Core i3-9100 vs Core i7-8550U
Aggregate performance score
i3-9100 outperforms i7-8550U by a small 8% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1385 | 1317 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 10.28 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7 | Intel Core i3 |
| Architecture codename | Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) |
| Release date | 21 August 2017 (6 years ago) | 23 April 2019 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $409 | $122 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100 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) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 1.8 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Bus support | 4 GT/s | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 256 KB | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 8 MB | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 123 mm2 | 126 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | 72 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100 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 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | BGA1356 | 1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | no data |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | 38.397 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 12 | 16 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Core i3-9100 outperforms Core i7-8550U by 8% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i3-9100 outperforms Core i7-8550U by 8% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 41%
Core i3-9100 outperforms Core i7-8550U by 57% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 41%
Core i3-9100 outperforms Core i7-8550U by 37% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.96 | 4.28 |
| Integrated graphics card | 2.67 | 3.09 |
| Recency | 21 August 2017 | 23 April 2019 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 65 Watt |
i7-8550U has 100% more threads, and 333.3% lower power consumption.
i3-9100, on the other hand, has a 8.1% higher aggregate performance score, 15.7% faster integrated GPU, and an age advantage of 1 year.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100.
Be aware that Core i7-8550U is a notebook processor while Core i3-9100 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-8550U and Core i3-9100, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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