i5-4590 vs i7-990X EE

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-990X EE
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
4.33
+23.4%

Core i7-990X EE outperforms Core i5-4590 by a significant 23% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking13751551
Place by popularitynot in top-10053
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.62
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)Core i5 (Desktop)
Power efficiency3.043.81
Architecture codenameGulftown (2010−2011)Haswell (2013−2015)
Release dateno data (2024 years ago)1 May 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$202

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads124
Base clock speedno data3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed3.73 GHz3.7 GHz
Bus rate6400 MHz5 GT/s
L1 cacheno data64K (per core)
L2 cacheno data256K (per core)
L3 cacheno data6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm22 nm
Die sizeno data177 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistorsno data1,400 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 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 configurationno data1
SocketLGA-1366FCLGA1150
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt84 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data-
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
SIPP-+
FDIno data+

Security technologies

Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection-+
OS Guardno data+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 4600
Max video memoryno data2 GB
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.15 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3
eDPno data+
DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+
VGAno data+

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data3840x2160@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data3840x2160@60Hz
Max resolution over VGAno data1920x1200@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data11.2/12
OpenGLno data4.3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590.

PCIe versionno dataUp to 3.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

i7-990X EE 4.33
+23.4%
i5-4590 3.51

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.

i7-990X EE 6624
+23.4%
i5-4590 5370

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.

i7-990X EE 4204
i5-4590 5479
+30.3%

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.

i7-990X EE 22228
+17%
i5-4590 18998

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.

i7-990X EE 9
+49.5%
i5-4590 6

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.33 3.51
Physical cores 6 4
Threads 12 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 84 Watt

i7-990X EE has a 23.4% higher aggregate performance score, and 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads.

i5-4590, on the other hand, has a 45.5% more advanced lithography process, and 54.8% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-990X EE is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-4590 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-990X EE and Core i5-4590, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-990X EE
Core i7-990X EE
Intel Core i5-4590
Core i5-4590

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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