What do our tests reveal? Well, with next to very little in actual real-world performance gained to justify and make sense of the price gap when compared to the Intel Core i7-4790K, many Intel Core i7-4770K owners can rest easy in their purchase. At the same time, owners of the Intel Core i7-4790K can trust their CPU to outperform a stock Intel Core i7-4790 at best and match the Intel Core i7-4770K, while even overtaking it in a few ways.

Upgrading from the Intel Core i7-4770K to the Intel Core i7-4790K is like going from a Honda to a Subaru, even if the Subaru is a newer model. There is no obvious added benefit. Anyone buying to put together their first PC, however, should just buy the Intel Core i7-4790K as its thermal interface material is improved and CPU cache operations are marginally faster.

At the end of the day, the choice is not between the Intel Core i7-4770K and the Intel Core i7-4790K, but, rather, between figuring out where the CPU's practical applications lie and how well these chips perform versus how much money is spent. In this case, the Intel Core i7-4790K is worthy of being your PC's king if you are new and are just now looking into the PC-parts market to put together your system. Otherwise, there is no reason to usurp the throne of an already existing Intel Core i7-4770K. Both make for great leaders.