Intel Core i7-8650U vs Intel Core i7-8550U

Processor comparisons   04-02-2023
   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i7-8650U vs Intel Core i7-8550U and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like WPrime, SuperPi, Blender, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, Blender, UserBenchmark, AIDA64, RealBench, 3DMark, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8550U or Intel Core i7-8650U.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-8650U

52%

Core i7-8550U

51%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-8650U is 1% better than Core i7-8550U. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-8650U

52%

Core i7-8550U

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.3	91.9
Valorant	104.8	104.4
Cyberpunk 2077	58.7	58.5
Apex Legends	98.6	98.1
Call of Duty Warzone	78.6	78.3
Overwatch	84.9	84.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.3	72.0
DOOM Eternal	52.4	52.2
Warzone	81.8	81.4
Assassin's Creed	88.1	87.7
Valheim	87.0	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 i7-8650U

268%

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 i7-8650U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-8550U 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. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit 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 i7-8650U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	175	167
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	614	564
Cinbench 20 Single-core	365	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1299	1211
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1037	979
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3576	3111

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

	Intel Core i7-8650U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	2237	2072
Multi-Core	6598	5970

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

	Intel Core i7-8650U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	1208	1027
Multi-Core	4182	3788

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-8650U	Intel Core i7-8550U
Announcement date	September 23, 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	4.2 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	1.9 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	8 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 i7-8650U is 5% better than Core i7-8550U 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 i7-8650U is better: 24
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8550U is better: 2
Although it should be realized that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i7-8650U and Intel Core i7-8550U before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i7-8650U - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-8650U specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8550U specs and review.