Conclusion
Intel hopes the Core i5-4670K Haswell chip is chosen by PC enthusiasts as the base for a quality mainstream build. Most of the signs are positive, as the £190 processor is fast, energy efficient and has much-improved integrated graphics over the last generation.
Yet with the vast majority of gamers and enthusiasts electing to run with a discrete video card and therefore negate any meaningful benefits from the integrated graphics, we believe that anyone with a broadly equivalent Intel Sandy Bridge 2500K or Ivy Bridge 3570K chip will not receive a reasonable boost in performance. This fact is particularly important to understand because switching out to the latest Haswell architecture also requires investment in a new motherboard.
Without contradicting the above statements, readers who are investigating a brand-new PC build will find the Core i5-4670K to be a fine processor in its own right, and Intel's dominance in this portion of the CPU market means it's the only real choice when spending around £200.
Our advice regarding the Intel Core i5-4670K actually reduces down rather simply: it's certainly worth considering for a fresh PC build but the minor enthusiast-orientated improvements aren't nearly enough to recommend an immediate upgrade for any reader with a quality CPU from the last two years.
The Good
Scalable, forward-looking architecture
Significant IGP upgrade
Class-leading power consumption
The Bad
Not huge improvement over IB for enthusiasts
No TSX or vT on K-series chips
HEXUS Where2Buy
The Intel Core i5-4670K processor will be available to purchase from Scan Computers*.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.
