Best LGA 1150 CPU in 2021
Fight the Future with One of These Five Awesome LGA CPUs
- Last Updated May 13, 2021
With Intel switching up socket compatibility for their CPUs almost every single generation, it can be hard to keep up with which hardware can be paired. It’s not particularly Intel being fickle for the sake of it. Unlike AMD who integrates much of the chipset functionality into their dies, Intel’s tech is almost completely reliant on the motherboard itself, which means each time they make alterations to improve CPU performance, motherboards must evolve to accommodate them.
This is just the way Intel has always done things. It can be infuriating at times, especially as tech moves so fast. You save for years for some hardware, and in the blink of an eye, it’s superseded by newer models; however, it doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with other compatibles. So, if you’re ready for a new CPU, but you’re perfectly happy keeping your LGA 1150 motherboard, let’s consider your options.
Products at a Glance
How We Picked
Even though it’s nice to play around with the latest and greatest CPUs, we’re not always living the silicone high life that you would expect. We’re constantly evaluating newer tech’s performance by comparing it with older models, so we know all about the best CPUs for LGA 1150 motherboards, and even their predecessors, LGA 1155 and LGA 1156.
Another reason you can count on the legitimacy of our choices is that we’ve done our time with these CPUs, not just in a professional capacity, but a personal capacity as well. In 2013, these were state-of-the-art CPUs, and we were falling all over ourselves to put them to test in our own personal gaming rigs. We don’t just have a quick glance of the specs, scope the price tag, and assume a product is fit for purpose. We know which products are the best because they were and are our favorites of the bunch, and now we get to share them with you!
Best LGA 1150 CPU in 2021
There are no two ways about it. If you’re looking for the best of the best, then the i7-4790K is the CPU for you. This is Intel’s premium quad-core LGA 1150 processor, and even though it’s a little long in the silicone tooth these days, it still packs a punch during modern gaming! With a hyperthreaded quad-core matrix boasting AI deep learning and super-efficient rendering, this CPU enables parallelizing workflows, immersive gameplay, and seamless professional use.
The Intel Core i7-4790K is the cream of the quad-core crop, and it’s a match made in heaven with a quality Z97 motherboard. Paring these top-tier bits of gear will give you the most impressive gaming performance you can possibly achieve with an LGA 1150 socket setup.
Four cores may not sound like much these days, but it’s really all you need to run pretty much any game, and thanks to hyperthreading technology, you can enjoy 8 threads in total. This means multitasking will be a breeze, and modern AAA games can stretch out their instructional roots to maximize performance
What’s perhaps even more impressive is that this beast only draws 88 watts, runs cool as a winter stream, and is prime for some manual overclocking. That said, with a stock base clock speed of 4GHz and a boosted rate of 4.4GHz, whether you’d even need to dabble with OC-ing is debatable.
The only issue with the 4790K is that it’s so good, by which we mean that even though it’s an older card, it outperforms many of its successors and has retained its price exceptionally well. Now discontinued by Intel, it doesn’t look like prices will be dropping any time soon either.
If the i7-4790K is a little rich for your blood, that’s understandable, so the original 4790 chip may be a little more suited to your budget, and it still offers incredible performance for both gaming, work, and leisure. With slightly reduced clock speeds, you can expect to drop a couple of frame rates as you tear it up in your favorite games, but the Core i7-4790 features the same hyperthreaded quad-core structure and identical DDR3 memory specifications. While it’s just shy of the best of the bunch, the only really significant difference is the price tag.
The Intel Core i7-4790 is just one-half a step down from our top pick and will suit those interested in getting the biggest bang for the buck. It’s still not dirt cheap, but as it’s not quite as revered, it hasn’t held its price so well.
So, what’s the big difference between this and the K-model? Well, actually, very little. They both have the same quad-core, hyperthreaded heart, so if you’re something of a tab hoarder, a consummate live streamer, or a content creator, you can let your creativity run wild and the processes stack up. Memory configurations between the two CPUs are identical and feature DDR3 1600 support, a 32GB capacity, and 25.6GB bandwidth.
The 4790 actually has a few advanced technology features that the 4790K doesn’t, namely, Intel vPro eligibility – a platform for business computing – and SIPP (Stable Image Platform Program) which is mostly an assurance for IT professionals but an extra nonetheless.
With a base rate of 3.6GHz and Intel Boost Technology 2.0 rate of 4GHz, what this CPU doesn’t quite meet its successor blow for blow on is clock speed; however, if you hit it with some overclocks, it’ll be able to push stock 4790K performance levels with no problems at all.
