Ultra 5 238V vs i7-8550U

Place in the ranking	1462	525
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	no data
Power efficiency	24.27	78.17
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019)	Lunar Lake (2024)
Release date	21 August 2017 (7 years ago)	24 September 2024 (less than a year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$409	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	4 (Quad-Core)	8 (Octa-Core)
Threads	8	8
Base clock speed	1.8 GHz	2.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	4.7 GHz
Bus type	OPI	no data
Bus rate	4 GT/s	37 MHz
Multiplier	18	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	192 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	2.5 MB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	3 nm
Die size	123 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	FCBGA1356,FC-BGA1356	FCBGA2833
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	17 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
Deep Learning Boost	-	+
Supported AI Software Frameworks	-	OpenVINO™, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT, WebNN

Security technologies

Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR5
Maximum memory size	32 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel UHD Graphics 620	Intel Arc Graphics 130V
Max video memory	32 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.15 GHz	1.85 GHz

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	3
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096 x 2304@24Hz	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 TMDS) 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz (HDMI2.1 FRL)
Max resolution over eDP	4096 x 2304@60Hz	3840x2400 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096 x 2304@60Hz	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	12.2
OpenGL	4.4	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V.

PCIe version	3.0	5.0
PCI Express lanes	12	4
PCI support	no data	5.0 and 4.0

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.85	14.05
Integrated graphics card	2.67	11.64
Recency	21 August 2017	24 September 2024
Physical cores	4	8
Chip lithography	14 nm	3 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	17 Watt

i7-8550U has 13.3% lower power consumption.

Ultra 5 238V, on the other hand, has a 264.9% higher aggregate performance score, 336% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 7 years, 100% more physical cores, and a 366.7% more advanced lithography process.

The Core Ultra 5 238V is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-8550U in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-8550U and Core Ultra 5 238V, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.