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Intel Core i7-7920HQ vs Intel Core i7-8650U

Intel Core i7-7920HQ

► remove from comparison Intel i7-7920HQ

The Intel Core i7-7920HQ is a fast quad-core processor for notebooks based on the Kaby Lake architecture and was announced in January 2017. It is the top model of the consumer series at the time of the announcement. Only the Xeon E3-1535M v6 is faster (100 - 200 MHz higher Turbo clocks). Besides four cores including Hyper-Threading support running at 3.1-4.1 GHz (4 cores up to 3.7 GHz, 2 cores up to 3.9 GHz), the processor is also equipped with the HD Graphics 630 GPU as well as a dual-channel memory controller (DDR3L-1600/DDR4-2400). It is manufactured in a 14nm process with FinFET transistors.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

The performance is a bit higher compared to the Skylake predecessor Core i7-6920HQ (2.9-3.8 GHz) thanks to slightly higher clocks (up to 7.9%), so it is the fastest mobile consumer processor in the beginning of 2017 (mobile Xeon E5-1535M v6 has even higher Turbo clocks). The performance is sufficient even for very demanding tasks and on par with powerful desktop quad-core processors.

Graphics

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 has 24 Execution Units (similar to previous HD Graphics 530) running at 350 - 1100 MHz. The performance depends a lot on the memory configuration; it should be comparable to a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 920M in combination with fast DDR4-2133 dual-channel memory.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake now supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors, which were announced in January, should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors, which improves the efficiency even further. Intel still specifies the TDP with 45 Watts, but it can also be reduced to 35 Watts by the notebook manufacturers (cTDP down). This will obviously affect the performance, because the Turbo Boost cannot be maintained for longer periods.

Intel Core i7-8650U

► remove from comparison Intel i7-8650U

The Intel Core i7-8650U is a power efficient quad-core SoC for notebooks and Ultrabooks based on the Kaby Lake Refresh generation and was announced in August 2017. Contrary to its direct predecessor the Core i7-7600U, which were still dual-cores, the i7-8650U is equipped with four cores but at a lower base frequency of 1.9 GHz. The Turbo Boost can go up to 4,2 GHz and therefore also offer good short term single core speeds. The GPU is now named Intel UHD Graphics 620 but otherwise identical to the Intel HD Graphics 620. The integrated memory controller supports DDR4-2400 / LPDDR3-2133 and dual channel memory.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

According to Intel, the new quad core models are up to 40% faster than their dual core predecessors. Due to the reduced TDP and the same 14nm+ process, the long term performance and throttling behaviour will be interesting and depending on the laptop design. Therefore, the older 35 Watt quad-core models should be faster in applications that demand longer CPU loads. The performance however is highly depending on the TDP settings and cooling solution of the laptop. Especially, longer loads will show varying results in different laptops.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 (Intel Gen 9.5) is untouched from the 8th Gen Kaby Lake chips. With fast dual-channel memory it can reach the performance of a dedicated GeForce 920M.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby lake now also supports H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors announced in January should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors (14nm+), the same as the 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. Intel still specifies the TDP with 15 Watts, which is typical for ULV chips. Depending on the usage scenario, the TDP can vary between 7.5 (cTDP Down) and 25 Watts.

ModelIntel Core i7-7920HQIntel Core i7-8650U
SeriesIntel Kaby LakeIntel Kaby Lake Refresh
CodenameKaby LakeKaby Lake Refresh
Series: Kaby Lake Refresh Kaby Lake Refresh
Intel Core i7-7700K compare4.2 - 4.5 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7700 compare3.6 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 compare3.1 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7920HQ « 3.1 - 4.1 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7700T compare2.9 - 3.8 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7600K compare3.8 - 4.2 GHz4 / 4 cores8 MB L3
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 compare3 - 4 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7820HQ compare2.9 - 3.9 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7820HK compare2.9 - 3.9 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7700HQ compare2.8 - 3.8 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7500 compare3.4 - 3.8 GHz4 / 4 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7440HQ compare2.8 - 3.8 GHz4 / 4 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7567U compare3.5 - 4 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7660U compare2.5 - 4 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7600U compare2.8 - 3.9 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7300HQ compare2.5 - 3.5 GHz4 / 4 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7500T compare2.7 - 3.3 GHz4 / 4 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7287U compare3.3 - 3.7 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7560U compare2.4 - 3.8 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7267U compare3.1 - 3.5 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7360U compare2.3 - 3.6 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7500U compare2.7 - 3.5 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7300U compare2.6 - 3.5 GHz2 / 4 cores3 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7260U compare2.2 - 3.4 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7200U compare2.5 - 3.1 GHz2 / 4 cores3 MB L3
Intel Core i3-7100H compare3 GHz2 / 4 cores3 MB L3
Intel Core i3-7167U compare2.8 GHz2 / 4 cores3 MB L3
Intel Core i7-7Y75 compare1.3 - 3.6 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7Y57 compare1.2 - 3.3 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i5-7Y54 compare1.2 - 3.2 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Core i3-7100U compare2.4 GHz2 / 4 cores3 MB L3
Intel Core m3-7Y32 compare1 - 3 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U compare2.3 GHz2 / 4 cores2 MB L3
Intel Core m3-7Y30 compare1 - 2.6 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Celeron 3965U compare2.2 GHz2 / 2 cores2 MB L3
Intel Core i3-7020U compare2.3 GHz2 / 4 cores3 MB L3
Intel Celeron 3867U compare1.8 GHz2 / 2 cores2 MB L3
Intel Celeron 3865U compare1.8 GHz2 / 2 cores2 MB L3
Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y compare1.7 GHz2 / 4 cores2 MB L3
Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y compare1.6 GHz2 / 4 cores2 MB L3
Intel Pentium Gold 4410Y compare1.5 GHz2 / 4 cores2 MB L3
Intel Celeron 3965Y compare1.5 GHz2 / 2 cores2 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8650U « 1.9 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8550U compare1.8 - 4 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8350U compare1.7 - 3.6 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8250U compare1.6 - 3.4 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i3-8130U compare2.2 - 3.4 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Pentium Gold 4417U compare2.3 GHz2 / 4 cores2 MB L3
Clock3100 - 4100 MHz1900 - 4200 MHz
L1 Cache256 KB256 KB
L2 Cache1 MB1 MB
L3 Cache8 MB8 MB
Cores / Threads4 / 84 / 8
TDP45 Watt15 Watt
Technology14 nm14 nm
max. Temp.100 °C
FeaturesDual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NIDual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NI
iGPUIntel HD Graphics 630 (300 - 1150 MHz)Intel UHD Graphics 620 (300 - 1150 MHz)
Architecturex86x86
$378 U.S.$409 U.S.
Announced
SocketBGA1356
Manufacturerark.intel.com

