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Review: Intel Core i7-4770K (22nm Haswell)

by Parm Mann on 1 June 2013, 15:01

Tags: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

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Benchmarks: IGP - Part Two

Intel Core i7-4770K
720p Performance Gain/Loss
Quality Intel Core i7-3770K Intel Core i7-2700K AMD A10-5800K
720p + 22.9% + 109.2% - 29.9%
1080p + 24.2% + 134.3% - 28.7%

Synthetic benchmarks are all well and good, but real-world games - where driver support tends to play an integral role - can tell a different story. When playing BioShock Infinite, the Core i7-4770K is on average 23 per cent faster than a Core i7-3770K, but it still struggles to deliver a smooth experience, even at 720p. More importantly, Intel's IGP is still no match for AMD's soon-to-be-superseded Radeon HD 7660D.

Intel Core i7-4770K
720p Performance Gain/Loss
Quality Intel Core i7-3770K Intel Core i7-2700K AMD A10-5800K
720p + 50.6% + 66.7% - 19.4%
1080p + 42.1% + 62.5% - 29.0%

DiRT Showdown reveals a sizeable performance increase. At a 720p resolution with medium-quality settings, the Core i7-4770K delivers a nice, smooth gameplay experience. AMD's Radeon HD 7660D still has the edge, though, particularly in the demanding 1080p test.

Intel Core i7-4770K
720p Performance Gain/Loss
Quality Intel Core i7-3770K Intel Core i7-2700K AMD A10-5800K
720p + 39.2% + 86.2% - 49.5%
1080p + 33.9% + 92.3% - 51.0%

40 per cent faster than the previous generation but still 50 per cent slower than the AMD option. The HD 4600 is a step up, but there's a reason why this particular IGP wasn't given Iris branding. Intel continues to assume that desktop users will want to pair its processors with a dedicated third-party graphics card.