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Intel Core i7-8550U vs Intel Core i3-7130U

Intel Core i7-8550U

► remove from comparison Intel i5-8550U

The Intel Core i7-8550U 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 predecessors Core i7-7500U and i5-7260U, respectively, which were still dual-cores, the i7-8550U is equipped with four cores but at a lower base frequency of 1.8 GHz. The Turbo Boost is not specified yet, but should be at least 3.7 - 4 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

The performance of the i7-8550U depends on the cooling solution of the laptop and the defined TDP limits for short and long term performance. This leads to big differences in our benchmark scores ranging from the 15 Watt reference by Intel up to the 23% higher score of the Inspiron 17-7773 in the Cinebench R15 Multi benchmark. Especially when taxing the CPU for longer periods, these differences can be even higher.

In our usual benchmarks, the average i7-8550U is as fast as the 35 Watt rated Core i5-7440HQ. For single thread performance, the high Turbo Boost frequency helps achieving one of the highest scores for mobile CPUs.

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.

Intel Core i3-7130U

► remove from comparison Intel i3-7130U

The Intel Core i3-7130U is a dual-core processor of the Kaby-Lake architecture. It offers two CPU cores clocked at 2.7 GHz (without Turbo Boost) and integrates HyperThreading to work with up to 4 threads at once. The architectural differences are rather small compared to the Skylake generation, therefore the performance per MHz should be very similar. The SoC includes a dual channel DDR4 memory controller and Intel HD Graphics 620 graphics adapter (clocked at 300 MHz to 1,000 MHz). It is manufactured on improved 14 nm Intel process with FinFETs.

Performance

The average 7130U in our database only just matches the Core i5-4310U, a dual-core CPU of similar energy efficiency that launched in 2014, in multi-thread performance. While not as horribly slow as most N-class Intel chips, this Core i3 is unlikely to make a power user happy.

Your mileage may vary depending on how competent the cooling solution of your system is, and how high the CPU power limits are.

Power consumption

This Core i3 series chip has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 15 W. Laptop makers are allowed to significantly reduce that value (7.5 W being the lower limit) resulting in lower clock speeds and lower performance.

Last but not the least, the i3-7130U is manufactured on one of the old 14 nm Intel processes for subpar, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

ModelIntel Core i7-8550UIntel Core i3-7130U
SeriesIntel Kaby Lake RefreshIntel Kaby Lake
CodenameKaby Lake RefreshKaby Lake-U
Series: Kaby Lake Refresh Kaby Lake Refresh
Intel Core i7-8650U compare1.9 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8550U « 1.8 - 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
Clock1800 - 4000 MHz2700 MHz
L1 Cache256 KB128 KB
L2 Cache1 MB512 KB
L3 Cache8 MB3 MB
Cores / Threads4 / 82 / 4
TDP15 Watt15 Watt
Technology14 nm14 nm
SocketBGA1356BGA1356
FeaturesDual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NIDDR3L-1600/LPDDR3-1866/DDR4-2133 RAM, PCIe 3, 4 GT/s bus, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, MPX, EIST, TM1, TM2, Hyper-Threading, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SGX
iGPUIntel UHD Graphics 620 (300 - 1150 MHz)Intel HD Graphics 620 (300 - 1000 MHz)
Architecturex86x86
$409 U.S.
Announced
max. Temp.100 °C
Manufacturerark.intel.com

