Intel Core i5-4690 Processor and its features

Intel Corporation for many years acted as a trendsetter in the segment of high-tech processors. On the one hand, it allowed her to lay a solid foundation for the formation of an army of admirers of her products. On the other hand, the retention of positions against the background of competition with AMD forces the manufacturer to constantly increase the quality properties of the products. In this sense, the Intel Core i5-4690 processor should be considered as one of the examples confirming the developers' desire to move forward. The development has many features, the implementation of which became possible due to Haswell microarchitecture. However, the latter was seriously revised, which allowed the creators of the processor to significantly increase its performance.

Specifications

Even at the time of the announcement, the model caused a strong resonance in the world of computer hardware enthusiasts, which indicates the high hopes that were associated with the Core i5-4690. Characteristics on this background do not seem particularly outstanding, but they should be noted for understanding the value of the processor:

• The processor socket is LGA1150.
• Microarchitecture - Haswell.
• The number of cores is 4.
• The technological process of production is 22 nm.
• The frequency is 3500 MHz.
• The limit of the calculated power is 84 W.
• The system bus is DMI.
• The factor of the multiplier is 35.
• Graphical nuclear base - Graphics in the series 4 600.
• The core frequency (at nominal) is 350 MHz.
• The frequency is dynamic - 1 200 MHz.
• The maximum operating temperature is about 73 ° C.

It should be noted that the device works well in the Boost 2 overclocking mode, which is initially configured for automatic operation. But the peculiarity of this format of the Core i5-4690 is low voltage drops, which many processors suffer during overclocking. In this case the corridor of voltage drops does not exceed 1.264 V.

Haswell Refresh Technology

If you strictly approach the evaluation of processors developed on the basis of Haswell Refresh, then there are unlikely to be any serious changes in the characteristics and, especially, performance for user needs. Nevertheless, the main task of the specialists who promoted this concept was just an increase in the clock frequencies. As a result, Core i5-4690 Haswell purchased as an add-on about 200 MHz. But users are particularly pleased not even this fact, but the fact that the cost of models with increased performance is virtually identical to devices on the previous architecture.

Still, the skeptics do not abandon the idea that the entire Haswell line is nothing more than a dummy. As arguments of this opinion, an unusual marketing move by Intel is announced - to immediately announce the whole family of processors, and not to release them separately. This suggests that the manufacturer does not really have new ideas. Anyway, but improvements in characteristics are a fact. One can only judge how much the changes are significant, but they are available, and the Core i5-4690 is a confirmation of this.

Place in the family

The model is still a simplified version against the background of their fellow-countrymen. For example, in comparison with the leaders of the line, the processor is not equipped with Hyper-Tedding technology. In addition, it is distinguished L3-cache, trimmed by 2 MB, as well as a reduced clock speed, despite the overclocking in order to improve the basic performance. And yet this did not stop the Intel Core i5-4690 from taking the place of the older processor in its series. For example, if you compare the device with i5-4670, then the frequency will be a gain of 100 MHz. Again, the membership of the models that received the Haswell Refresh platform is affected. It is worth remembering and turbo mode Boost 2, due to which the processor stays at a frequency of 3.7 GHz. This aspect brings the processor closer to the i7 series. By the way, the analog of this family has the same graphic core.

Technological advantages of the processor

First of all, the model draws attention to Haswell Refresh, thanks to which the manufacturer significantly raised sales of new series. But if you look in more detail at the Intel Core i5-4690 processor, you can find many other advantages, although not of such a large scale:

• The presence of four cores, capable of providing productive work in a four-stream mode.
• Technology Boost 2 allows you to get dynamic overclocking, while maintaining safety requirements during the operation of the processor.
• Integrated graphics core series 4 600.
• Smart Cache is a technology that optimizes the function of cores and cache memory. In practice, this means increasing productivity, speeding up operations and minimizing power consumption.
• Presence of the controller of operative memory which supports memory modules of type DDR3 and two-channel mode.

Performance

In this part, the processor justified itself, although it did not present any surprises. Resource-intensive applications can be processed at high speed, as well as 3D gaming. However, experts do not recommend fully placing the whole load on Intel Core i5-4690 alone, as much depends on the graphics subsystem. If the video card is capable of serving demanding processes, then replacing the basis of the computer for development from Intel can become meaningless. It is for gamers that the advertised increase in the clock frequency does not promise anything supernatural.

That is, of course, the processor is quite worthy to get the status of gamer and high-performance. But there are similar options for the competitors Core i5-4690, albeit for a higher fee. If we compare the model with similar old configurations of the platform, then the situation will obviously be in favor of the 4690th. True, here the difference is noticeable, but does not seem to be a serious breakthrough.

CPU power consumption

Along with the performance, according to the logic of things, other characteristics of the processor, in particular, power and heat, had to change. And in this part of the device is manifested ambiguously. First of all, the realized Haswell Refresh technologies exclude consumption during downtime. Core i5-4690 tests reveal only common power supplies for motherboards, graphics accelerators, etc. However, when the situation is loaded, the situation changes radically. According to various estimates, the power consumption of the processor increases from 5 to 7% compared to its predecessors. This means that the same performance is enhanced by overclocking with an increase in voltage that feeds the device's core.

As for the temperature regime, there have not been any serious positive changes. And even good quality fans, which are equipped with an Intel Core i5-4690 Box, do not fully solve the heating problem.

Positive feedback about the processor

As the manufacturer has oriented this model, most of the positive feedback is addressed to its performance. It is rare to find complaints about this part, although, if you conduct an in-depth analysis, sometimes users also note good alternatives of similar potential. But in this case, you can not discount the build quality and reliability - this is even a processor Intel Core i5-4690 oem. Reviews, however, recommend buying a modification of the Box, as it comes with a cooler and is given a 3-year warranty. Among the positive responses, one can also find mention of the turbo mode, which also pleased many. And this is not an accident, because the tests show a noticeable increase in performance due to full-time overclocking.

Negative CPU reviews

If you take into account the expectations of Haswell's fans, negative opinions can be even greater. We can say that all the disadvantages of the processor will block its increased performance, but this in the modern world of advanced components is not enough. So, for the stable work with demanding games and programs, you have to pay for the increase in temperature. As a result, users complain about the need to purchase powerful coolers, which increases the total cost of the computer.

And in this respect, it should be noted that the performance was increased just due to the increased power consumption of the device. That is, when Intel emphasizes that the Core i5-4690 processor on the Haswell platform gained an increase in its efficiency, remaining in the same price segment, this is true, but not entirely. The fact is that you will have to pay for this performance in other ways, among which is the purchase of new fans for cooling.

Conclusion

To evaluate the series i5-4690 in isolation from Haswell's line as a whole makes no sense, since the principal approach to the development of this processor has the same problems. The fact is that the manufacturer has tried to provide users with an increase in basic characteristics at a basic level. As a result, the processor received a small increase in technical capacity, but otherwise no improvement occurred. In part, this is due to the fact that Intel does not have worthy competitors and, as a result, motivation for fundamentally new developments.

Of course, it is impossible not to cancel the fact of real productivity improvement in the Haswell family, but such changes are more like attempts to simulate activities for a tick, rather than work to reach new heights and offer the audience better modern solutions. On the other hand, it is possible that systematic work on gradual improvement of processors will form the basis for future discoveries, as it has repeatedly happened with Intel.