Benchmarks

Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
814 Points (5%)
min: 451     avg: 589     median: 605 (4%)     max: 675 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
163 Points (49%)
min: 128     avg: 165     median: 169 (51%)     max: 178 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
8.9 Points (12%)
min: 5.04     avg: 6.4     median: 6.8 (9%)     max: 7.24 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
1.9 Points (46%)
min: 1.67     avg: 1.9     median: 1.9 (48%)     max: 2.04 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
6169 Points (37%)
min: 5307     avg: 6337     median: 6629 (40%)     max: 6782 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
24138 Points (17%)
min: 16227     avg: 18738     median: 18635 (14%)     max: 21455 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
21677 Points (15%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
6864 Points (8%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
min: 268.3     avg: 301.9     median: 302.8 (4%)     max: 334.6 s
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
min: 8.636     avg: 9.6     median: 9.9 (2%)     max: 10.28 s
wPrime 1.55 - wPrime 1.55 1024m *
413.8 s (2%)
wPrime 1.55 - wPrime 1.55 32m *
10.3 s (5%)
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
5228 Points (8%)
min: 4140     avg: 4423     median: 4319 (7%)     max: 4915 Points
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
50.6 fps (18%)
min: 35     avg: 39.1     median: 39.8 (14%)     max: 41.98 fps
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
189.6 fps (44%)
min: 149     avg: 165.4     median: 169.6 (39%)     max: 173.2 fps
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
0.5 GB/s (0%)
min: 0.393     avg: 0.4     median: 0.4 (0%)     max: 0.444 GB/s
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
0.8 GB/s (13%)
min: 0.662     avg: 0.7     median: 0.7 (12%)     max: 0.733 GB/s
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
4.6 GB/s (12%)
min: 3.9     avg: 4.2     median: 4.3 (11%)     max: 4.4 GB/s
3DMark 06 - CPU - 3DMark 06 - CPU
min: 4487     avg: 6716     median: 6936 (15%)     max: 7939 Points
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
9.6 s (2%)
min: 8     avg: 8.6     median: 8.8 (2%)     max: 9 s
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
21.9 s (1%)
min: 19     avg: 19.7     median: 20 (1%)     max: 20.1 s
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
536 s (2%)
min: 501     avg: 513     median: 508 (2%)     max: 542 s
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. CPU no Physx
19125 Points (17%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
10006 Points (27%)
min: 5168     avg: 7106     median: 6863 (19%)     max: 8887 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
54313 Points (44%)
min: 39040     avg: 42198     median: 41275 (34%)     max: 47797 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
min: 41011     avg: 43029     median: 41405.5 (34%)     max: 48293 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
min: 44090     avg: 52920     median: 56455 (48%)     max: 58675 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
8483 Points (21%)
min: 4442     avg: 5935     median: 6089 (15%)     max: 7416 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
11841 Points (21%)
min: 6823     avg: 8895     median: 9167 (16%)     max: 10541 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
min: 2685     avg: 3010     median: 2876 (12%)     max: 3569 Points
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Multi-Core
14987 Points (27%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Single-Core
3906 Points (76%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 64 Bit Multi-Core
15856 Points (25%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 64 Bit Single-Core
4112 Points (62%)
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
904 ms (1%)
min: 809     avg: 1126     median: 1076.5 (1%)     max: 1912 ms
Sunspider - Sunspider 1.0 Total Score *
66.3 ms (1%)
min: 63.8     avg: 74.2     median: 74.4 (1%)     max: 83.1 ms
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
min: 11491     avg: 31341     median: 33906 (30%)     max: 42822 Points
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
227 Points (47%)

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i7-7920HQ → 100% n=21

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i7-8650U → 89% n=21

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

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show all (including archived), 2024, 2023
v1.26
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#11 min, max, avg, median took s +0.325s ... 0.456s

#12 return log +0.038s ... 0.494s

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Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)