Corsair
Software Win10
Dave I have the answer, are you willing to open the spoiler?

Intel deliberately refreshed Haswell with a clock bump to waste your time :p

Or our time maybe.

What bugs me is that now they are going to release yet another pointless (??) CPU, Devil's Canyon which is basically what delidders did one year ago and still continue to do.

Maybe it will target who didn't want to void their warranty.

I'm still skeptical it will bring higher clocks to the table, if it doesn't scale better with voltage you are left with small headroom compared to the first Hsw iteration.

After all Intel's fab process is kinda sensitive to voltage, you don't have to operate much more than 1.5v to degrade irreparably your chip.
 

cadaveca

My name is Dave
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
17,232 (2.63/day)
Dave I have the answer, are you willing to open the spoiler?

Intel deliberately refreshed Haswell with a clock bump to waste your time :p

And give me a free chip or three? Why would I say no? So I can less CPUs to show in future reviews? :p

To me, it's useful to have as the example of "top-of-the-line" non-K chippery. Beyond that, there's still not much more I can say yet. :p
 

Fiery

FinalWire / AIDA64 Developer
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
105 (0.02/day)
Location
Hungary
System Name Main rig
Processor Intel Core i7-6700K (stock)
Motherboard Gigabyte Z170X-UD3
Cooling something big :)
Memory 4x 8GB HyperX DDR4-2133
Video Card(s) Asus Strix-GTX960-DC2-2GD5
Storage Intel 750 400GB NVMe + Samsung 830 512GB SSD + Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA3
Display(s) Dell 1905FP
Case Cooler Master Stacker
Audio Device(s) some integrated HD Audio
Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro 600W
Mouse Logitech G400
Keyboard Logitech Internet Navigator SE
Software Windows 10 Pro (64-bit) + AIDA64 Engineer :-)
Benchmark Scores who cares? ;-)
This is Tweaktown, it could just as easily be that they recycled the benchmarks from an old bench using a AIDA64 2.xx build. :laugh:

Most likely that's exactly what's happened. AIDA64 v2.xx used to have only single-threaded memory bandwidth benchmarks. Since v3.00, AIDA64 uses all available CPU threads which boosts memory scores considerably.
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
12,062 (2.77/day)
Location
Gypsyland, UK
System Name HP Omen 17
Processor i7 7700HQ
Memory 16GB 2400Mhz DDR4
Video Card(s) GTX 1060
Storage Samsung SM961 256GB + HGST 1TB
Display(s) 1080p IPS G-SYNC 75Hz
Audio Device(s) Bang & Olufsen
Power Supply 230W
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD+
Software Win 10 Pro
There's only one processor I'm interested in these days.
I want to see the Pentium anniversary edition benchmarked against these things.

At 8Ghz.

I'll be laughing while my $60 unlocked chip is laying waste to all these quad core HT'd on liquid cooling in an ITX case.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
1,742 (0.31/day)
Location
on top of that big mountain on mars(Romania)
System Name ( . Y . )
The pc hardware world, at least for me has become more boring than watching the grass grow.
 
Top