Intel Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon Processor Review

When Intel announced their Haswell refresh some of us questioned where the “K-Series” unlocked processors were. We soon found out that Intel was working on two special processors made for enthusiasts codenamed “Devil’s Canyon”. These “Devil’s Canyon” processors would make up the K-Series of the Haswell refresh, but also have features that the other processors do not. Intel has addressed many issues that we saw on Ivy Bridge and Haswell processors in the past. Today we will be taking a look at the flagship Core i7-4790K quad-core processor. This is Intel’s first consumer processor to be clocked at 4.0 GHz and it actually boosts all the way up to 4.4 GHz! Let’s take a look…

Special thanks to Intel for providing us with the Core i7-4790K processor to review.

When Intel introduced their Ivy Bridge processors they started using thermal interface material that did not perform as well as the material that was used in Sandy Bridge processors. This in turn made these chips and the chips that followed run hotter under load. Intel hopes to remedy this with their Next-Generation Polymer Thermal Interface Material (NGPTIM). Intel has also added additional capacitors to the back of the processor for smoother power delivery to the die.

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The Core i7-4790K’s features are listed below.

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Both Devil’s Canyon processors will be launching this month. The Core i7-4790K will effectively replace the Core i7-4770K and will retail for $339. The Core i5-4690K will effectively replace the Core i5-4670K and will retail for $242.

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Our Core i7-4790K sample came directly from Intel, but here is a quick shot of the chip before we put it in our test system.

Intel Core i7-4790K

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