The Intel Core i7-4770 is another notch down in the same CPU family, but once again, the price tag is the biggest difference between them. With those four quality hyperthreaded cores pumping out instruction executions like they were nothing, if you settle for this CPU you’ll be well taken care of. Among other things, the i7-4770 is known for excellent single and multi-core performance and fantastic efficiency. Paired with a good GPU, there’s no reason it wouldn’t facilitate some enjoyable gaming experiences.
Moving down in price by roughly $30, we have the Intel Core i7-4770, a middle-of-the-pack CPU that offers respectable performance and slots right into an LGA 1150 motherboard. Much like its more expensive counterparts, the 4770 is a quad-core processor designed to handle all your gaming needs, and thanks to Intel’s hyperthreading, it has 8 powerful threads that let you mix things up in terms of concurrent applications.
Just like the 4790 before it, it has a slightly reduced clock speed compared to its superior, which may fractionally slow down loading times, but responsiveness is still on point, besides a 3.4GHz base clock and 3.9GHz boost will be plenty fast for everyday gaming scenarios. It might present something of a bottleneck for more powerful GPUs such as the GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti, but if you’ve got something more along the lines of a 1060 Ti or 1070, it should be perfectly capable of facilitating 60fps averages during most titles in 1080p.
It’s not as flashy as some of your other LGA 1150 CPU options, nor is it quite as nimble as the 4790K or 4790, but it’s still lithe enough to shake the dust off and breathe new life into an older motherboard.
Some claim that Xeon CPUs don’t work on standard motherboards (they do), others posit the theory that they’re not as good as i7 for gaming. It’s all a bit muddled, but if a Xeon has similar specs to its i7 cousins – and this one does – they function in a very similar way.
That’s not to say there aren’t differences between i7 and Xeon; there are, one of them being support for ECC memory which is a type of storage that prevents data errors in CPU memory configs. They’re also designed to offer unparalleled performance per watt, and that’s highlighted in the E3-1230V3 by its insanely low 80-watt pull.
While it can perform on a similar basis as some of the i7’s further up the list, sacrificing a little bit of clock speed and memory bandwidth in favor of energy efficiency and memory stability, this particular Xeon will find it hard to keep up, but it can still run at 3.6GHz when pushed, and anything beyond 3.5 is considered ideal for gaming.
This is a great budget option for those that like a bargain, and while it will ultimately lose in a performance comparison with, say, the i7 4790, the difference may be fairly negligible in actual gameplay.
The Intel core i5-4690 is the first LGA 1150 compatible CPU on our list not to feature Intel’s hyperthreading technology, so if you’re looking for more of an all-rounder that can handle simultaneous applications, it’s not for you. If, on the other hand, you’re searching for a CPU for a standalone gaming rig, you may be surprised what the 4690 brings to the table.
CPUs with single-thread cores are actually more efficient when they’re given individual tasks, and gaming is classed as an individual task. As long as you keep background applications to a minimum, this 3.5GHz CPU will do just fine.
Once you’ve gotten over the fact it’s really just a gaming CPU, the only problem we can find with it is that it’s not particularly future-proofed. Granted none of these products are particularly primed for future gaming titles and hardware, but their hyperthreading will help them support newer AAA titles. In light of this, the i5 might not be the wisest choice. That said, if you’re just looking for something to play your favorite older games and stone-cold classics, this CPU will really fly, and for a fraction of the cost of our other picks.
Things To Consider
Our Verdict
As you can see from this list, there’s no need to upgrade to a newer motherboard just yet, as any of these CPUs are capable of some surprisingly immersive gaming experiences. Maybe in the next couple of years, you’ll have to bite the bullet and payout, but you’ll have the chance to save up a decent budget before that day arrives.
For maximum gaming power, there’s no question that the i7-4790K is the way to go. It has the highest clock speeds and, mixed with those hyperthreaded cores, is capable of great things. It also offers the most future-proofing, so if you’re planning to ride your motherboard out to the bitter end, the K-model CPU will prolong the inevitable and give you a few more years of LGA 1150 glory.
If you don’t wish to pay that 4790K premium, the logical route is to drop the ‘K’ and get the i7-4790. The difference in performance will be minimal, and if you have a Z87 or Z97, you can overclock your way to K-level performance.
If you wish to go even cheaper, the i7-4770 or the Xeon won’t disappoint, but if gaming is all you have planned for this build, save some money and go with the single-core i5-4690.