Intel’s new unlocked 4th gen Intel Core processor codenamed ‘Devil’s Canyon’
Intel’s new ‘Haswell’-based Core i7 desktop processor has broken the 4GHz barrier, a speed that was only previously achievable with overclocking.
The Core i7-4790K will ship with a 4.0GHz base clock speed and a Turbo of 4.4 GHz, a full 500MHz increase over the Core i7-4770K that it replaces.
This is significant news for CAD users, as it should deliver a performance increase of around 10-15% in most 3D software.
One of the main reasons for this leap in performance is better cooling. The chip includes a ‘Next Generation Polymer Thermal Interface Material’ (NGPTIM) which provides more efficient thermal exchange between the die and the ‘heat spreader’.
Like the Core i7-4770K, the new chip features four cores and eight threads, making it a good match for mainstream CAD workflows. The ‘K’ suffix denotes that it is unlocked so it will be interesting to see what speeds the likes of Scan, Workstation Specialists and InterPro can achieve with overclocking.
