Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus vs Intel Core i7-8550U
79Single-core37.7
86.8Multi-core23.8
44.4Efficiencyspec-based66.4
60.5iGPU25.8
73.9Platformspec-based37.2
13 spec wins — Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus1 spec wins — Intel Core i7-8550U
InnoReviews verdict
Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus wins this laptop processor face-off, 73.9 to 35.9, pulling ahead mainly in multi-core (+63) and single-core (+41). Intel Core i7-8550U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- Stronger single-core score: 79 vs 38
- Stronger multi-core score: 87 vs 24
- Stronger iGPU score: 61 vs 26
- 1260% higher Cinebench R23 (multi): 39,617 vs 2,914
- 913% higher PassMark: 58,672 vs 5,794
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i7-8550U
- 73% lower Base TDP: 15 W vs 55 W
General
| Spec | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2017 |
| Process | 3 nm+79% | 14 nm |
| Base TDP | 55 W | 15 W+73% |
| Max TDP | 160 W+540% | 25 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 24+500% | 4 |
| Performance cores | 8 | — |
| Efficiency cores | 16 | — |
| Threads | 24+200% | 8 |
| Base clock | 2.7 GHz+50% | 1.8 GHz |
| Boost clock | 5.5 GHz+38% | 4 GHz |
| L3 cache | 36 MB+350% | 8 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Intel Graphics (4 Xe-cores) | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| iGPU clock | 2,000 MHz | 1,150 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | DDR5-6400 | DDR4-2400 / LPDDR3-2133 |
| Max memory | 256 GB+700% | 32 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,198Top 11% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 21,581Top 9% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 2,340+129%Top 3% | 1,021Bottom 10% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 39,617+1260%Top 2% | 2,914Bottom 6% |
| PassMark | 58,672+913%Top 1% | 5,794Bottom 8% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | 1,855+377%Top 36% | 389Bottom 8% |
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