Intel Core i7-4790K in the test

With the Haswell refresh, Intel has once again mixed up the classic desktop area in terms of processors and made new CPUs of the Core 4000 series available to users. We want to see how big the leap with the refresh really is and what this means in practice and take a look at this using the Core i7-4790K.

Intro

Intel has named the refreshment of the LGA1150 socket "Haswell Refresh" and is thus sending new models onto the desktop market, which above all raise the performance data somewhat. However, only small things have changed under the hood, which is why the question arises to what extent something has really improved here compared to the old models.

Because you will look for real changes almost in vain and the new chipset Z97 is what is really mentioned here. This offers at least the support of the M.2 interface and thus allows the connection of fast data carriers.

So should the Haswell refresh be understood more as a light summer breeze or does it really provide a fresh breeze? We will illuminate this on the following pages.

Test environment

Hardware: Intel systems

Intel socket LGA-1150

• Intel Core i7-4770K:
  Haswell architecture, C0 stepping, 3,5 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Intel Core i7-4770:
  Haswell architecture, C0 stepping, 3,5 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Intel Core i5-4670K:
  Haswell architecture, C0 stepping, 3,4 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Intel Core i5-4670:
  Haswell architecture, C0 stepping, 3,4 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, 4 x DDR3-1600

The new Haswell processors are operated on the MSI mainboard Z87-G43. We imported the latest beta BIOS V1.2B1 and activated all energy-saving mechanisms in the BIOS. The memory modules used come from G.Skill. It is a 4 x 4 GByte kit of the Ripjaws Z DDR3-1600 with the latencies CL9-9-9-24.

Intel socket LGA-1155

• Core i7 3770K:
  IB architecture, E1 stepping, 3,5 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Intel Core i5-3570K:
  IB architecture, E1 stepping, 3,4 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Intel Core i7-2700K:
  Self-service architecture, D2 stepping, 3,5 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Core i7 2600K:
  Self-service architecture, D2 stepping, 3,4 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Core i5 2500K:
  SB architecture, D2 stepping, 3,3 GHz, 4 cores, turbo mode active, 4 x DDR3-1333

For Intel's “Sandy Bridge” and “Ivy Bridge” processors for the LGA-1155 socket, 4 x 4 GB G.Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3-1600 are used, operated on DDR3-1333. The memories are operated with the CL9-9-9-24 2T latencies. That comes as a mainboard MSI Z77A-GD65* used with BIOS version 7751vP0. All energy saving mechanisms are activated in the BIOS.

 

MSI Z87-G43Intel socket LGA-2011 and LGA-2011-3

• Core i7-5960X
  R2 stepping, 3,0 GHz, 8 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR4-2133
• Core i7-4960X
  S1 stepping, 3,6 GHz, 6 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• Core i7-3960X
  C2 stepping, 3,3 GHz, 6 cores, turbo mode active, HTT active, 4 x DDR3-1600

For the processors of the LGA-2011 socket, 4 x 4 GB G.Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3-1600 and an ASUS Rampage IV Gene with BIOS 4901 are used. The socket LGA-2011-3 is measured with 4 x 4 GByte Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2666, operated with DDR4-2133 and timings of 15-15-15-36. An MSI X99S Gaming 7 with BIOS V17.4 is used as the mainboard.

Hardware: AMD systems

AMD Socket FM2 +

• A10-7850K
  Steamroller architecture, A1 stepping, 3,7 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• A8-7600
  Steamroller architecture, A1 stepping, 3,3 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• A10-6800K
  Piledriver architecture, A1 stepping, 4,1 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• A10-6700
  Piledriver architecture, A1 stepping, 3,7 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• A10-6500T
  Piledriver architecture, A1 stepping, 2,1 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600

The processors for FM2 and FM2 + were measured on the MSI A85XA-G65. The Kaveri models and the A10-6800K also on the MSI A88XM-E45.

