Faster clock speed: The Core i7-4790K runs at a 4GHz base clock, with a 4.4GHz Turbo Mode. Thats an increase of 15 percent over the Intel Core i7-4770Ks 3.5GHz base/3.9GHz Turbo clock speed, and since CPU performance scales nearly linear with clock speed improvements, it means benchmark results will pick up an extra 10- to 15-percent performance on the newer core. Better temperatures: The old Haswell chips have a reputation for running hot. There are several reasons for this, including a new onboard voltage regulator that puts a major heat generator directly on the CPU die, and Intels decision to use thermal paste instead of soldering the CPU heat spreader directly onto the chip. The Core i7-4790K fixes this with a new thermal interface material (TIM) between the CPU die and the heat spreader. Intel Core i7-4790K Additional CPU features: The Core i7-4790K carries two professional features that the Core i7-4770K lacked. It provides support for Intels Transactional Synchronization Extensions (TSX) and I/O virtualization (VT-d). VT-d allows a virtual machine to assign specific I/O devices (meaning those hardware mounted physically within the system) to a particular virtual machine. Both of these are specialized features, particularly TSX, which offers programmers the ability to design multithreading applications that scale more effectively than current software—if the CPU supports TSX already. Intels decision to leave both of these features off of the Intel Core i7-4770K last year drew criticism from enthusiasts who wanted a high-end chip that offered all of Intels high-end features, but were unable to buy one unless they gave up overclocking support. Neither TSX or VT-d is particularly important to the typical consumer today, but TSX could be an important performance feature in the future—and with desktops lasting an increasingly long time, it makes sense to buy into every available option. With the Core i7-4790K dropping in at the same price as the Core i7-4770K, theres still a benefit to the added compatibility. Now, lets cover what hasnt changed. The Core i7-4790K is still based on Intels fourth-generation Core architecture, codenamed Haswell. Its still built on the same 22nm process, and it has the same HD Graphics 4600 onboard GPU at the same clock speeds. Due to this, we wont focus on GPU performance here. Intel Core i7-4790K Performance We tested the Core i7-4790K on an Asus Z97-Deluxe motherboard with 8GB of DDR3-2133. We installed Windows 8.1 Update 1 with all patches and updates, and used an Intel 730 Series SSD$333.44 at Amazon for storage. We compared the Core i7-4790K against last years Core i7-4770K and Intels first-generation 22nm processor, the Ivy Bridge-based Intel Core i7-3770K£269.37 at Amazon, our former Editors Choice for high-end CPUs. At $339, the Core i7-4790K is a drop-in replacement for the Core i7-4770K—so how much has it improved performance compared with last years model? According to the results from our suite of tests, the 15-percent clock speed boost of the i7-4970K results in a real-world performance gain of 8 to 12 percent over the Intel Core i7-4770K and a 25- to 35-percent performance jump over the older Ivy Bridge-based Intel Core i7-3770K. The gains are smallest in general-application suites like PCMark 7 and larger in CPU-intensive programs like Photoshop CS6, the rendering program POV-RAY, and the 3D rendering test, Cinebench 11.5. Here, the Core i7-4790Ks performance scales nearly linearly with its clock speed. The chip, however, isnt just faster—it substantially improves CPU thermals. The original Haswell core was infamous for its heat and didnt overclock particularly well. We tested the Core i7-4790K with the same V3 Voltair CPU cooler we recently reviewed on the Core i7-4770K. When we set the Core i7-4790K to the same 3.5GHz base/3.9GHz Turbo clock speeds as the Intel Core i7-4770K, it ran a full 15 degrees cooler—50 degrees Celsius, compared with 65 degrees Celsius for the Intel Core i7-4770K. At stock speeds and under full load, the Core i7-4790K hit 74 degrees Celsius—but thats still a fairly modest increase, considering the chip is clocked 15 percent faster than its predecessor. The one caveat to all of this is overclocking performance. When Intel launched Devils Canyon, it made a big deal about how the chip would be great for overclocking—an area where Haswell, which ran hot even at stock speeds, fell notably flat. Unfortunately, our tests show that the Core i7-4790K isnt a particularly good overclocker—its power consumption and thermals spike sharply as soon as the clock rate increases much above its stock speeds. With that caveat in mind, the Intel Core i7-4790K improves on the Core i7-4770K in pretty much every way. If you just upgraded last year, the benefits probably arent substantial enough, but if you upgraded in 2010 or before, the Core i7-4790K is a worthwhile investment, and is our new Editors Choice for high-end processors. Available at clifox for Rs.27999/-
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 10:41:47 +0000
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