Intel Core i5-11260H vs Intel Core i7-9700

Intel Core i5-11260H

The Intel Core i5-11260H is a mid range hexa core SoC for gaming laptops and mobile workstations. It is based on the Tiger Lake H45 generation and was announced in mid 2021. It integrates six Willow Cove processor cores (12 threads thanks to HyperThreading). The base clock speed depends on the TDP setting and at 45 Watt is at 2.6 GHz. The single and dual core boost speed can reach up to 4.4 GHz, all cores can reach up to 4 GHz. The CPU offers 12 MB level 3 cache and supports DDR4-3200 memory.

Thanks to the new Tiger Lake architecture, the i5-11260H should be able to reach the level of the high clocked Intel Core i7-10850H (Comet Lake-H, 6 cores, 2.7 - 5.1 GHz, 16 MB L3) in single and multi threaded performance. Compared, to current AMD offerings, the 11260H should perform similar to a Ryzen 5 5600H (6 cores, 2.4 - 3.3. GHz, 16 MB L3 cache) or the 5600HS when the TDP is set to 35W.

The SoC also features a much improved UHD Graphics (16 EUs) iGPU based on the Xe architecture.

Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (20 lanes in the H45 series), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6E in the chip.

The chip is produced in the improved 10nm process (called 10nm SuperFin) at Intel, which should be comparable to the 7nm process at TSMC (e.g. Ryzen 4000 series). The default TDP is rated at 45 W at 2.6 GHz base speed, at 35 Watt the base clock speed decreases to 2.1 GHz (cTDP down).

All articles on Tiger Lake can be found on our Tiger Lake architecture hub.

Intel Core i7-9700

The Intel Core i7-9700 is a high end desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It integrates 8 cores (no Hyperthreading therefore also 8 threads) clocked at 3 - 4.7 GHz. Compared to the similar named Core i7-9700K, the 9700 has no open multiplicator for easy overclocking, offers lower clock speeds and offers a reduced TDP.

Compared to the old Core i7-8700, the 9700 offers two more real cores but no Hyperthreading. Therefore, the performance gain is not that big - depending on the app. The single core performance was slightly improved thanks to the higher Turbo clocks. As a high end desktop CPU, the i7-9700 is well suited for demanding tasks and gaming.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 graphics card is clocked at up to 1.2 GHz and offers no advantage compared to previous generations. As it is a very low end GPU, only some low demanding games like Hearthstone can be played with it (see GPU page for benchmarks).

Intel specifies the TDP at 65 Watt (instead of the 95W of the faster models) and therefore the CPU wont need a high end desktop cooling system.