Core i5-8550 vs Core i7-8550U
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-8550U and Core i5-8550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1385 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7 | Intel Core i5 |
| Architecture codename | Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) |
| Release date | 21 August 2017 (6 years ago) | 1 September 2018 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $409 | no data |
Detailed specifications
Core i7-8550U and Core i5-8550 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) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 6 |
| Base clock speed | 1.8 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1.8 GHz | 4.3 GHz |
| Bus support | 4 GT/s | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 256 KB | 384 KB |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 1.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 8 MB | 9 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 i5-8550 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 i5-8550. 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 i5-8550 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 i5-8550. 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 | 42.671 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 i5-8550.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 12 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Integrated graphics card | 2.67 | 3.09 |
| Recency | 21 August 2017 | 1 September 2018 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 6 |
| Threads | 8 | 6 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 15 Watt | 65 Watt |
i7-8550U has 33.3% more threads, and 333.3% lower power consumption.
i5-8550, on the other hand, has 15.7% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 1 year, and 50% more physical cores.
We couldn't decide between Core i7-8550U and Core i5-8550. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Core i7-8550U is a notebook processor while Core i5-8550 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-8550U and Core i5-8550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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