Intel Core i9-10885H is almost 20 percent slower than the Core i7-10875H

Intel vPro-enabled processors are typically slower than their non-vPro counterparts due to the overhead necessary for the integrated security features. The vPro-enabled Core i7-10810U, for example, is about 10 to 15 percent slower than the consumer-oriented Core i7-10710U even though the higher-digit naming convention might suggest otherwise.

The latest vPro CPU we tested was the 10th gen Comet lake-H Core i9-10885H as found on the Dell Precision 3551. When compared to its consumer-oriented counterpart the Core i7-10875H, the Core i9 CPU is slower in multi-threaded applications by about 20 percent according to CineBench benchmarks. Other benchmarks like Blender, 7-Zip, LibreOffice, and HWBOT show a smaller gap of about 10 percent between the two processors.

The 20 percent performance deficit against the Core i7-10875H is wider than anticipated, but we do believe the i9-10885H is able to narrow the gap if configured on laptops with better cooling. The CPU in our Precision 3551 test unit, for example, would stabilize at just 2.7 GHz when at 100 percent utilization which is only 300 MHz above the base clock rate. Intel rates the processor for much higher Turbo Boost clock rates of up to 5.3 GHz meaning there is plenty of untouched performance headroom if laptops are able to support it. The Precision 3551, being a budget mobile workstation, likely wasn't designed to run a Core i9 CPU anywhere near its maximum potential.

It's unlikely that we'll get to test many more Core i9-10885H laptops as this particular processor is quite uncommon, but it's something to keep in mind for those who want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of their vPro-enabled business laptops or mobile workstations.

(October 16, 2020 update: Dell has confirmed that the Precision 3551 uses a 35 W CPU design while the Latitude 7550 is a 45 W design which explains why our Core i9 Precision can perform slower in multi-threaded workloads than a Core i7 Latitude.)