Intel Core i5-8350U vs Intel Core i7-8550U

Processor comparisons   04-02-2023
   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-8350U vs Intel Core i7-8550U and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, programming, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like RealBench, MATLAB, 3DMark, Blender, Gears 5, PassMark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, Handbrake, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8550U or Intel Core i5-8350U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-8350U

51%

Core i7-8550U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8350U

51%

Core i7-8550U

52%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Ghostrunner, Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.4	91.9
Valorant	103.9	104.4
Cyberpunk 2077	58.2	58.5
Apex Legends	97.6	98.1
Call of Duty Warzone	77.9	78.3
Overwatch	84.1	84.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.7	72.0
DOOM Eternal	51.9	52.2
Warzone	81.0	81.4
Assassin's Creed	87.2	87.7
Valheim	86.2	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 participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance 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 i5-8350U

208%

Core i7-8550U

228%

To make a finishing 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 i5-8350U since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software 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 run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i5-8350U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	167	167
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	571	564
Cinbench 20 Single-core	421	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1564	1211
Cinbench 23 Single-core	886	979
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3002	3111

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

	Intel Core i5-8350U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	2083	2072
Multi-Core	6398	5970

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

	Intel Core i5-8350U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	939	1027
Multi-Core	3324	3788

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-8350U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Announcement date	September 24, 2017	April 01, 2017
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	FC-BGA1356	FC-BGA1356
Core name	Kaby Lake R	Kaby Lake R
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	8	8
Turbo Frequency	3.6 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	1.7 MHz	1.8 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	4 GT/s	4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	1700 millions	1820 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s	37.5 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	8 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	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 i7-8550U is 5% better than Core i5-8350U in terms of CPU frequency. 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 i5-8350U is better: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8550U is better: 20
However, it should be understood that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-8350U and Intel Core i7-8550U before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-8350U - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-8350U specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8550U specs and review.