i3-1210U vs i7-8550U

Place in the ranking	1463	1042
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Alder Lake-M
Power efficiency	24.31	69.65
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019)	Alder Lake-U (2022)
Release date	21 August 2017 (7 years ago)	23 February 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$409	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U 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	8
Base clock speed	1.8 GHz	1 GHz
Boost clock speed	4 GHz	4.4 GHz
Bus type	OPI	no data
Bus rate	4 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	18	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	10 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	123 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U 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
Socket	FCBGA1356,FC-BGA1356	FCBGA1781
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	9 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	-
Smart Response	+	no data
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size	32 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel UHD Graphics 620	Intel UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel Processors
Max video memory	32 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.15 GHz	850 MHz
Execution Units	no data	64

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	4
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096 x 2304@24Hz	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	4096 x 2304@60Hz	4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096 x 2304@60Hz	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	12.1
OpenGL	4.4	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U.

PCIe version	3.0	4.0
PCI Express lanes	12	14

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i7-8550U 3.85

i3-1210U 6.62
+71.9%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i7-8550U 6118

i3-1210U 10513
+71.8%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.85	6.62
Integrated graphics card	2.67	5.58
Recency	21 August 2017	23 February 2022
Physical cores	4	6
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	9 Watt

i3-1210U has a 71.9% higher aggregate performance score, 109% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 4 years, 50% more physical cores, and 66.7% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-1210U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-8550U in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-8550U and Core i3-1210U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.