AMD Socket AM3 +

• FX-8370E:
  Piledriver architecture, C0 stepping, 3,3 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• FX-8350:
  Piledriver architecture, C0 stepping, 4,0 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600
• FX-8150:
  Bulldozer architecture, B2 stepping, 3,6 GHz, 4 modules, turbo mode active, CMT active, 4 x DDR3-1600

The same G.Skill modules are used for AMD's Bulldozer processors for the AM3 + socket as on the Intel systems. That comes as a mainboard ASUS Crosshair V Formula* (990FX chipset) used with BIOS 1703. All energy saving mechanisms are activated in the BIOS.

 

ASUS Sabertooth 990FXDue to the lack of support for the new processor from our ASUS Crosshair V Formula test board, we had to change the board. The measurement results for the AM3 + socket were therefore completely created on the new ASUS Sabertooth 990FX.

AMD Socket FM2

 

• A10-5800K

 

 

Trinity architecture, A1 stepping, 3,8 GHz, 4 cores, 4 x DDR3-1600

The G.Skill DDR3 memory mentioned above works here as well. The Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4 with BIOS F4 is used as the mainboard. All energy saving mechanisms are activated in the BIOS.

More hardware

Graphic card:

• MSI Radeon HD 7970 Lightning
• AMD Radeon HD 3450 (DDR3):
  only for measurements of power consumption

Memory:

• 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) G.Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3-1600
  SPD operation: DDR3-1600, 9-9-9-24 at 1,5 volts

Power adapter:

• be quiet! Dark Power 550W R10

Hard disk:

• Seagate ST2000VX000

Cooler:

• Scythe Katana III
• Noctua NH-U12S

Measurement:

• Tenma 72-6185 clamp ammeter
• Voltcraft Energy Check 3000
• Tenma infrared thermometer 72-820
• Metex multimeter M-3640D
• Profitec KD 302 energy cost meter

Software and benchmarks

Operating system and driver

• Windows Ultimate 7 (64-bit) including all updates up to May 2013
• AMD / ATI Catalyst 13.4 WHQL
• Windows 7 supplied drivers for the chipset and network card

CPU benchmarks

• Synthetic benchmarks
  • PCMark05 v120_1901
  • PCMark 7 v1.4.0
  • Euler 3D
• Audio editing
  • iTunes 11.0.2
  • LAM 3.98.4 (compiled with Visual Studio 2008)
  • Nero AAC Encoder 1.5.1
  • OggEnc 2.87
• image editing
  • GIMP 2.8.4
  • Irfan View 4.35
• video editing
  • HandBrake 0.9.9 RC1 64 bit
  • Avisynth 2.58 and x264 encoder 0.132.2310
• Packer
  • 7-Zip 9.20 (64 bit)
  • WinRAR 4.20 (64 bit)
  • WinZip 17.5 Build 10480g (64bit)
• Rendering
  • Blender 2.67 (64 bit)
  • Cinebench 11.529 (64 bit)
  • POV-Ray 3.7 RC7 (64 bit)
• Games
  • Assassin's Creed III* V. 1.0.2 (DirectX 11 - Savegame)
  • Crysis 3* (DirectX 11 - savegame)
  • Serious Sam 3* V. 1.5.1466 (DirectX 9 - Savegame)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim* V. 1.8.151.0.7 (DirectX 9 - Savegame)
  • tomb raider* V. 743.0 (DirectX 11 - Savegame)
• Encryption
  • 7-Zip

  TrueCrypt 7.1a

  • WinZip
  SiSoft Sandra 2013.05.19.44

  Overall, we tried to focus strongly on real applications with the benchmarks and to distance ourselves from synthetic tests. Whenever possible, we also used the 64-bit version.

  A special remark should be made about LAME: By default, LAME is created with an Intel C ++ compiler. In the past, this has repeatedly caused irritation, which is why we also use a version in our new benchmark course that we created ourselves with the help of Visual Studio 2010 from Microsoft. In terms of performance, however, it does no difference.

