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Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK: Comparison
9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H vs 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK: the l3 cache difference
The gap that matters here is l3 cache: 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H 12 MB against 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK 24 MB, which puts 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK 50% ahead. 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK also leads on l2 cache, 1.5 MB on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H versus 10 MB on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK. They differ on product line too, Core i7 on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H versus Core i9 on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK. They differ on release year too, 2019 on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H versus 2021 on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK.
Which should you buy, 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H or 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK?
Take the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H for gaming and creator laptops of its generation wanting solid 6-core Coffee Lake Refresh performance. It is not the one for buyers with access to the later 10th Gen i7-10750H, that chip offers a modest generational improvement on a similar core configuration. Take the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK for flagship gaming laptops wanting the strongest available Tiger Lake H performance with overclocking headroom. It is the wrong buy 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
Everything else lines up. Efficiency cores, p-core base clock, tdp, integrated graphics and form factor read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 2 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H and 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK differ on total cores?
Yes. Total Cores reads 6 on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H versus 8 on the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK.
Is the Market Segment the same on the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H 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 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Intel
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Intel
Product Line
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Core i7
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Core i9
Form Factor
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Laptop
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Laptop
Model Number
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 9850H
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 11980HK
Codename
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Coffee Lake
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Tiger Lake
Release Year
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 2019
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 2021
TDP
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 45 W
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 45 W
iGPU
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 (48 EU)
Market Segment
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Laptop
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Laptop
Microarchitecture
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Coffee Lake Refresh, 9th Gen Intel Core
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Tiger Lake H, 11th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- FCBGA1440
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- FCBGA1787
Process Node
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 14 nm
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 10 nm
Total Cores
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 6
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 8Best
Performance Cores
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 6
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 8Best
Efficiency Cores
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 0
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 0
Total Threads
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 12
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 16Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 2.6 GHz
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 2.6 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 4.6 GHz
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 5.0 GHz
L2 Cache
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 1.5 MB-85%
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 10 MBBest
L3 Cache
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- 12 MB-50%
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- 24 MBBest
Memory Type
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- DDR4-2666, LPDDR3-2133
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- DDR4
Integrated Graphics
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9850H
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose 9850H 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 12 MB).




