Intel Core i3-7350K vs Intel Core i7-8550U

Processor comparisons 18-02-2022

   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i3-7350K vs Intel Core i7-8550U tests and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, PassMark, Gears 5, Prime95, Blender, WPrime, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, RealBench, SuperPi, PCMark 10, MATLAB, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, 7zip.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Grand Theft Auto V
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Apex Legends
Fallout 76
Watch Dogs Legion
DOOM: Eternal
Last Man Standing
Red Dead Redemption 2
Valheim
Fortnite
Valorant
Cyberpunk 2077
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Borderlands 3
Death Stranding
Overwatch
Halo Infinite
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Rainbow Six Siege

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8550U or Intel Core i3-7350K.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i3-7350K

51%

Core i7-8550U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-7350K

51%

Core i7-8550U

52%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.6	91.9
Valorant	102.9	104.4
Cyberpunk 2077	57.6	58.5
Apex Legends	96.8	98.1
Call of Duty Warzone	77.2	78.3
Overwatch	83.4	84.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.0	72.0
DOOM Eternal	51.5	52.2
Warzone	80.3	81.4
Assassin's Creed	86.5	87.7
Valheim	85.4	86.6

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-7350K

62%

Core i7-8550U

228%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-8550U is more energy efficient than the Core i3-7350K as it consumes less power: 60W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i7-8550U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	181	167
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	458	564
Cinbench 20 Single-core	370	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	874	1211
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1251	979
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3136	3111

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	2467	2072
Multi-Core	4831	5970

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	1122	1027
Multi-Core	2531	3788

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i3-7350K	Intel Core i7-8550U
Announcement date	March 21, 2017	April 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA1151	FC-BGA1356
Core name	Kaby Lake	Kaby Lake R
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	8
Turbo Frequency		4 MHz
Frequency	4.2 MHz	1.8 MHz
Cores	2	4
Threads	4	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	1820 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	60 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	4 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-7350K is 57% better than Core i7-8550U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-8550U has 2 more core than Core i3-7350K. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-7350K is better: 11
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8550U is better: 24
Although it should be realized that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i3-7350K and Intel Core i7-8550U before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-7350K - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-7350K specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8550U specs and review.