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Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U vs Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y: Comparison
What is the difference between 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y?
The first real difference is p-core boost clock: 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U 3.9 GHz against 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y 4.2 GHz. Igpu is not the same on both, Intel HD Graphics 620 on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus Intel UHD Graphics 615 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y. They differ on microarchitecture too, Kaby Lake, 7th Gen Intel Core on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus Amber Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y. There is a split on base power as well, 15 W on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus 5 W on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y.
Who each one is for
Take the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U for buyers of older-generation thin-and-light laptops wanting to understand this chip's genuine 2-core ceiling. It is the wrong buy for buyers with access to 8th Gen or newer U-series chips, those bring genuine 4-core multi-threaded capability. Take the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y for premium fanless 2-in-1 and ultraportable designs wanting the strongest available chip in Intel's ultra-low-power tier. Avoid it for any performance-focused computing, the 5W power budget is a genuine ceiling on sustained throughput.
Where the two are identical
The common ground is wider than the gap: total cores, performance cores, efficiency cores, total threads and l3 cache are identical here. They match on 6 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y differ on p-core base clock?
Yes. P-Core Base Clock reads 2.8 GHz on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus 1.5 GHz on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y.
Is the Integrated Graphics the same on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y?
It is. Both are listed at Yes, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Intel
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Intel
Product Line
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Core i7
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Core i7
Form Factor
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Laptop
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Laptop
Model Number
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 7600U
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 8500Y
Codename
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Kaby Lake
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Amber Lake Y
Release Year
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2016
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 2019
TDP
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 15 W
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 5 W
iGPU
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Intel HD Graphics 620
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Intel UHD Graphics 615
Market Segment
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Laptop
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Laptop
Microarchitecture
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Kaby Lake, 7th Gen Intel Core
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Amber Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- BGA1356
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- FCBGA1515
Process Node
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 14 nm
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 14 nm
Total Cores
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 2
Performance Cores
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 2
Efficiency Cores
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 0
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 0
Total Threads
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 4
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 4
SMT Enabled
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Yes
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2.8 GHz
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 1.5 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 3.9 GHz
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 4.2 GHz
L2 Cache
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 0.5 MB
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 0.5 MB
L3 Cache
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 4 MB
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 4 MB
Base Power
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 15 W
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- 5 W
Memory Type
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- DDR4-2133, DDR3L-1600, LPDDR3-1866Best
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- DDR3L-1600, LPDDR3-1866
Integrated Graphics
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Yes
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose 7600U if you want the higher L2 cache (0.5 MB vs 0.5 MB) and the higher L3 cache (4 MB vs 4 MB).
Choose 8500Y if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.