Intel Core i3-10300 vs Intel Core i7-4790K

Processor comparisons   29-07-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i3-10300 vs Intel Core i7-4790K and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, streaming, machine learning, rendering, video editing. Here you can find all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Prime95, PassMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, SuperPi, WPrime, RealBench, PCMark 10, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, AIDA64, 7zip, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Watch Dogs Legion
Death Stranding
Grand Theft Auto V
Valorant
Last Man Standing
Halo Infinite
Overwatch
Apex Legends
Fallout 76
Fortnite
Red Dead Redemption 2
Borderlands 3
Valheim
DOOM: Eternal
Rainbow Six Siege
Cyberpunk 2077
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Assassin's Creed Valhalla

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K or Intel Core i3-10300.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i3-10300

52%

Core i7-4790K

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-10300

52%

Core i7-4790K

52%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Control, League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.0	92.8
Valorant	105.7	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.2	59.1
Apex Legends	99.4	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	79.3	79.1
Overwatch	85.6	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.9	72.8
DOOM Eternal	52.9	52.8
Warzone	82.5	82.3
Assassin's Creed	88.8	88.6
Valheim	87.7	87.6

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-10300

63%

Core i7-4790K

46%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i3-10300 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-4790K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 88W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-10300	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1037	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	462	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2353	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1208	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4690	4936

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-10300	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2685	2491
Multi-Core	9387	8030

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-10300	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	1238	1230
Multi-Core	4924	4747

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-10300	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	LGA1150
Core name	Comet Lake	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	10	4
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1420 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	88 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory	128 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	8 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-4790K is 7% better than Core i3-10300 in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-10300 is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 2
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i3-10300 and Intel Core i7-4790K before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-10300 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-10300 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.