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Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U vs Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U: Comparison
What is the difference between 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U?
Start with l3 cache, because it is the widest measured gap between them: 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U 4 MB against 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U 8 MB, 50% in favour of 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U. There is a split on release year as well, 2016 on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus 2017 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U. Igpu is not the same on both, Intel HD Graphics 620 on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus Intel UHD Graphics 620 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U.
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 8550U for buyers of this laptop generation wanting the premium tier within Intel's first genuinely 4-core U-series generation. It is not the one for buyers with access to newer generations, considerably more recent U-series chips offer meaningful IPC and efficiency gains.
What 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U have in common
Everything else lines up. Efficiency cores, tdp, integrated graphics, product line and form factor read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 3 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U differ on total cores?
Yes. Total Cores reads 2 on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U versus 4 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U.
Is the Market Segment the same on the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U?
It is. Both are listed at Laptop, 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 8550U
- Intel
Product Line
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Core i7
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Core i7
Form Factor
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Laptop
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Laptop
Model Number
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 7600U
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8550U
Codename
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Kaby Lake
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Kaby Lake
Release Year
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2016
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 2017
TDP
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 15 W
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 15 W
iGPU
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Intel HD Graphics 620
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Intel UHD Graphics 620
Market Segment
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Laptop
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Laptop
Microarchitecture
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Kaby Lake, 7th Gen Intel Core
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Kaby Lake Refresh, 8th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- BGA1356
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- FCBGA1356
Process Node
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 14 nm
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 14 nm
Total Cores
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4Best
Performance Cores
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4Best
Efficiency Cores
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 0
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 0
Total Threads
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 4
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Yes
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 2.8 GHz
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 1.8 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 3.9 GHz
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4.0 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 4 MB-50%
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8 MBBest
Base Power
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- 15 W
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 15 W
Memory Type
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- DDR4-2133, DDR3L-1600, LPDDR3-1866
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- DDR4, LPDDR3
Integrated Graphics
- Intel 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7600U
- Yes
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose 7600U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose 8550U if you want the higher L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).