Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell CPU

Intel's processor development follows a regular "tick-tock" cycle. The "tick" is the refinement of an existing architecture; the "tock" is a new architecture. Proceeding at a roughly yearly pace, the "tick-tock" model brought us the 45nm Nehalem architecture processors (the original Core-i3, -i5, and -i7 CPUs) as a "tock", and the subsequent 32nm Westmere processors as the "tick" part of the cycle. Now, Intel introduces their new Sandy Bridge architecture as the latest "tock", and Benchmark Reviews checks out the new Sandy Bridge-based Core i7-4770K. This unlocked, 3.9GHz, Hyper-Threading, quad-core CPU is the top of the Ivy Bridge line, and we'll see how it performs against the best AMD processors and Intel's own as well.

Intel's first quad-core processors were merely two dual-core dies on a single chip; the CPUs had to communicate across the front-side bus. Later iterations put all four CPU cores on a single slice of silicon. In a similar fashion, Intel's Clarksdale processors had on-chip video, but it was simply a separate GPU placed on the same chip as the CPU cores— even the process used was different: 32nm for the CPU cores and 40nm for the GPU. But the Ivy Bridge CPUs make the transition to a truly integrated product, with all four CPU cores and a GPU core on the same silicon. There's even a shared Level 3 cache that's used by both the CPU and GPU cores.

The integrated graphics core is the Intel HD Graphics 4600, and Intel promises about twice the performance of the graphics core in the Clarksdale-architecture Core i5-661 processor. Like the CPU cores, the GPU core uses Intel's Turbo Boost technology to increase its power draw and performance when thermal and power headroom permit. Since the Cougar Point motherboards I had available for this test were all based on the Z97 Express chipset, which doesn't support the integrated graphics of the Haswell processors, I wasn't able to test the graphics features of this CPU.

Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Product Name:Desktop Processor Core i7-4770K
 Specifications

 

Essentials
Status	Launched
Launch Date	Q2'13
Processor Number	i7-4770K
Intel® Smart Cache	8 MB
DMI2	5 GT/s
Instruction Set	64-bit
Instruction Set Extensions	SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0
Embedded Options Available	No
Lithography	22 nm
Scalability	1S Only
Thermal Solution Specification	PCG 2013D
Conflict Free	Yes
Datasheet	Link

- Performance
# of Cores	4
# of Threads	8
Processor Base Frequency	3.5 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency	3.9 GHz
TDP	84 W

- Memory Specifications
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)	32 GB
Memory Types	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max # of Memory Channels	2
Max Memory Bandwidth	25.6 GB/s
ECC Memory Supported ‡	No

- Graphics Specifications
Processor Graphics ‡	Intel® HD Graphics 4600
Graphics Base Frequency	350 MHz
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency	1.25 GHz
Graphics Video Max Memory	2 GB
Graphics Output	eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI/VGA
Max Resolution (HDMI 1.4)‡	4096x2304@24Hz
Max Resolution (DP)‡	3840x2160@60Hz
Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)‡	3840x2160@60Hz
Max Resolution (VGA)‡	1920x1200@60Hz
DirectX* Support	11.2/12
OpenGL* Support	4.3
Intel® Quick Sync Video	Yes
Intel® InTru™ 3D Technology	Yes
Intel® Insider™	Yes
Intel® Wireless Display	Yes
Intel® Flexible Display Interface (Intel® FDI)	Yes
Intel® Clear Video HD Technology	Yes
# of Displays Supported ‡	3
Device ID	0x412

- Expansion Options
PCI Express Revision	Up to 3.0
PCI Express Configurations ‡	Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4
Max # of PCI Express Lanes	16

- Package Specifications
Max CPU Configuration	1
TCASE	72.72°C
Package Size	37.5mm x 37.5mm
Graphics and IMC Lithography	22 nm
Sockets Supported	FCLGA1150
Low Halogen Options Available	See MDDS

- Advanced Technologies
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡	2.0
Intel® vPro Technology ‡	No
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡	Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡	Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡	No
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) ‡	Yes
Intel® TSX-NI	No
Intel® 64 ‡	Yes
Intel® My WiFi Technology	Yes
Idle States	Yes
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology	Yes
Thermal Monitoring Technologies	Yes
Intel® Identity Protection Technology ‡	Yes
Intel® Stable Image Platform Program (SIPP)	No
Intel® Small Business Advantage	Yes

- Intel® Data Protection Technology
Intel® AES New Instructions	Yes
Secure Key	Yes