IntelBX80646I74790
IntelBX80623I72600K
$319

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

 $319 

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

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 402,560 user samples
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 / 1441
Gaming
Gaming 71%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 75%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 58%
Gunboat
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 / 1441
Gaming
Gaming 71%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 75%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 55%
Gunboat
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
71.4 % +1% 70.6 %
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
82.6 Pts 87 Pts Slightly lower memory latency.
+5%
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
98.4 Pts Slightly faster single-core speed.
+7%
91.8 Pts
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
187 Pts Slightly faster dual-core speed.
+8%
173 Pts
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
327 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+11%
295 Pts
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
482 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+14%
424 Pts
Memory
OC Memory Latency
93.6 Pts 96 Pts +3%
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
109 Pts 116 Pts Slightly faster OC single-core speed.
+6%
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
214 Pts 226 Pts Slightly faster OC dual-core speed.
+6%
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
377 Pts 384 Pts +2%
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
551 Pts +0% 549 Pts
Market Share
Based on 67,709,043 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.76 % Hugely higher market share.
+322%
0.18 %
Value
Value For Money
87.1 % Better value.
+28%
67.9 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating
61 % 76 % More popular.
+25%
Price
Price (score)
$135 Much cheaper.
+58%
$319
Age
Newest
119 Months More recent.
+25%
159 Months
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
84 Watts More energy efficient.
+12%
95 Watts
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
4 cores 4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
8 threads 8 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process
22 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+31%
32 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.6 GHz Slightly faster base frequency.
+6%
3.4 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
4 GHz Slightly faster turbo frequency.
+5%
3.8 GHz
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
556 Pts 558 Pts +0%
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
495 Pts Faster 64-core speed.
+13%
437 Pts
Series
CPU Architecture
Haswell Sandy Bridge
Socket
Motherboard Socket
FCLGA1150 LGA1155
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
HD 4600 HD 3000
Launch Date
Launch Date
Q2'14 Q1'11
Instruction Set Extensions
Instruction Set Extensions
SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0 SSE4.1/4.2, AVX
Lithography
Lithography
22 nm 32 nm
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price
$303.00 - $312.00 N/A
Max Turbo Frequency
Max Turbo Frequency
4 GHz 3.8 GHz
Bus Speed
Bus Speed
5 GT/s DMI2 5 GT/s DMI
Memory Types
Memory Types
DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V DDR3 1066/1333
Memory Bandwidth
Max Memory Bandwidth
25.6 GB/s 21 GB/s
Processor Graphics
Processor Graphics ‡
Intel® HD Graphics 4600 Intel® HD Graphics 3000
Graphics Base Frequency
Graphics Base Frequency
350 MHz 850 MHz
Wireless Display
Intel® Wireless Display
Yes No
# of Displays Supported
# of Displays Supported ‡
3 2
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
1.2 GHz 1.35 GHz
Virtualization for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
Yes No
vPro Tech
Intel® vPro™ Technology ‡
Yes No
Trusted Execution Tech
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡
Yes No
PCI Express Revision
PCI Express Revision
Up to 3.0 2.0

More specs » More specs »
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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

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]

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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.
How Fast Is Your CPU? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute

Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.

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How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC
  • - See speed test results from other users
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware

 Frequently Asked Questions

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