  Other tools

  • CPU-Z
  • CPU-Z latency tool
  • CoreTemp
  • Core2MaxPerf
  • Fraps

  Test methodology

  Apart from the remarks already made on this and on the previous page regarding our test philosophy, we want to briefly summarize the essential points again. Unless otherwise stated in the direct test description, the following points always apply:

  • All available energy saving mechanisms are activated.
  • If the CPU has a turbo mode, this is activated.
  • If the CPU supports hyperthreading / core multithreading (CMT), this is activated.
  • If not mentioned otherwise, always comes MSI Radeon HD 7970 Lightning for use.

  Technology

  Changes only marginal

  The Haswell refresh has basically not brought any real innovations on the processor side. Neither the stepping was changed, nor were essential functions or command sets added. So far, there are only two models in this refresh series: the Core i7-4790K and the Core i5-4690K.

  Basically, all that remains is the increase in clock speed, but that's what it takes. With a base clock of 4,0 GHz, the i7-4790K, which is codenamed Devil's Canyon, has 500 MHz more than its predecessor. This advantage is also maintained in the Turbo, where you now have up to 4,4 GHz. The Core i5-4690K is significantly less powerful than its predecessor. We only have an increase of 100 MHz for the base and turbo clocks.

  The performance boost, however, is not entirely without compromises, and so Intel had to redefine the TDP (Thermal Design Power). Here you are now at 88 watts, which means a plus of 4 watts - relatively low.

  Intel has given the new Devil's Canyon CPUs more capacitors on the bottom. There is also talk of Intel making changes to the thermal paste used between the CPU DIE and the heat spreader. Virtually all changes to the refresh models have thus already been clarified.

  Incidentally, there are also “non-K models” of both processors on the market. The Core i7-4790 and the Core i5-4690 are not codenamed Devil's Canyon. In addition to the multiplier that cannot be freely changed, the i7-4790 also offers a significantly lower CPU clock compared to its K variant: 3,6 GHz basic and 4,0 GHz turbo clock. The i5-4690, on the other hand, shows absolutely identical clock rates compared to the K version.

  Tabular comparison

  Key data	Core i7-4790K	Core i7-4770K	Core i5-4690K	Core i5-4670K
  Production	22 nm	22 nm	22 nm	22 nm
  Plinth	LGA1150	LGA1150	LGA1150	LGA1150
  Shell size	37,5 x 37,5 mm	37,5 x 37,5 mm	37,5 x 37,5 mm	37,5 x 37,5 mm
  Cores / threads	4/8	4/8	4/4	4/4
  Clock / turbo	4,0 / 4,4 GHz	3,5 / 3,9 GHz	3,5 / 3,9 GHz	3,4 / 3,8 GHz
  Intel SmartCache	8 MB	8 MB	6 MB	6 MB
  Befehlssätz to	SSE 4.1 / 4.2, AVX 2.0	SSE 4.1 / 4.2, AVX 2.0
  TDP	88 watts,	84 watts,	88 watts,	84 watts,
  Storage types	DDR3-1333 / 1600	DDR3-1333 / 1600	DDR3-1333 / 1600	DDR3-1333 / 1600
  memory channels	2	2	2	2
  maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB
  PCIe version	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
  maximum number of PCIe lanes	16	16	16	16
  Techniken	Intel Turbo Boost 2.0	Intel Turbo Boost 2.0	Intel Turbo Boost 2.0	Intel Turbo Boost 2.0
  	Intel Hyper-Threading	Intel Hyper-Threading	Intel Hyper-Threading	Intel Hyper-Threading
  	Intel VT-x	Intel VT-x	Intel VT-x	Intel VT-x
  	Intel VT-d	Intel VT-d	Intel VT-d	Intel VT-d
  	Intel EPT	Intel EPT	Intel EPT	Intel EPT
  	Intel Speed ​​Step	Intel Speed ​​Step	Intel Speed ​​Step	Intel Speed ​​Step
  	Intel Identity Protection	Intel Identity Protection	Intel Identity Protection	Intel Identity Protection
  	Intel AES NI	Intel AES NI	Intel AES NI	Intel AES NI
  	Execute Disable Bit	Execute Disable Bit	Execute Disable Bit	Execute Disable Bit
  graphics unit	HD Graphics 4600	HD Graphics 4600	HD Graphics 4600	HD Graphics 4600
  GPU clock / turbo	350 MHz / 1,25 GHz	350 MHz / 1,25 GHz	350 MHz / 1,20 GHz	350 MHz / 1,20 GHz

