Introduction

Intel launched its Z97 platform, its latest, an incremental upgrade to Z87, only a short while ago. A week later, a new CPU hit store shelves, the Intel Core i7-4790. Also an incremental upgrade, this locked CPU does not focuses on enthusiasts as possible clock speed adjustments are rather limited. Truly bringing no more than a speed boost to a price bracket that has already established itself, you get a bit more performance, 100 MHz to be exact, for the same dollar.

Since the i7-4790 is based on the same basic Haswell silicon, and because Haswell CPUs themselves have been on the market for some time, this review is merely updating benchmarking numbers and antiquated information. I recently also upgraded my test platform, both in hardware and software, so what I have for you today is a fresh look at the high-end of Intel's Haswell line-up for those not interested in overclocking, as opposed to Intel's i7-4770K, I7-3960X, and i7-4960X options geared towards overclocking. This brings about an interesting comparison: What exactly do those unlocked chips offer compared to Intel's locked $300 option?

Rather than comparing this new chip to what is already out there, I decided to compare what is already out there to the i7-4790, and rather than looking at what it does not offer, I will look at what it does offer, which, to me, is decent performance for your dollar and a tiny heatsink. Sure, you cannot change much and another $50 will get you a chip that can OC, although current Haswell overclocks fail to meet the expectations of many overclockers. Since that is an already established fact, I will not focus on what everyone out there already knows. Instead, I will focus on what Intel has on offer with its i7-4790 CPU you can call your own for $300.

Specifications