Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 vs Intel Core i7-8550U

Processor comparisons 28-02-2023

   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 vs Intel Core i7-8550U and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Blender, RealBench, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, 7zip, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, SuperPi, Blender, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, PassMark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8550U or Qualcomm Snapdragon 850.

Summary benchmark results

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

Snapdragon 850

51%

Core i7-8550U

51%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Snapdragon 850

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 of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low 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, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	90.2	91.9
Valorant	102.5	104.4
Cyberpunk 2077	57.4	58.5
Apex Legends	96.3	98.1
Call of Duty Warzone	76.8	78.3
Overwatch	83.0	84.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	70.7	72.0
DOOM Eternal	51.2	52.2
Warzone	79.9	81.4
Assassin's Creed	86.1	87.7
Valheim	85.0	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 comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. Therefore, 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

Snapdragon 850

200%

Core i7-8550U

228%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i7-8550U is more energy efficient than the Snapdragon 850 as it consumes less power: 8W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports 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

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 850	Intel Core i7-8550U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	84	167
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	209	564
Cinbench 20 Single-core	170	354
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	350	1211
Cinbench 23 Single-core	485	979
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	1347	3111

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

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 850	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	596	2072
Multi-Core	3792	5970

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

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 850	Intel Core i7-8550U
Single-Core	482	1027
Multi-Core	2115	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!

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 850	Intel Core i7-8550U
Announcement date	February 12, 2021	April 01, 2017
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	Unk	FC-BGA1356
Core name	Kryo 385	Kaby Lake R
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	8
Turbo Frequency		4 MHz
Frequency	2.4 MHz	1.8 MHz
Cores	8	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate		4 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	10 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	1820 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	8 W	15 W
Memory type	LPDDR4x	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133
Max. Memory	16 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	4266
Memory bandwidth		37.5 GB/s
L1 cache	1MB
L2 cache	4MB
L3 cache		8 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Snapdragon 850 is 25% better than Core i7-8550U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Snapdragon 850 has 4 more core than Core i7-8550U. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 is better: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8550U is better: 28
However, it should be understood that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 and Intel Core i7-8550U before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 - all data

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

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8550U specs and review.