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Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK: Comparison

8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H vs 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK: the l3 cache difference

The gap that matters here is l3 cache: 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H 9 MB against 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK 24 MB, which puts 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK 63% ahead. L2 cache runs the same way, 1.5 MB on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H versus 10 MB on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK, another win for 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK. There is a split on product line as well, Core i7 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H versus Core i9 on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK. There is a split on release year as well, 2018 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H versus 2021 on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK.

Who each one is for

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. It is the wrong buy for budget-conscious buyers, the mainstream i7-8750H delivers very close performance for typically less. Take the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK for flagship gaming laptops wanting the strongest available Tiger Lake H performance with overclocking headroom. Avoid it for budget-conscious buyers, the non-K 11800H, covered elsewhere on this site, delivers similar core performance for less without the overclocking headroom.

Where the two are identical

Where they agree, they agree completely, efficiency cores, p-core base clock, tdp, integrated graphics and form factor included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 2 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H and 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK differ on total cores?

Yes. Total Cores reads 6 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H versus 8 on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK.

Is the Market Segment the same on the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H and 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK?

It is. Both are listed at Laptop, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Brand

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Intel
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Intel
  • Product Line

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Core i7
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Core i9
  • Form Factor

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Laptop
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Laptop
  • Model Number

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    8850H
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    11980HK
  • Codename

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Coffee Lake
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Tiger Lake
  • Release Year

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    2018
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    2021
  • TDP

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    45 W
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    45 W
  • iGPU

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 (48 EU)
  • Market Segment

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Laptop
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Laptop
  • Microarchitecture

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Coffee Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Tiger Lake H, 11th Gen Intel Core
  • Socket

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    FCBGA1440
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    FCBGA1787
  • Process Node

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    14 nm
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    10 nm
  • Total Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    6
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    8Best
  • Performance Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    6
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    8Best
  • Efficiency Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    0
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    0
  • Total Threads

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    12
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    16Best
  • SMT Enabled

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Yes
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Yes
  • P-Core Base Clock

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    2.6 GHz
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    2.6 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    4.3 GHz
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    5.0 GHz
  • L2 Cache

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    1.5 MB-85%
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    10 MBBest
  • L3 Cache

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    9 MB-62%
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    24 MBBest
  • Memory Type

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    DDR3-2133, DDR4-2666
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    DDR4Best
  • Integrated Graphics

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8850H
    Yes
    Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
    Yes

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose 8850H if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

    Choose 11980HK if you want the higher L2 cache (10 MB vs 1.5 MB) and the higher L3 cache (24 MB vs 9 MB).