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Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U vs Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700: Comparison
8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U vs 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700: the l3 cache difference
L3 cache is where these two genuinely part company, 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U 8 MB against 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700 12 MB, a 33% lead for 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700. There is a split on tdp as well, 15 W on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus 65 W on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700. They differ on socket too, FCBGA1356 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus FCLGA1151 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700. Form factor is not the same on both, Laptop on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus Desktop on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700.
Who each one is for
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. Avoid it for buyers with access to newer generations, considerably more recent U-series chips offer meaningful IPC and efficiency gains. Take the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700 for mainstream desktop builders wanting genuine 6-core Coffee Lake performance without paying for overclocking headroom. It is the wrong buy for enthusiasts wanting to overclock, the unlocked i7-8700K offers that flexibility at a similar price.
What 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700 have in common
Everything else lines up. Efficiency cores, integrated graphics, product line, release year and smt enabled read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700 differ on total cores?
Yes. Total Cores reads 4 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus 6 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Intel
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Intel
Product Line
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Core i7
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Core i7
Form Factor
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Laptop
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Desktop
Model Number
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8550U
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 8700
Codename
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Kaby Lake
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Coffee Lake
Release Year
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 2017
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 2017
TDP
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 15 W
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 65 W
iGPU
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
Market Segment
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Laptop
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Desktop
Microarchitecture
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Kaby Lake Refresh, 8th Gen Intel Core
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Coffee Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- FCBGA1356
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- FCLGA1151
Process Node
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 14 nm
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 14 nm
Total Cores
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 6Best
Performance Cores
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 6Best
Efficiency Cores
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 0
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 0
Total Threads
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 12Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Yes
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 1.8 GHz
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 3.2 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4.0 GHz
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 4.6 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8 MB-33%
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 12 MBBest
Base Power
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 15 W
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- 65 W
Memory Type
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- DDR4, LPDDR3
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- DDR4
Integrated Graphics
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Yes
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose 8550U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose 8700 if you want the higher L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).