Intel Core i7-8559U vs Intel Core i7-4790K

Processor comparisons 20-01-2022

   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i7-8559U vs Intel Core i7-4790K tests and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, programming, machine learning, rendering. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Prime95, Blender, UserBenchmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, Furmark, Gears 5, Blender, AIDA64, Handbrake, WPrime, SuperPi, RealBench, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K or Intel Core i7-8559U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-8559U

52%

Core i7-4790K

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-8559U

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 play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Hitman 3, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4, Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.5	92.8
Valorant	105.1	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	58.9	59.1
Apex Legends	98.8	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	78.8	79.1
Overwatch	85.1	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.5	72.8
DOOM Eternal	52.6	52.8
Warzone	82.0	82.3
Assassin's Creed	88.3	88.6
Valheim	87.3	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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i7-8559U

123%

Core i7-4790K

46%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-8559U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-4790K as it consumes less power: 28W 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i7-8559U	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	675	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	431	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1572	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1140	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4423	4936

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

	Intel Core i7-8559U	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2565	2491
Multi-Core	8852	8030

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

	Intel Core i7-8559U	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	1037	1230
Multi-Core	4420	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 later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-8559U	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	April 01, 2018	April 01, 2014
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1528	LGA1150
Core name	Coffee Lake	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	4
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.7 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	4 GT/s	5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	1900 millions	1420 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	28 W	88 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	8 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-4790K is 32% better than Core i7-8559U 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 i7-8559U is better: 12
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 19
However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i7-8559U and Intel Core i7-4790K before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i7-8559U - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-8559U specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.