Value -
The Intel Core i7 4770k will set you back about $350 from your average e-tailer. This is not a bad price for the top end CPU in Intel’s line up. However, we are not sure that the software environment is quite ready to take advantage of the new AVX2 instructions. This means that the cost of getting the new CPU along with a new motherboard might be a little much for the average consumer. For the enthusiast and the overclocker the cost of the 4770k plus new Z87 motherboard might also be outside what they want to give up just to get the latest and greatest. This does not mean that the new Core i7 4770k is at a bad price point, just that the cost of the full upgrade might make some pause.
Conclusion -
Intel’s new Haswell based Core i7 4770k is a solid CPU, but as we can see from some of the tests not every piece of software will be able to take advantage of what it has to offer. There is also the possibility that motherboard makers will need to tweak their products to deal with some of the performance issues we saw during our testing runs. Haswell also shows that Intel is beginning to make the shift from raw compute power to a more media-centric product. This is clear in the industry and we see software developers change their focus from the desktop to the cloud. It also represents a move to satisfy consumer needs. Over the past few years the consumer has been inundated with more media content and higher resolution products including streamed media. Intel must change their core offering to meet this demand and they have done that in Haswell. On the down side there are other areas of the computer market that are potentially going to get left out at least at this level. We imagine that Intel is also aware of this and will be addressing it in Haswell-E, which is being designed for the power-user and enthusiast. We will continue to test the 4770k with other boards and are also continuing to work with the companies that provide our testing software to identify any weaknesses in the current products.
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