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Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK: Comparison
8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U vs 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK l3 cache compared
On l3 cache the spread is 50%, 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U 8 MB against 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK 16 MB, so 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK takes it. There is a split on tdp as well, 15 W on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus 45 W on the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK. Socket is not the same on both, FCBGA1356 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus FCBGA1440 on the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK. Product line is not the same on both, Core i7 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus Core i9 on the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK.
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. It is the wrong buy for buyers with access to newer generations, considerably more recent U-series chips offer meaningful IPC and efficiency gains. The 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK is the one to take for enthusiast gaming laptops wanting an unlocked, overclockable mobile flagship chip. Avoid it for buyers not planning to overclock, the standard i7-10870H delivers similar stock performance for less.
Where the two are identical
Everything else lines up. Efficiency cores, integrated graphics, form factor, market segment 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 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK differ on total cores?
Yes. Total Cores reads 4 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U versus 8 on the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Intel
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Intel
Product Line
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Core i7
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Core i9
Form Factor
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Laptop
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Laptop
Model Number
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8550U
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 10980HK
Codename
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Kaby Lake
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Comet Lake-H
Release Year
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 2017
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 2020
TDP
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 15 W
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 45 W
iGPU
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Intel UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel Processors
Market Segment
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Laptop
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Laptop
Microarchitecture
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Kaby Lake Refresh, 8th Gen Intel Core
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Comet Lake, 10th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- FCBGA1356
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- FCBGA1440
Process Node
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 14 nm
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 14 nm
Total Cores
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 8Best
Performance Cores
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 8Best
Efficiency Cores
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 0
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 0
Total Threads
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 16Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Yes
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 1.8 GHz
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 2.4 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 4.0 GHz
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 5.3 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 8 MB-50%
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 16 MBBest
Base Power
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- 15 W
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- 65 W
Memory Type
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- DDR4, LPDDR3
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- DDR4
Integrated Graphics
- Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U
- Yes
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10980HK
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose 8550U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose 10980HK if you want the higher L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).