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Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U vs Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H: Comparison

8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U vs 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H total cores compared

These two are close on paper, and total cores is the only measure that separates them at all: 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U 4 against 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H 6. Add l3 cache to that, 8 MB on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U versus 9 MB on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H, and the pattern holds. L2 cache runs the same way, 1 MB on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U versus 1.5 MB on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H, another win for 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H. They differ on socket too, FCBGA1528 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U versus FCBGA1440 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H.

8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U vs 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H: which one fits your build

Take the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U for premium ultraportable laptops wanting genuinely stronger integrated graphics than standard UHD configurations. It is the wrong buy for buyers needing dedicated gaming or heavy creative graphics capability, a discrete GPU remains necessary for that. Take the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H for premium mobile workstations from major OEMs wanting a modest step up over the mainstream i7-8750H. Avoid it for budget-conscious buyers, the mainstream i7-8750H delivers very close performance for typically less.

Where the two are identical

Everything else lines up. Efficiency cores, integrated graphics, product line, form factor and market segment read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 2 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H differ on performance cores?

Yes. Performance Cores reads 4 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U versus 6 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H.

Is the Microarchitecture the same on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H?

It is. Both are listed at Coffee Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Brand

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Intel
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Intel
  • Product Line

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Core i7
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Core i7
  • Form Factor

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Laptop
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Laptop
  • Model Number

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    8557U
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    8850H
  • Codename

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Coffee Lake
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Coffee Lake
  • Release Year

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    2019
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    2018
  • TDP

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    15 W
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    45 W
  • iGPU

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • Market Segment

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Laptop
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Laptop
  • Microarchitecture

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Coffee Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Coffee Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core
  • Socket

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    FCBGA1528
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    FCBGA1440
  • Process Node

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    14 nm
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    14 nm
  • Total Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    4
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    6Best
  • Performance Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    4
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    6Best
  • Efficiency Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    0
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    0
  • Total Threads

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    8
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    12Best
  • SMT Enabled

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Yes
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Yes
  • P-Core Base Clock

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    1.7 GHz
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    2.6 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    4.5 GHz
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    4.3 GHz
  • L2 Cache

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    1 MB-33%
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    1.5 MBBest
  • L3 Cache

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    8 MB-11%
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    9 MBBest
  • Base Power

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    15 W
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    45 W
  • Memory Type

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133Best
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    DDR3-2133, DDR4-2666
  • Integrated Graphics

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8557U
    Yes
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Yes

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose 8557U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

    Choose 8850H if you want the higher L2 cache (1.5 MB vs 1 MB) and the higher L3 cache (9 MB vs 8 MB).

    More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)