IntelBX80673I97900X
IntelBX80646I74790K
$348

10 Cores, 20 Threads @3.8GHz, Skylake-X.
Release date: Q2 2017.

 $348 

4 Cores, 8 Threads @4.0GHz, Haswell.
Release date: Q2 2014.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 475,178 user samples
19,432 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 92% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 4.95 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 72% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 0.7 GHz (avg)
Poor: 72% Great: 92%
SPEED RANK: 209th / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 82%
Aircraft carrier
Desktop
Desktop 83%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 89%
Aircraft carrier
455,746 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 87% Base clock 4 GHz, turbo 4.6 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 67% Base clock 4 GHz, turbo 0.7 GHz (avg)
Poor: 67% Great: 87%
SPEED RANK: 251st / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 79%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 83%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 65%
Destroyer
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
81.9 % +4% 78.9 %
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
76.1 Pts 88.1 Pts Lower memory latency.
+16%
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
123 Pts Slightly faster single-core speed.
+8%
114 Pts
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
243 Pts Faster dual-core speed.
+12%
216 Pts
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
470 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+24%
378 Pts
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
898 Pts Much faster octa-core speed.
+60%
560 Pts
Memory
OC Memory Latency
87.6 Pts 96.8 Pts Lower OC memory latency.
+11%
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
138 Pts Slightly faster OC single-core speed.
+8%
128 Pts
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
276 Pts Faster OC dual-core speed.
+11%
248 Pts
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
548 Pts Faster OC quad-core speed.
+27%
433 Pts
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
1069 Pts Much faster OC octa-core speed.
+66%
643 Pts
Market Share
Based on 67,750,433 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.05 % 0.55 % Hugely higher market share.
+1,000%
Value
Value For Money
73.1 % 74.2 % +2%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
55 % 88 % Much more popular.
+60%
Price
Price (score)
$420 $348 Cheaper.
+17%
Age
Newest
81 Months Much more recent.
+31%
118 Months
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
140 Watts 88 Watts Much more energy efficient.
+37%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
10 cores Hugely higher core count.
+150%
4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
20 threads Hugely higher thread count.
+150%
8 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process
14 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+36%
22 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.8 GHz 4 GHz Slightly faster base frequency.
+5%
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
4.3 GHz 4.4 GHz +2%
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
1853 Pts Hugely faster OC 64-core speed.
+183%
654 Pts
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
1589 Pts Hugely faster 64-core speed.
+177%
573 Pts
Series
CPU Architecture
Skylake-X Haswell
Socket
Motherboard Socket
LGA2066 FCLGA1150
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
None HD 4600
Launch Date
Launch Date
Q2'17 Q2'14
Cache
Cache
13.75 MB L3 8 MB SmartCache
Instruction Set Extensions
Instruction Set Extensions
SSE4.1/4.2, AVX2, AVX-512 SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0
Lithography
Lithography
14 nm 22 nm
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price
$989.00 - $999.00 $339.00 - $350.00
Max Turbo Frequency
Max Turbo Frequency
4.30 GHz 4.4 GHz
Bus Speed
Bus Speed
8 GT/s DMI3 5 GT/s DMI2
Thermal Solution Specification
Thermal Solution Specification
PCG 2017X PCG 2013D
Max Memory Size
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)
128 GB 32 GB
Memory Types
Memory Types
DDR4-2666 DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Memory Channels
Max # of Memory Channels
4 2
Max # of PCI Express Lanes
Max # of PCI Express Lanes
44 16

More specs » More specs »
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Intel’s core i9-7900X, from the Skylake-X series, is Intel’s latest 10-core, 20-thread flagship processor. It's the first to bear the i9 moniker and utilize the new X299 (Basin Falls) chipset/motherboard. The 7900X is the fastest CPU on the market today, however, imminent competition from AMD’s 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen Threadripper CPUs and the forthcoming release of more Intel Core X series mean that its reign will be a short one. The i9-7900X supersedes the 10-core Broadwell-E core i7-6950X that held the crown for little over a year. Both are extremely powerful and pricey high end desktop processors (HEDTs) which excel in multi-threaded tasks such as media encoding. However, despite the same power draw (TDP 140W), the newer i9-7900X betters the i7-6950X in terms of peak overclocked performance by 10% mostly thanks to increased clock speeds from 3.0GHz/4.0GHz to 3.3GHz/4.3GHz for base/turbo. It also betters the i7-6950X on price by around 28%. This all translates to the i9-7900X offering around 20% more value for money, even despite its eye-watering $999 price tag. The more accessible pricing (albeit not accessible for the majority) and hurried release of the i9-7900k to market is widely perceived as a reaction to AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper CPUs, rumoured for release towards the end of July 2017. So if you want to own the fastest consumer CPU in the world, it would be wise to wait for the dust to settle. [Jul '17 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

The Intel Core i7-4790K, codenamed Devil's Canyon, is an upgraded 4770K, Intel's current flagship i7. The 4790K features an improved thermal interface which enables it to dissipate heat more efficiently than the 4770K. Comparing the 4770K and 4790K shows that stock performance has improved by 13% which is consistent with the base clock jump from 3.5 GHz to 4.0 GHz. OC performance remains unchanged. Comparing the 4790K and 4790 shows that at stock clocks the 4790K is around 16% faster which considering the small price difference makes the 4790K a far better choice. Previously Intel targeted the unlocked K versions at overclockers but with Devil's Canyon they have included VT-d on the K chip and this time it's squarely aimed at both power users and overclockers alike. Until the release of Broadwell in six months, the 4790K is the high end CPU of choice. [Jul '14 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) April 2024 CPU Rankings

We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]

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Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
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 Frequently Asked Questions

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