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Intel Core i7-4790K Processor- BX80646I74790K

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#1 ·
Intel Core i7-4790K Processor- BX80646I74790K

Description:
Boxed Intel Core i7-4790K Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.10 GHz) FC-LGA12C

Details:
DetailValue
BindingPersonal Computers
BrandIntel
EAN0735858285957
FeatureCompatible with z97 motherboards and some 87 series motherboards(may require bios update).
Intel Rapid Storage Technology
Processor with Unlocked Clock Multiplier
Quick Sync Video enabling faster video conversion
Supports LGA 1150 socket
LabelIntel
ManufacturerIntel
ModelBX80646I74790K
MPNBX80646I74790K
PublisherIntel
StudioIntel
TitleIntel Core i7-4790K Processor- BX80646I74790K
UPC735858285957
CatalogNumberList - CatalogNumberListElement0735858285957
VT6374
Item Height3.1 inches
Item Length4.6 inches
Item Width4.4 inches
Package Height1 inches
Package Length1 inches
Package Weight1 pounds
Package Width1 inches
PackageQuantity1
PartNumberBX80646I74790K
ProductGroupPersonal Computer
ProductTypeNameCOMPUTER_PROCESSOR
UPCList - UPCListElement735858285957
Item Weight0.7 pounds
 

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#2 ·
Great processor. As fast as it gets in this range. #1. Period.

review by hapkiman

I have to say that overall I am extremely pleased with my i7 4790k purchase and it's performance. It is so incredibly fast, and is actually just a hair shy of a $500 i7 3930k in most tasks which says a lot. That really is a big deal for a $300 proc.

The 4790k idles strangely cool, in the low 20's (C) with my Corsair H80i, and is about 8-10C cooler than an i7 4770k at idle all things being equal. And it stays around 45-48C under work load such as gaming, etc. It is a real beast of a processor.

However, overclocking is not as great as we thought it would be. I think Intel's early claims of a new improved TIM and voltage regulation was an exaggeration, and it still doesn't come close to Sandy Bridge's fluxless solder IHS. It may be better than the Haswell version 1.0, I'll give you that - but it's still not "that great." I forsee some serious delidding going on over the next few months on DC and much-much testing.

Once you get past 4.6GHz temps skyrocket pretty quickly into the high 80's and 90's(C) and thermal limits and throttling soon follow. Oh I'm sure there are a few golden chips floating around out there that will do 4.8GHz or even the magical 5, but they are gonna be very scarce. And you're gonna need a serious cooler like a H110 or similar to keep a small fire from igniting inside your case. The L2N enthusiast crowd may do better w/OC'ing though, well just have wait and see, wont we?

But IMHO to get a 4.0GHz stock 4790k CPU is really nothing to scoff at. That's a real nice jump up from a stock i7 4770k (3.5Ghz) and it makes for an incredibly fast stock chip. AMD doesn't have anything even close to this unless you want a 9590 Vishera which is a 220 watt TDP proc...seriously?). That's just sad because DC is an 88 watt TDP.

The i7 4790k will be top shelf for years to come, and I give it the highest recommendations. If you are starting a new build and want an i7, Devils Canyon and a Z97 board are the way to go. It's a no brainer.

Yes, I know it's a "k" part and should be more overclock friendly, but that's why I took off 1 star. And you can still push it some - and since each proc is a tad different, results will vary. Right now I'm just running my MSI Gaming mobo's "Enhanced Turbo" feature, which make its run at 4.4GHz all the time on all 4 cores. And it's stupid freaking fast! (the 250GB Samsung 840 EVO doesn't hurt either).

Just get this CPU NOW. Maybe you'll win the OC lottery.
thumb.gif


ProsCons
Super fast in both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks. Idles extremely cool. Strangely cool in fact, but in a good way.Not quite the OC'er Intel wanted us to think it was. But has 4.0 stock & 4.4GHz boost, so that's ok. Runs warm when OC'ed.

Ratings
Overall4
 
#5 ·
Runs hot

review by stream12

This is an extremely fast processor, however in my opinion, gamers stick to an i5. I previously had an i5 4690k at 3.5ghz and that was enough. I upgraded to this beast because it was part of Intel's holiday deal. After installing it the computer remained relatively the same speed for most basic tasks and for gaming. The real benefit for me is when I rendered the occasional video. However that came at the cost of a lot of heat. I used the stock cooler on both and the i5 idled at around 35c while the i7 idled at around 42c. Definitely need to upgrade the cooler with this thing or its not gonna be able to use its full potential. Maybe I got a lemon but with the stock cooler prime95 was hitting the 90's so i wont overclock till i buy a proper cooler.

TLDR:
Pro-
Haven't been able to hit 100% utilization on any game
Renders videos super fast
Cons-
Runs HOT
Price per performance- I5 4690k is better

ProsCons
Extremely fastRuns hot

Ratings
Overall4
 
#11 ·
Perfect for consumer grade gaming builds.

review by numbrs

I bought this chip because it was the best bang for my buck at the time. You cannot compare it to the performance of a 5960X (obviously), but i have found it to be a very reliable and powerful component when it comes to single-gpu gaming. When paired with a high end graphics unit, like a GTX 980 or R9 290x, it runs games blisteringly fast. Thermal properties are very impressive: with a 212 EVO air cooler under turbo speeds, I have yet to reach >= 80 ?F (or 176 ?C) after 5 hours of consistent Ultra settings gaming.

Folding @ home 24/7 is no problem either, as the chip bottoms out at 73-78 ?C even after a full day of processing. I get an average of 24758 Points Per Day (PPD) without any bios tweaks.

