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Some Intel Core i9 laptops are not running any faster than a Core i7

Intel Core i9 offers very little benefit over Core i7 for mobile (Image source: Intel)
Intel Core i9 offers very little benefit over Core i7 for mobile (Image source: Intel)
There are generational performance leaps, and then there is pure marketing. The Core i9 series has so far been leaning towards the latter in terms of raw performance. In some cases, the CPU may even be slower than the Core i7.

Coffee Lake-H offers a measurable performance boost over the Kaby Lake HQ series largely because it introduces two additional physical cores for up to 12 simultaneous threads. Jumping from the last generation Core i7-7700HQ to the new Core i7-8750H, for example, can bring a 40 to 50 percent increase in multi-thread performance according to CineBench benchmarks.

The Coffee Lake-H Core i9 series, however, has been a mixed bag. When compared to the Core i7-8750H, the Core i9-8950HK can range from anywhere between 0 percent to 30 percent faster in multi-threaded workloads. In other words, some laptops are selling at premium Core i9 prices while providing a performance level very similar to that of a cheaper Core i7 configuration.

We've already tested a handful of Core i9 laptops including the Aorus X9 DT, MSI GT75, Asus Chimera G703GI, Alienware 15 R4, and the Eurocom Q8. The latter two in particular return disappointing CineBench R15 results with scores not unlike some competing laptops with the less expensive Core i7-8750H. The graph below illustrates how a number of Core i9 laptops are curiously underperforming despite being an unlocked HK-class processor.

The takeaway message here is that users may want to double-check if a high-end Core i9-8950HK SKU is really worth the investment especially when Core i7-8750H alternatives are widely available. Depending on the model in question, there may only be just marginal performance benefits at best. The Core i9 XPS 15 9570 and Core i9 MacBook Pro 15 2018 come to mind as their respective OEMs are demanding a high premium for the Core i9 name even if the performance boosts are dubious at best.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK
206 Points
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
205 Points
MSI GT75
Intel Core i9-8950HK
203 Points
Eurocom Q8
Intel Core i9-8950HK
202 Points
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
197 Points
Aorus X9 DT
Intel Core i9-8950HK
185 Points
SCHENKER XMG A517 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
176 Points
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Intel Core i7-8750H
176 Points
SCHENKER XMG A707 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
174 Points
MSI GT63 Titan 8RG-046
Intel Core i7-8750H
174 Points
Razer Blade 15 2018
Intel Core i7-8750H
172 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 15
Intel Core i7-8750H
172 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H
168 Points
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EK71080
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
161 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
Aorus X9 DT
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1391 Points
MSI GT75
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1391 Points
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1378 Points
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1312 Points
SCHENKER XMG A517 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
1176 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 15
Intel Core i7-8750H
1154 Points
SCHENKER XMG A707 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
1112 Points
Eurocom Q8
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1099 Points
MSI GT63 Titan 8RG-046
Intel Core i7-8750H
1091 Points
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1083 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H
1027 Points
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1060
Intel Core i7-8750H
1008 Points
Razer Blade 15 2018
Intel Core i7-8750H
983 Points
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EK71080
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
738 Points
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK
2.34 Points
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
2.33 Points
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
2.28 Points
Aorus X9 DT
Intel Core i9-8950HK
2.1 Points
SCHENKER XMG A707 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.99 Points
SCHENKER XMG A517 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.98 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 15
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.96 Points
Razer Blade 15 2018
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.95 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.92 Points
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EK71080
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.84 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus Chimera G703GI
Intel Core i9-8950HK
15.14 Points
Aorus X9 DT
Intel Core i9-8950HK
15.13 Points
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
Intel Core i9-8950HK
15.05 Points
SCHENKER XMG A517 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
13.35 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 15
Intel Core i7-8750H
12.89 Points
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
12.39 Points
SCHENKER XMG A707 Coffee Lake
Intel Core i7-8750H
12.2 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
Intel Core i7-8750H
11.2 Points
Razer Blade 15 2018
Intel Core i7-8750H
10.51 Points
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EK71080
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.13 Points
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2018 07 > Some Intel Core i9 laptops are not running any faster than a Core i7
Allen Ngo, 2018-07-18 (Update: 2018-07-18)