AMD Ryzen 7 5800U vs Intel Core i9-9880H Comparison

The Intel Core i9-9880H and AMD Ryzen 7 5800U are two mobile chips that land in almost the same place on the database leaderboard despite arriving from very different design philosophies. Both are 8-core, 16-thread processors for laptops, and both sit at the 54th percentile against all recorded CPUs. The average benchmark score is nearly identical too: 3433 for the Intel part against 3369 for the AMD part. Yet the head-to-head data tells a far more interesting story, with each chip dominating in different test suites and the Ryzen winning four of six direct comparisons. The short version: the i9-9880H is a 45W H-series workhorse that pulls ahead under long, heavy multi-core loads, while the 5800U does more with a third of the power envelope in most other scenarios.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Start with Cinebench R23 multi-core, the clearest Intel win in the dataset. The i9-9880H posts 11437 points against 8154 for the Ryzen 7 5800U, a 40.3% advantage for the Intel chip. This is the test that runs longest and loads every thread hardest, and the 45W Coffee Lake part simply sustains more throughput there. The single-core R23 result also goes to Intel: 1614 versus 1427, a 13.1% lead. That single-core win is notable because it contradicts the rest of the single-thread picture, and it likely reflects how the two chips behave under sustained load rather than short bursts.

Every remaining comparison goes to AMD. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the 5800U scores 1613 against 1152 for the i9-9880H, a 28.6% lead for the Ryzen. The single-core R15 result is even more lopsided: 229 versus 162, a 29.3% gap in AMD's favor. R15 is a shorter, lighter run than R23, and this is where the Zen 3 architecture shows its per-clock strength. The i9-9880H does carry additional recorded results in Cinebench R20, scoring 4803 multi-core and 677 single-core, but the 5800U has no recorded R20 entries, so no direct comparison is possible there.

Geekbench splits by thread count but goes to AMD both times. Multi-core reads 7132 for the Ryzen against 6248 for the i9-9880H, a 12.4% advantage. Single-core is a bigger gap: 1656 versus 1372, or 17.1% in AMD's favor. Geekbench is a short burst workload, and the 5800U's 4.40 GHz boost clock combined with Zen 3's design clearly favors it in that window.

Put the scores in context. The i9-9880H's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-10875H at an average score of 3432, essentially dead even, plus the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G at 3441 and the Ryzen 5 4600HS at 3444, both within a fraction of a percent. The 5800U keeps company with the Intel Xeon D-1587 at 3350, the Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U at 3394, and the Intel Core i7-7800X at 3333. In other words, both chips sit in the same crowded mid-range neighborhood, separated by less than two percent on average score despite the wildly different results in individual tests.

Where Each One Wins

The pattern in the data is consistent enough to act on. Choose the i9-9880H when your workload runs long and saturates all cores: extended rendering sessions, sustained compilation, batch exports. Cinebench R23 is the model for this scenario, and there the Intel chip's 40.3% multi-core lead is decisive. Its 4.80 GHz boost clock, the highest single-thread figure between the two, also shows up in the R23 single-core result where it leads by 13.1%.

Choose the 5800U for everything else. Shorter multi-core bursts, everyday responsiveness, and general application work all favor the Ryzen: it leads R15 multi-core by 28.6%, Geekbench multi-core by 12.4%, and Geekbench single-core by 17.1%. The R15 single-core margin of 29.3% is the largest gap in the entire head-to-head set, which says a lot about how the two architectures handle quick, punchy tasks.

Power draw is the other axis, and here the decision becomes easy for laptop buyers. The i9-9880H is a 45W TDP part built for performance-oriented machines with the cooling to match. The 5800U runs at 15W TDP, one third of the Intel chip's figure, and still wins four of six head-to-head tests. A chip that delivers comparable average performance in a thin-and-light thermal envelope is the definition of efficiency, and the recorded data makes that case without qualification.

