Take Two For Devil's Canyon
The much-anticipated release of Intel's Devil Canyon CPUs - Core i7-4790K and Core i5-4690K - was announced at this year's Computex trade show in early June.
Devil's Canyon refers to just these two processors. They're different from the incumbent K-series chips for two reasons. First off, they feature newer thermal interface material that is supposed to lower temperatures by providing a better conduit between core and heatspreader. Secondly, they accommodate extra capacitors that, Intel says, provide more stable voltage regulation at higher frequencies.
We've already taken a look at the range-topping Core i7-4790K. Though the fastest Haswell-based Core i7 we've tested, we found no real difference between its overclocking potential and that of those 4770K chips readily available in the channel. Perhaps our engineering-sample wasn't great at overclocking, or Devil's Canyon chips simply aren't the advancement we expected, but we thought it made sense to look at the second-rung model, the Core i5-4690K.
Desktop Intel 'Haswell' Feature Comparison |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intel Core i7-4790K |
Intel Core i7-4770K |
Intel Core i5-4690K |
Intel Core i5-4670K |
Intel Pentium G3258 |
Intel Pentium G3220 |
|
| Launch Date | Q2 2014 |
Q2 2013 |
Q2 2014 |
Q2 2013 |
Q2 2014 |
Q3 2013 |
| Cores | 4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
| Threads | 8 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| CPU Clock Speed | 4.0GHz |
3.5GHz |
3.5GHz |
3.4GHz |
3.2GHz |
3.0GHz |
| CPU Turbo Speed | 4.4GHz |
3.9GHz |
3.9GHz |
3.8GHz |
- |
- |
| Smart Cache | 8 MB |
8MB |
6MB |
6MB |
3MB |
3MB |
| TDP | 88W |
84W |
88W |
84W |
53W |
53W |
| DDR3 Memory Support | 1,600 |
1,600 |
1,600 |
1,600 |
1,333 |
1,333 |
| Integrated Graphics | HD 4600 |
HD 4600 |
HD 4600 |
HD 4600 |
HD |
HD |
| IGP Execution Units | 20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
10 |
10 |
| IGP Base Clock | 350MHz |
350MHz |
350MHz |
350MHz |
350MHz |
350MHz |
| IGP Max Clock | 1.25GHz |
1.25GHz |
1.20GHz |
1.20GHz |
1.10GHz |
1.10GHz |
| QuickSync Video | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Wireless Display | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| ClearVideo HD | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| InTru 3D | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Displays Supported | 3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| PCI Express Revision | 3.0 |
3.0 |
3.0 |
3.0 |
3.0 |
3.0 |
| PCI Express Configurations | Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8/2x4 |
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8/2x4 |
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8/2x4 |
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8/2x4 |
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8/2x4 |
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8/2x4 |
| Max PCI Express Lanes | 16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
| Turbo Boost | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Hyper Threading | Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| vPro | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| AES New Instructions | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Socket | LGA1150 |
LGA1150 |
LGA1150 |
LGA1150 |
LGA1150 |
LGA1150 |
| US Box RRP | $340 |
$340 |
$242 |
$242 |
$72 |
$64 |
Trotting out the usual table shows there to be very minor differences between the 4690K and well-known 4670K. Both are priced at $242 (£170-ish in the UK) and feature four non-hyperthreaded cores. The only meaningful specification difference, as far as we can tell, is the higher clockspeed. Intel's meagre increase is reflected by an additional 100MHz on both standard and Turbo frequencies.
So why would you bother with this chip if you already have a Core i5? You wouldn't, really, and it's only a processor we'd recommend to enthusiasts looking to build a brand-new system. The clinching factor, of course, is just how well it overclocks, and we'll get to that in a moment.
What is the Intel Core i5-4690K? A slightly faster version of the chip that has been around for more than a year. Let's now cut to the benchmark chase.