Intel Core i3-9100 vs Intel Core i7-4790S Comparison

The Intel Core i7-4790S and Intel Core i3-9100 are two Intel quad-cores separated by four years and one microarchitecture era, yet the recorded data shows them landing in the same overall performance tier: both sit at the 42nd percentile against all CPUs in the database, with average benchmark scores of 1827 for the i7-4790S and 1806 for the i3-9100. The older chip wins the majority of individual tests, but the newer one dominates in single-thread responsiveness metrics, which makes this a more interesting comparison than the era gap suggests.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The Intel Core i7-4790S holds a narrow edge, winning 6 of the 8 recorded benchmarks. Its average benchmark score of 1827 is slightly ahead of the i3-9100's 1806, and both chips occupy the same 42nd percentile against the full database.

Q: Which CPU is better for single-threaded workloads?

A: It depends on the test. The i3-9100 wins Geekbench single-core with 1290 points versus 1056, an 18.1% advantage. However, the i7-4790S leads every Cinebench single-core run, topping out at 834 points in R23 versus 793 for the i3-9100.

Q: Do these CPUs have the same number of cores?

A: Yes, both are quad-core parts with a 65 W TDP. The difference is threading: the i7-4790S offers 8 threads via hyper-threading, while the i3-9100 provides 4 threads.

Q: Which platform is more modern?

A: The i3-9100. It uses Intel Socket 1151, supports DDR4 memory with 38.4 GB/s of bandwidth, and carries the UHD Graphics 630 iGPU. The i7-4790S uses the older Intel Socket 1150, supports DDR3 at 25.6 GB/s, and integrates Intel HD 4600 graphics.

Q: Does either CPU support ECC memory?

A: Only the i3-9100 supports ECC memory. The i7-4790S does not.

Q: Are these CPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life. The i7-4790S launched with a launch MSRP of $312, while the i3-9100 launched at a launch MSRP of $122.

Architecture Differences

The generational gap between these two parts is the core of the story. The i7-4790S is a Haswell design built on Intel's 22 nm process, with 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. The i3-9100 is a Coffee Lake Refresh design on the 14 nm node with a smaller 126 mm² die; transistor count is not recorded for it in the database.

Despite being newer and denser, the i3-9100 does not use its process advantage to add cores. Both chips have 4 cores, and both carry identical per-core cache structures: 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. The divergence is at L3, where the i7-4790S carries 8 MB shared versus 6 MB shared on the i3-9100, and in threading, where the i7-4790S doubles the thread count at 8 versus 4.

Clock behavior also differs. The i3-9100 runs higher frequencies on paper, with a 3.60 base and 4.20 boost clock against 3.20 base and 4.00 boost for the i7-4790S. Yet the benchmark data shows the older Haswell part still winning the Cinebench tests, indicating that its additional threads and larger L3 cache offset the i3-9100's frequency advantage in rendering workloads. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier.

Platform support separates them sharply. The i7-4790S is tied to DDR3 on a dual-channel bus delivering 25.6 GB/s, while the i3-9100 runs DDR4 on the same dual-channel layout but at 38.4 GB/s of bandwidth, a substantial memory subsystem advantage for the newer chip. Both provide identical PCIe connectivity, Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, and both target the desktop segment.

The Verdict

The data points to the i3-9100 as the more sensible pick for most users, despite the i7-4790S winning more benchmarks. The deciding evidence is the Geekbench single-core result: 1290 for the i3-9100 against 1056 for the i7-4790S, an 18.1% lead that directly affects everyday desktop responsiveness, application launches, and lightly threaded software. Add the DDR4 platform with 38.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth, ECC support, and the newer UHD Graphics 630 integrated graphics, and the i3-9100 delivers comparable aggregate performance with a more modern foundation.

The i7-4790S remains the choice where sustained multi-threaded throughput matters. Its 6-2 benchmark win record, built entirely on Cinebench victories of roughly 5% each, shows the value of its 8 threads and 8 MB L3 cache in rendering and similar parallel workloads. Anyone running encoding, rendering, or heavily threaded batch jobs on a Socket 1150 system already in place gets more done with the older chip.

