Intel Core 5 120U vs Intel Core i7-8550U
59.8Single-core37.7
36.2Multi-core23.8
75.3Efficiencyspec-based66.4
—iGPU25.8
50.3Platformspec-based37.2
11 spec wins — Intel Core 5 120U1 spec wins — Intel Core i7-8550U
InnoReviews verdict
Intel Core 5 120U wins this laptop processor face-off, 51.6 to 35.9, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+22) and multi-core (+12). 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 5 120U
- Stronger single-core score: 60 vs 38
- Stronger multi-core score: 36 vs 24
- 200% higher Max memory: 96 GB vs 32 GB
- 157% higher PassMark: 14,877 vs 5,794
- 150% higher cores: 10 vs 4
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i7-8550U
- 29% higher Base clock: 1.8 GHz vs 1.4 GHz
General
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2024 | 2017 |
| Process | 10 nm+29% | 14 nm |
| Base TDP | 15 W | 15 W |
| Max TDP | 55 W+120% | 25 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 10+150% | 4 |
| Performance cores | 2 | — |
| Efficiency cores | 8 | — |
| Threads | 12+50% | 8 |
| Base clock | 1.4 GHz | 1.8 GHz+29% |
| Boost clock | 5 GHz+25% | 4 GHz |
| L3 cache | 12 MB+50% | 8 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Intel Iris Xe (80 EU) | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| iGPU clock | 1,300 MHz | 1,150 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-5200 / DDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267 | DDR4-2400 / LPDDR3-2133 |
| Max memory | 96 GB+200% | 32 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i7-8550U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,469Bottom 50% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 9,070Bottom 33% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 1,757+72%Top 45% | 1,021Bottom 10% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 6,659+129%Bottom 19% | 2,914Bottom 6% |
| PassMark | 14,877+157%Bottom 30% | 5,794Bottom 8% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 389Bottom 8% |
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