  Practice

  input

  In the following, we determine the average consumption of the entire system without a monitor. A standard energy cost meter is used here, in our case an Energy Check 300. Over a period of 20 minutes, we record the course and, of course, state the average value in watts. We use Core2MaxPerf for all processors as a full load scenario.

  	input
  	Idle
  Intel Core i7-3960X	85
  Intel Core i7-4960X	81
  Intel Core i7-5960X	66
  AMD FX-8350	59
  AMD FX-8370E	58
  AMD FX-8150	57
  AMD A10-6800K	39
  AMD A10-7850K	38
  AMD A10-7800	38
  AMD A8-7600	37
  Intel Core i7-2700K	33
  Intel Core i7-2600K	33
  Intel Core i5-3570K	33
  Intel Core i5-2500K	33
  Intel Core i7-4770K	33
  Intel Core i7-4790K	33
  Intel Core i3-2120	31
  Intel Celeron G1620	30
  Intel Core i7-3770K	30
  Intel Core i5-4670K	30
  AMD A10-6700	30
  Intel Core i3-3220	30
  Intel Core i5-2300	30
  Intel Core i5-2400	30
  AMD A8-6500T	30
  	Watt

  	input
  	Last
  Intel Core i7-3960X	236
  AMD FX-8350	199
  Intel Core i7-4960X	196
  AMD FX-8150	173
  Intel Core i7-5960X	172
  AMD FX-8370E	141
  AMD A10-7850K	126
  Intel Core i7-4790K	115
  AMD A10-6800K	114
  AMD A8-7600	113
  AMD A10-7800	103
  Intel Core i7-2700K	96
  Intel Core i7-2600K	96
  Intel Core i7-4770K	95
  Intel Core i5-2500K	90
  Intel Core i5-2400	90
  AMD A10-6700	87
  Intel Core i7-3770K	84
  Intel Core i5-2300	81
  Intel Core i5-4670K	80
  Intel Core i5-3570K	75
  AMD A8-6500T	73
  Intel Core i3-2120	57
  Intel Core i3-3220	48
  Intel Celeron G1620	39
  	Watt

  Today's test candidate stays on the same level as its predecessor in idle. On the other hand, the power consumption of the entire system under load reveals a plus of 20 watts.

  This is certainly not due to Intel's TDP specification, because it is just 4 watts above the Core i7-4770K. The measurement inaccuracy is mainly due to the fact that the load tool used does not achieve an absolute full load on the computing units and so the 500 MHz higher clock rate of today's test candidate is the tip of the balance.

  overclocking

  The K in the Core i7-4790K stands for a free multiplier and only means that the user can experiment here. It is enough for the simple user to get a few MHz more out of the chip, just for the feeling.

  The enthusiast, on the other hand, uses the broad portfolio of options and does not simply turn the clock screw, but uses options such as water coolers or other extras to get the clock even faster. For our OC test, however, we are satisfied with the classic air cooling from Noctua.

  Basically, we don't have high expectations of the test candidate in this test chapter. With the refresh from Haswell there is no new CPU stepping, which might make you believe in better options when overclocking, and the i7-4790K is the top model of the series anyway, with a very high base clock. Therefore, the leeway should probably be small. The additionally installed capacitors and the improved thermal paste could perhaps be the icing on the cake.

  In practice, we were then able to raise the base clock to 4,5 GHz and thus increase it by around 500 MHz. However, this is not only reflected in the performance, but also in the power consumption. The total system power consumption rose by around 35 watts from 115 to 150 watts.

