i9-9900 vs i7-8550U

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-8550U
2017
4 cores / 8 threads, 15 Watt
3.85
Core i9-9900
2019
8 cores / 16 threads, 65 Watt
10.38
+170%

Core i9-9900 outperforms Core i7-8550U by a whopping 170% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1449743
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data8.55
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i7Intel Core i9
Power efficiency24.2915.11
Architecture codenameKaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019)Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)
Release date21 August 2017 (7 years ago)23 April 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$409$439

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)8 (Octa-Core)
Threads816
Base clock speed1.8 GHz3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed4 GHz5 GHz
Bus typeOPIDMI 3.0
Bus rate4 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier18no data
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm14 nm
Die size123 mm2no data
Maximum core temperature100 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °C72 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCBGA1356,FC-BGA1356FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shift+no data
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX-+
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access+no data
SIPP-+
Smart Response+no data

Security technologies

Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB++
Secure Key++
MPX-+
Identity Protection++
SGXYes with Intel® MEYes with Intel® ME
OS Guard++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 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 i9-9900. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR4-2666
Maximum memory size32 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth38.397 GB/s42.671 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel UHD Graphics 620Intel UHD Graphics 630
Max video memory32 GB64 GB
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Video++
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequency1.15 GHz1.2 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported33
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
DVI+no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support++
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096 x 2304@24Hz4096 x 2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP4096 x 2304@60Hz4096 x 2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096 x 2304@60Hz4096 x 2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX1212
OpenGL4.44.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes1216

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
i9-9900 10.38
+170%

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
i9-9900 16488
+169%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-8550U 878
i9-9900 1595
+81.7%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-8550U 2622
i9-9900 7196
+174%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.85 10.38
Integrated graphics card 2.67 3.09
Recency 21 August 2017 23 April 2019
Physical cores 4 8
Threads 8 16
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 65 Watt

i7-8550U has 333.3% lower power consumption.

i9-9900, on the other hand, has a 169.6% higher aggregate performance score, 15.7% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 1 year, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

The Core i9-9900 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-8550U in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i7-8550U is a notebook processor while Core i9-9900 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-8550U and Core i9-9900, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core i7-8550U
Core i7-8550U
Intel Core i9-9900
Core i9-9900

Similar processor comparisons

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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