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i5-8550U
28.1 pt (39%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
2914 Points (3%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
1021 Points (43%)
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
min: 383     avg: 388.5     median: 388.5 (43%)     max: 394 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
min: 1118     avg: 1128     median: 1128 (3%)     max: 1138 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 301     avg: 576     median: 553 (3%)     max: 761 Points
284 Points (2%)
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 108     avg: 159.5     median: 163 (49%)     max: 172 Points
111 Points (33%)
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 4.38     avg: 6.3     median: 6.1 (8%)     max: 8.56 Points
3.1 Points (4%)
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 1.43     avg: 1.8     median: 1.9 (47%)     max: 1.95 Points
1.3 Points (32%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
min: 4202     avg: 6333     median: 6423 (39%)     max: 8211 Points
4338 Points (26%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
min: 11694     avg: 17867     median: 17321.5 (13%)     max: 24180 Points
9828 Points (7%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
min: 12279     avg: 23153     median: 22717 (16%)     max: 31667 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
min: 6737     avg: 8065     median: 8370.5 (10%)     max: 8436 Points
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
min: 257.5     avg: 352     median: 366.7 (4%)     max: 435 s
568 s (7%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
min: 7.047     avg: 9.8     median: 9.9 (2%)     max: 12.7 s
18 s (4%)
wPrime 1.55 - wPrime 1.55 1024m *
847 s (3%)
wPrime 1.55 - wPrime 1.55 32m *
26.3 s (14%)
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
min: 3847     avg: 4487     median: 4374 (7%)     max: 5287 Points
2250 Points (4%)
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multli Thread 4 runs
15613 MIPS (9%)
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
4337 MIPS (52%)
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
min: 32     avg: 35.3     median: 33.1 (12%)     max: 41 fps
19 fps (7%)
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
min: 143.6     avg: 153.9     median: 147.9 (34%)     max: 178 fps
100.2 fps (23%)
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - HWBOT x265 4k Preset
min: 3.77     avg: 4     median: 3.9 (7%)     max: 4.43 fps
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
min: 0.357     avg: 0.4     median: 0.4 (0%)     max: 0.469 GB/s
0.2 GB/s (0%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
min: 0.583     avg: 0.7     median: 0.7 (13%)     max: 0.793 GB/s
0.3 GB/s (5%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
min: 3.3     avg: 4.2     median: 4.3 (11%)     max: 4.6 GB/s
1.7 GB/s (4%)
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
min: 841     avg: 897     median: 913 (6%)     max: 937 Seconds
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
0.7 sec (15%)
3DMark 06 - CPU - 3DMark 06 - CPU
min: 4534     avg: 5951     median: 5845 (12%)     max: 7795 Points
3823 Points (8%)
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
min: 9     avg: 10.5     median: 9.3 (2%)     max: 17.45 s
14.1 s (3%)
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
min: 20     avg: 23     median: 21.2 (1%)     max: 32.72 s
47.1 s (2%)
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
min: 510     avg: 575     median: 536 (2%)     max: 740 s
744 s (3%)
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. CPU no Physx
21623 Points (19%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
min: 3961     avg: 6653     median: 6649 (18%)     max: 9527 Points
3932 Points (11%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
min: 16314     avg: 42803     median: 44682 (36%)     max: 55226 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
min: 16312     avg: 37536     median: 36876 (30%)     max: 51937 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
min: 27917     avg: 50269     median: 52842 (45%)     max: 58213 Points
36137 Points (30%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
min: 3437     avg: 5739     median: 5695 (14%)     max: 7725 Points
3090 Points (8%)
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
min: 3961     avg: 8228     median: 8306 (15%)     max: 11110 Points
4360 Points (8%)
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
min: 2463     avg: 2898     median: 2875 (12%)     max: 3865 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Single-Core
1081 Points (5%)
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
3141 Points (10%)
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 4555     avg: 4858     median: 4900 (49%)     max: 4997 Points
3497 Points (35%)
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 10869     avg: 14247     median: 15117 (17%)     max: 16294 Points
6792 Points (8%)
Geekbench 4.0 - Geekbench 4.0 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 4439     avg: 4686     median: 4699 (64%)     max: 4858 Points
3473 Points (47%)
Geekbench 4.0 - Geekbench 4.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 10747     avg: 13316     median: 13251 (32%)     max: 15294 Points
6782 Points (17%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Multi-Core
min: 8918     avg: 12315     median: 12327.5 (22%)     max: 14144 Points
6047 Points (11%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Single-Core
min: 2471     avg: 3671     median: 3770 (74%)     max: 4020 Points
2829 Points (55%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 11637     avg: 12834     median: 12833.5 (20%)     max: 14030 Points
6279 Points (10%)
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 3784     avg: 3949     median: 3948.5 (59%)     max: 4113 Points
2972 Points (45%)
Geekbench 2 - 32 Bit - Geekbench Stream
8776 Points (71%)
Geekbench 2 - 32 Bit - Geekbench Memory
7335 Points (67%)
Geekbench 2 - 32 Bit - Geekbench Floating Point
6043 Points (12%)
Geekbench 2 - 32 Bit - Geekbench Integer
5967 Points (12%)
Geekbench 2 - 32 Bit - Geekbench Total Score
6548 Points (17%)
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
min: 877     avg: 1087     median: 1107 (1%)     max: 2114 ms
1682 ms (2%)
Sunspider - Sunspider 1.0 Total Score *
min: 63.2     avg: 80.3     median: 71.3 (1%)     max: 122.7 ms
117.7 ms (1%)
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
min: 17296     avg: 33448     median: 33496 (30%)     max: 42043 Points
21368 Points (19%)
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
182 Points (38%)
Power Consumption - Prime95 Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 25.3     avg: 40.1     median: 33.7 (6%)     max: 61.4 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 28.2     avg: 38.1     median: 30.4 (6%)     max: 63.2 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Efficiency - external Monitor
min: 10.4     avg: 15.6     median: 17.3 (13%)     max: 17.5 Points per Watt

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i7-8550U → 100% n=33

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i3-7130U → 67% n=33

- 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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v1.26
log 29. 13:25:50

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