  

  Benchmarks: Synthetic

  PCMark 05

  Information on the benchmark

  As the name suggests, PCMark 05 dates from 2005 and is therefore already several years under its belt. Nevertheless, the benchmark suite from the Finnish company Futuremark is still very well suited to classifying the computing power of processors and their memory performance. We only use the CPU and memory suite, so that conclusions can only be drawn for these components. The CPU suite is based on eight different tests from the fields of packing / unpacking, encryption, and audio and video processing, and thus allows an overview of the everyday performance of the processors. The CPU suite benefits equally from high clock frequencies and from multiple cores. In the memory suite that is also used, however, factors such as cache rate, cache size and memory bandwidth play a role, since the tests essentially consist of reading, copying and writing data of different sizes to the memory.

  	PCMark05
  	CPU suite
  Intel Core i7-4790K	16499,00
  Intel Core i5-4670K	14607,00
  Intel Core i7-4770K	14361,33
  Intel Core i7-3770K	13926,66
  Intel Core i5-3570K	13870,66
  Intel Core i7-4960X	13592,00
  Intel Core i7-3960X	13247,00
  Intel Core i7-5960X	13120,00
  Intel Core i7-2700K	12709,66
  Intel Core i5-2500K	12384,66
  Intel Core i7-2600K	12214,33
  Intel Core i5-2400	11534,33
  AMD A10-7850K	11064,00
  AMD FX-8350	10752,00
  AMD A10-7800	10740,00
  AMD A10-6800K	10667,00
  AMD A8-7600	10517,00
  Intel Core i5-2300	10487,67
  AMD A10-6700	10418,00
  Intel Core i3-3220	10348,00
  AMD FX-8370E	9941,00
  Intel Core i3-2120	9901,00
  AMD FX-8150	9703,00
  Intel Celeron G1620	7895,50
  AMD A8-6500T	6933,00
  	Points [more is better]

  	PCMark05
  	Memory suite
  Intel Core i7-4790K	13621,00
  Intel Core i7-5960X	12733,00
  Intel Core i7-4770K	12672,33
  Intel Core i7-3770K	11537,00
  Intel Core i5-4670K	11414,33
  Intel Core i7-3960X	10731,00
  Intel Core i5-3570K	10475,33
  Intel Core i7-4960X	10342,00
  Intel Core i7-2700K	9717,33
  Intel Core i7-2600K	9492,66
  Intel Core i3-3220	8854,00
  Intel Core i5-2500K	8447,33
  Intel Core i5-2400	8040,00
  Intel Core i3-2120	7780,00
  AMD FX-8350	7654,00
  AMD FX-8370E	7583,00
  Intel Core i5-2300	7564,33
  AMD FX-8150	7234,00
  Intel Celeron G1620	7080,50
  AMD A10-6700	6540,00
  AMD A10-6800K	6488,00
  AMD A10-7850K	6222,00
  AMD A10-7800	6088,00
  AMD A8-7600	5892,00
  AMD A8-6500T	5117,00
  	Points [more is better]

  PCMark 7

  Information on the benchmark

  	PCMark 7
  	Computation suite
  Intel Core i7-4790K	8679,00
  Intel Core i7-3960X	8401,00
  Intel Core i7-4770K	8091,67
  Intel Core i7-4960X	8077,00
  Intel Core i7-3770K	7937,33
  Intel Core i7-5960X	7739,00
  Intel Core i5-4670K	7602,33
  Intel Core i7-2700K	7486,33
  Intel Core i5-3570K	7479,67
  Intel Core i7-2600K	7293,33
  Intel Core i5-2500K	6979,00
  AMD A10-7850K	6747,00
  Intel Core i5-2400	6703,67
  AMD FX-8350	6701,00
  AMD A10-7800	6652,00
  AMD A10-6800K	6606,00
  AMD A8-7600	6500,00
  Intel Core i5-2300	6403,00
  AMD FX-8370E	6387,00
  Intel Core i3-3220	6373,00
  AMD A10-6700	6244,00
  AMD FX-8150	6156,00
  Intel Core i3-2120	6008,00
  Intel Celeron G1620	5234,00
  AMD A8-6500T	4921,00
  	Points [more is better]