Core i5-3550 vs Core i7-4790
Aggregated performance score
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 51% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1191 | 1517 |
| Place by popularity | 65 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.43 | 0.95 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Core i7 (Desktop) | Intel Core i5 (Desktop) |
| Architecture codename | Haswell (2013−2015) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| Release date | 1 May 2014 (10 years ago) | 29 April 2012 (12 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $303 | $205 |
| Current price | $119 (0.4x MSRP) | $125 (0.6x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i7-4790 has 156% better value for money than i5-3550.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 4 (Quad-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 8 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 177 mm2 | 160 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | 67 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | 67 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,400 million | 1,400 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA1150 | FCLGA1155 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 84 Watt | 77 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| My WiFi | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| TSX | - | - |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | + |
| SIPP | + | no data |
| FDI | + | + |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | + | + |
| Identity Protection | + | + |
| OS Guard | + | no data |
| Anti-Theft | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | no data |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel HD Graphics 4600 | Intel HD Graphics 2500 |
| Max video memory | 2 GB | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | + |
| Clear Video HD | + | + |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.2 GHz | 1.15 GHz |
| InTru 3D | + | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | 3 |
| eDP | + | no data |
| DisplayPort | + | no data |
| HDMI | + | no data |
| DVI | + | no data |
| VGA | + | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 4096x2304@24Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over eDP | 3840x2160@60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 3840x2160@60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over VGA | 1920x1200@60Hz | no data |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 11.2/12 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.3 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550.
| PCIe version | Up to 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no data |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 51% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 51% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 92% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 103% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 14% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 28% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Benchmark coverage: 18%
Core i5-3550 outperforms Core i7-4790 by 56% in wPrime 32.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 43% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 15% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core.
x264 encoding pass 1
x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.
Benchmark coverage: 13%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 4% in x264 encoding pass 1.
x264 encoding pass 2
x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.
Benchmark coverage: 13%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 41% in x264 encoding pass 2.
3DMark Fire Strike Physics
Benchmark coverage: 4%
Core i7-4790 outperforms Core i5-3550 by 61% in 3DMark Fire Strike Physics.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 4.70 | 3.11 |
| Integrated graphics card | 1.83 | 0.68 |
| Recency | 1 May 2014 | 29 April 2012 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Cost | $303 | $205 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 84 Watt | 77 Watt |
The Core i7-4790 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-3550 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-4790 and Core i5-3550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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