These past few days (weeks), the upcoming Intel Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon Haswell Refresh-K processor has been one of the most talked about topic, specially in the PC community. There are also a lot of rumors coming out one by one, as well as a number of online stores taking pre-orders for the said CPU. Unfortunately, with all those information it caused confusions regarding some information about Devil’s Canyon. I’ll discuss more about them below. Anyway, below is a screenshot of the Intel Core i7-4790K CPU-Z, revealing that the particular sample that the reviewer got has a base clock speed of 4.0GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.4GHz.
UPDATE: Intel Core i7-4790K and Core i5-4690K Devil’s Canyon Now Official!
True Clock Speed of Intel Core i7-4790K?
First, it was originally reported that the Intel Core i7-4790K will have a base clock of 4.0GHz and a boost clock of 4.4GHz. However, some online stores, like shopblt, posted that it will have a clock speed of 4.1GHz. But the site didn’t mention if it was the base clock or the boost clock. This resulted in people questioning the authenticity and legitimacy of earlier reports.
But if you take a look at the CPU-Z screenshot of the Intel Core i7-4790K above, you will see that it has a base clock of 4.0GHz and a boost clock of 4.4GHz. So who is really giving the real information then? There is a possibility that both are giving the right information. How come?
You see, reviewers usually get early samples or a prototype to test and play with a product BEFORE retailers receive their stocks. This is also one reason why we get leaks prior to the official launch date of a product. I think the early sample of the Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon that this reviewer got from Intel did have a clock speed of 4.0GHz base and 4.4GHz boost.
Since the product is yet to be announced or released, Intel has still time to slightly change the specs of their processors. And they can do that, specially if they needed to. In this case, Intel could have adjusted the base clock from 4.0GHz to 4.1GHz. That’s why retailers are showing a clock speed of 4.1GHz since they were informed that it is the final specs of the processor. Thus, both information are correct.
But there is also a possibility that these retailers where wrong for displaying 4.1GHz right from the beginning.
The Real Release Date of Intel Core i7-4790K?
Second, many of us are expecting that Intel will release the Devil’s Canyon this coming June 2 or during Computex next week. Since some online stores are already accepting pre-orders, this gave people the impression that the processors will be available right after Intel has officially announced the processors.
But, recently it was reported that Intel will only have a paper launch of the Devil’s Canyon this coming Computex. And the real availability of the product will be sometime in August or September 2014. If this information is real, then there is a possibility that Intel can change the final clock speed of the Intel Core i7-4790K.
Lastly, all I can say is that let’s just wait for Intel to officially announce the Devil’s Canyon during Computex. By that time, we will find out the final clock speed of the Core i7-4790K and when is the real availability of the product. It’s just a few days away. So don’t upgrade yet, hold your wallets and wait for the official announcement.
UPDATE: Both the Intel Core i7-4790K and Core i5-4690K Devil’s Canyon processors are now available for order. Shipping will start as early as June 20.
