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IntelBX80623I72600K
$319
IntelBX80646I74790
▲ 767,499 ▼
 $319 

4 Cores, 8 Threads @3.4GHz, Sandy Bridge.
Release date: Q1 2011.

VS
▲ 618,541 ▼

4 Cores, 8 Threads @3.6GHz, Haswell.
Release date: Q2 2014.

Effective Speed 
+1%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 402,560 user samples
Benchmark your CPU here
147,533 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 83% Base clock 3.4 GHz, turbo 4.7 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 56% Base clock 3.4 GHz, turbo 27,195,430 GHz (avg)
Poor: 56% Great: 83%
SPEED RANK: 390th / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 71%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 75%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 55%
Gunboat
255,027 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 80% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 4 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 58% Base clock 3.6 GHz, turbo 1.5 GHz (avg)
Poor: 58% Great: 80%
SPEED RANK: 371st / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 71%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 75%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 58%
Gunboat
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed 		70.6 % 71.4 % +1%
Average Score 
+7%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency 		87 Pts Slightly lower memory latency.
+5% 		82.6 Pts
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed 		91.8 Pts 98.4 Pts Slightly faster single-core speed.
+7%
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed 		173 Pts 187 Pts Slightly faster dual-core speed.
+8%
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed 		295 Pts 327 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+11%
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed 		424 Pts 482 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+14%
Overclocked Score 
+3%
Memory
OC Memory Latency 		96 Pts +3% 93.6 Pts
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed 		116 Pts Slightly faster OC single-core speed.
+6% 		109 Pts
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed 		226 Pts Slightly faster OC dual-core speed.
+6% 		214 Pts
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed 		384 Pts +2% 377 Pts
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed 		549 Pts 551 Pts +0%
Value & Sentiment 
+87%
Market Share
Based on 67,713,946 CPUs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.21 % 0.81 % Hugely higher market share.
+286%
Value
Value For Money 		67.9 % 87.1 % Better value.
+28%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		76 % More popular.
+25% 		61 %
Price
Price (score) 		$319 $135 Much cheaper.
+58%
Nice To Haves 
+10%
Age
Newest 		159 Months 119 Months More recent.
+25%
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 		95 Watts 84 Watts More energy efficient.
+12%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores 		4 cores 4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads 		8 threads 8 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process 		32 nm 22 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+31%
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed 		3.4 GHz 3.6 GHz Slightly faster base frequency.
+6%
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed 		3.8 GHz 4 GHz Slightly faster turbo frequency.
+5%
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed 		558 Pts +0% 556 Pts
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed 		437 Pts 495 Pts Faster 64-core speed.
+13%
Specifications 
Series
CPU Architecture 		Sandy Bridge Haswell
Socket
Motherboard Socket 		LGA1155 FCLGA1150
Graphics
Integrated Graphics 		HD 3000 HD 4600
Launch Date
Launch Date 		Q1'11 Q2'14
Instruction Set Extensions
Instruction Set Extensions 		SSE4.1/4.2, AVX SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0
Lithography
Lithography 		32 nm 22 nm
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price 		N/A $303.00 - $312.00
Max Turbo Frequency
Max Turbo Frequency 		3.8 GHz 4 GHz
Bus Speed
Bus Speed 		5 GT/s DMI 5 GT/s DMI2
Memory Types
Memory Types 		DDR3 1066/1333 DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Memory Bandwidth
Max Memory Bandwidth 		21 GB/s 25.6 GB/s
Processor Graphics
Processor Graphics ‡ 		Intel® HD Graphics 3000 Intel® HD Graphics 4600
Graphics Base Frequency
Graphics Base Frequency 		850 MHz 350 MHz
Wireless Display
Intel® Wireless Display 		No Yes
# of Displays Supported
# of Displays Supported ‡ 		2 3
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency 		1.35 GHz 1.2 GHz
Virtualization for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡ 		No Yes
vPro Tech
Intel® vPro™ Technology ‡ 		No Yes
Trusted Execution Tech
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡ 		No Yes
PCI Express Revision
PCI Express Revision 		2.0 Up to 3.0

More specs » More specs »
Conclusion 
Average Bench 70.6%
Average Bench 71.4%
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The i7-2600K Sandy Bridge processor is two generations old and nearly three years out of date. The numerous owners of this superb processor should feel in no hurry to upgrade as it's still one of the fastest consumer processors, even by today's standards. The benchmark figures indicate that in terms of real-world performance this processor is only 5% slower than the third generation Ivy Bridge i7-3770K, not bad considering its age. That said new buyers will find both better energy efficiency and marginal performance improvements elsewhere. [Feb '12 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

The Core i7-4790 is the third upgrade to Intel's flagship quad core hyper-threaded CPU. This version, like its predecessor the i7-4771, gets a 100 MHz bump in stock frequency and additionally the i7-4790 also gets a 100 MHz turbo frequency bump. These improvements (~4%) are marginal and practically impossible to discern in day to day use. Looking at a benchmark comparison between the 4771 and 4790 verifies that there is little difference between the two CPUs. Although the i7-4790 isn't much of a step forward, it's still one of the best (locked) mainstream processors on the market. AMD hasn't been able to compete with Intel on single threaded performance for several years, consequently Intel have no need to push the envelope. Overclockers should wait for the 4790K which is rumoured to be released shortly. [May '14 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

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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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  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
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