One could push this chip rather far (id say 4.4GHz - 4.6GHz) even without a high end custom loop. Like i said the thermals of this chip are incredible, so it is perfect for a high-end gaming build, although I'm not sure about the capabilities of SLI / CrossfireX (I've only run 1 GPU thus far), but i'd like to assume that it is capable under the right heat dissipation and overclock.

For reference, my build:
- Intel i7 4790k @ 4.4GHz
- MSI R9 290x Lightning OC (typically at stock speeds unless gaming)
- MSI Z97 MPOWER OC
- Cooler Master 212 EVO
- Samsung 840 EVO 120Gb

WARNING! Do not try to push this past 4.5GHz without some sort of after market cooler. You will burn the chip and it is a very expensive mistake.

ProsCons
Very fast at stock speeds (4.0GHz, 4.4GHZ Turbo), Runs quite cool even under air, For heavy gaming overclock not necessarily needed.Price point (albeit not unreasonable), Not the "best" for OC without water loops, Stock cooler is very sub-par.

Ratings
Overall4
 
#12 ·
Perfect for consumer grade gaming builds.

review by numbrs
Quote:Originally Posted by numbrs
:[...] with a 212 EVO air cooler under turbo speeds, I have yet to reach >= 80 °F (or 176 °C) after 5 hours of consistent Ultra settings gaming.[...]

LOL!

I'm guessing that's a typo.
 
#18 ·
Nice Upgrade for OEM PC's!

review by cat1092

This CPU is a very nice one, compared to the i7-4770 that shipped in my XPS 8700. Was going to purchase long ago, but Dell didn't have proper support for the chip. The A11 BIOS changed that, now there are two performance options to choose from, plus stock (4.0GHz w/4.4GHz Turbo). I decided to stick with stock to keep temps down, plus it's fast anyway.

What I didn't like was the ages old push pin type of install clips for the cooler, so after a tip I read on the Internet, snipped the clips off from the bottom & pushed through the top. Then used 4 optical drive screws to replace the push pins. Also removed the preinstalled thermal paste & used my favorite, MX-4 instead, placing a small pea sized drop in the middle of the CPU, and didn't spread. Rather I lined the CPU cooler/fan up, gently lowered in position, gave a very slight wiggle to spread the paste, and in a criss cross pattern, tightened the optical drive screws, rotating about 4-5 times until all were snug.

Contrary to what many says, on my system, the i7-4790K runs cooler than the 4770 it replaced, around 28-35C, if I run a VM, then about 40C. That's not hot, well within acceptable limits for the temps.

Though at this time, it's only being broken in, will go into a custom build later in the year, as funds allows.
smile.gif


The other thing that compelled me to get this CPU was that support for the newer 6700K will require Windows 10, even though some PC's are being sold with the CPU at Costco & other sites with Windows 7 Pro. Wanted two CPU's while the getting's good!
biggrin.gif


Cat

ProsCons
Runs as cool as the stock i7-4770 that shipped with my XPS 8700.That Dell took so long to release a BIOS (A11) for the chip to run on properly.

Ratings
Overall5
 
#19 ·
Nice Upgrade for OEM PC's!

review by cat1092
In my msi motherboard the update to the bios made the xmp profile run properly, that was great. It has run flawlessly since.
 
#22 ·
Great Processor, Not too expensive and high performance

review by thatonereviewer

https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FmmHY8Kj4vCk%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmmHY8Kj4vCk&docid=8z9FqSjuTUvSMM&tbnid=eNWSvvOkjpyWUM%3A&w=1280&h=720&bih=923&biw=1280&ved=0ahUKEwiRo9_l09DNAhUGK8AKHeekAx8QMwgfKAEwAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

I have to say, when I bought this thing for around ?250, I was surprised at the level of its performance. Sure, its an unlocked i7 processor and you should expect good performance from it, but wow, was it a step up from my old AMD FX-8350.

Right, so the review.

Okay, so this is the Intel Haswell i7-4790k. Now, the K is crucial, as to those unawares, it means it is unlocked, and therefore overclock-able. While Overclocking has its inherent risks and can be bloody awkward at times, its a great way to squeeze a little extra performance out of a processor (or a lot, if you have a beastly cooler). This means that while it is a little more expensive in most places than the 4790, it is 400mhz faster at stock, capable of a 4.4ghz turbo boost, and you can safely push it up a few 100mhz with a half decent cooler. So I would say that without a doubt it is worth that extra cash.

There is also the added benefit of it being a few generations old now, which is ideal for a budget buyer, as the release of newer models will gradually push the price down. However, despite it being a few years old, its still a high performance and solid CPU.

Okay, here's a list of its specs, with a comparison to the competing AMD model:
i7-4790kAMD FX-9590
4 Cores8 Cores
8 Threads8 Threads
Frequency - 4.0Ghz - 4.4Ghz (stock)4.7Ghz - 5.0Ghz (stock)
Cache - 8mb "smart cache"8mb 64-way cache
Power Consumption: 88W220W
For frame rate comparisons (bearing in mind that down to specific components mileage may vary):
http://www.gamersnexus.net/game-bench/1911-gta-v-cpu-benchmark-4790k-3570k-9590-more

Despite the perhaps misleading appearance of the specifications, in the majority of the gaming benchmarks demonstrate the i7-4790k is superior in performance to the AMD FX-9590. It is also considerably less power hungry. and therefore, for gaming purposes, I recommend it above the AMD opponent as a far superior CPU.

ProsCons
Relatively low price (pushed down by release of newer models) and high performanceNot as efficient as newer generation Intel Cpu's, also more expensive than competing AMD Models

Ratings
Overall4
 
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