Both chips occupy the same 42nd percentile tier, so neither offers a class jump over the other. This is a lateral move differentiated by workload profile and platform, not a generational blowout in either direction.

Specification Differences

• Threads: 8 (i7-4790S) vs 4 (i3-9100); both have 4 cores
• Base clock: 3.20 GHz (i7-4790S) vs 3.60 GHz (i3-9100)
• Boost clock: 4.00 GHz (i7-4790S) vs 4.20 GHz (i3-9100)
• Architecture: Haswell vs Coffee Lake Refresh
• Process node: 22 nm vs 14 nm, both fabbed by Intel
• L3 cache: 8 MB shared (i7-4790S) vs 6 MB shared (i3-9100); L1 and L2 per-core capacities are identical
• Die size: 177 mm² vs 126 mm²
• Socket: Intel Socket 1150 vs Intel Socket 1151
• Memory support: DDR3 vs DDR4, both dual-channel
• Memory bandwidth: 25.6 GB/s vs 38.4 GB/s
• ECC: not supported vs supported
• Integrated graphics: Intel HD 4600 vs UHD Graphics 630
• Release date: 2014 vs 2018
• Launch MSRP: $312 vs $122

Fields where the two match: manufacturer, market segment, TDP at 65 W, PCIe configuration, production status, and locked multipliers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The i7-4790S sweeps all six Cinebench tests, and it does so with remarkable consistency. In Cinebench R15 multi-core it scores 595 against 566, a 5.1% win, and takes R15 single-core 84 to 79, a 6.3% margin that is actually its largest of the entire set. Cinebench R20 follows the pattern: 2482 versus 2361 in multi-core (5.1%) and 350 versus 333 in single-core (5.1%). The R23 results repeat it almost exactly, with the i7-4790S ahead 5911 to 5622 in multi-core (5.1%) and 834 to 793 in single-core (5.2%).

That uniform 5% band across three Cinebench generations tells a clear story: in sustained rendering throughput, the Haswell chip's 8 threads and larger L3 cache consistently outpace the i3-9100's higher clocks, and the margin is stable regardless of test vintage or thread scaling.

Geekbench flips the picture. In multi-core the i3-9100 wins 3403 to 3307, a 2.8% edge, which is notable given that it loses every Cinebench multi-core run: Geekbench's shorter, burstier workload mix favors its newer architecture. The single-core gap is the headline number of this comparison, 1290 for the i3-9100 against 1056 for the i7-4790S, an 18.1% advantage that stands as the largest margin in either direction across all eight tests.

The final tally is 6 wins for the i7-4790S and 2 for the i3-9100, but the size of those wins matters. The i7-4790S's victories are all in the 5 to 6% range, while the i3-9100's single-core win is more than triple that margin.

Where Each One Wins

Pick the i7-4790S for rendering and sustained multi-threaded work. Every Cinebench result favors it by roughly 5%, and Cinebench is the closest proxy in this dataset for video encoding, 3D rendering, and compute batch jobs. Its 8 threads make it the better fit for software that scales past four threads, and its 8 MB of shared L3 cache helps in data-heavy parallel workloads. It also recorded an average benchmark score of 1827, slightly above the i3-9100's 1806, with nearest rivals including the Intel Xeon D-1537 and Intel Xeon E5-2608L v3 at nearly identical average scores.

Pick the i3-9100 for general desktop use and responsiveness-critical tasks. The 18.1% Geekbench single-core lead is the strongest single result in the comparison, and it maps directly to web browsing, office applications, and most games, which lean on one or two fast threads. It also wins Geekbench multi-core, showing it is no slouch in mixed short-burst workloads. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i3-9320 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, sit within a fraction of a percent of its average score, confirming its placement in the same tier as the older i7.

Platform considerations reinforce the split. The i3-9100 brings DDR4 at 38.4 GB/s, ECC support for stability-sensitive builds, and newer integrated graphics, making it the better foundation for a fresh assembly. The i7-4790S makes sense mainly where a Socket 1150 system already exists and its multi-threaded rendering edge can be exploited without a platform change. Both are end-of-life parts occupying the same performance percentile, so neither is an upgrade path in itself: the choice comes down to threads and rendering on one side, single-thread speed and platform modernity on the other.