Architecture Differences

These chips come from different eras of process technology. The i9-9880H is built on Intel's 14 nm node, using the Coffee Lake architecture with the Coffee Lake-HR codename. The 5800U uses TSMC's 7 nm process with AMD's Zen 3 architecture under the Cezanne-U codename, part of the Ryzen 5000 series. The die sizes are 149 mm² for Intel and 180 mm² for AMD, with the Ryzen carrying 10,700 million transistors; no transistor count is recorded for the i9-9880H.

Core counts and threading are identical: 8 cores and 16 threads each. Clock behavior differs. The i9-9880H runs a 2.30 GHz base with a 4.80 GHz boost, giving it both the lower base and the higher peak. The 5800U has a 1.9 GHz base and a 4.40 GHz boost. That spread reflects the TDP split: the Intel chip has thermal headroom to push high, the AMD part is tuned to sip power.

Cache hierarchies differ in one meaningful place. Both chips carry 64 KB of L1 per core and 16 MB of shared L3. The L2 is where they diverge: 256 KB per core on the i9-9880H versus 512 KB per core on the 5800U, double the capacity on the AMD side. That larger L2 is a known Zen 3 characteristic and contributes to the strong short-burst performance seen in Geekbench and R15.

Memory support is DDR4 on both, dual-channel on both, with no ECC on either. Bandwidth differs: 51.2 GB/s for the 5800U against 42.7 GB/s for the i9-9880H. PCIe is version 3 on both, though the AMD implementation is listed as Gen 3 with 8 CPU lanes, while the Intel entry specifies Gen 3 without a lane count. Integrated graphics differ too: Intel UHD 630 on the i9-9880H against Radeon Vega 8 on the 5800U.

Platform and lifecycle details round out the picture. The i9-9880H uses Intel BGA 1444-adjacent packaging (BGA 1440), was released on 2019-04-22, and is marked end-of-life. The 5800U uses AMD Socket FP6, was released on 2021-01-11, and remains in active production. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier. Neither has a recorded launch MSRP.

The Verdict

For most buyers the data points to the Ryzen 7 5800U. It wins four of six head-to-head benchmarks, leads in every short-burst test, delivers higher memory bandwidth and double the per-core L2 cache, and does it all at 15W instead of 45W. It is also an active product, which matters for long-term system support. Its database neighborhood includes capable current parts like the Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U.

The i9-9880H still earns its place in one scenario: sustained, all-core workloads where it leads Cinebench R23 multi-core by 40.3%. If a machine built around this chip is available and the workload is rendering-heavy, it remains a strong performer. But its end-of-life status, higher power draw, and losses across the broader test set make it the narrower choice.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: It depends on duration. The i9-9880H wins Cinebench R23 multi-core 11437 to 8154, a 40.3% lead. The 5800U wins Cinebench R15 multi-core 1613 to 1152 and Geekbench multi-core 7132 to 6248. Long sustained runs favor Intel, shorter runs favor AMD.

Q: Which chip is better for single-threaded performance?

A: The 5800U overall. It wins Cinebench R15 single-core 229 to 162 and Geekbench single-core 1656 to 1372. The i9-9880H's only single-core win is R23, 1614 to 1427.

Q: How big is the power difference?

A: The i9-9880H is rated at 45W TDP while the 5800U is rated at 15W TDP. The Ryzen delivers comparable average performance at one third of the rated power.

Q: Do they have the same core counts?

A: Yes. Both are 8-core, 16-thread processors with 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 64 KB of L1 per core. Only L2 differs: 256 KB per core on Intel versus 512 KB per core on AMD.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-9880H still in production?

A: No. The database lists it as end-of-life. The Ryzen 7 5800U is listed as active.

Q: Which integrated graphics are stronger?

A: The database records Intel UHD 630 on the i9-9880H and Radeon Vega 8 on the 5800U, but no iGPU benchmark results are recorded, so no direct comparison can be made from the data.

Specification Differences

| Field | Intel Core i9-9880H | AMD Ryzen 7 5800U |

|---|---|---|

| Manufacturer | Intel | AMD |

| Architecture | Coffee Lake (Coffee Lake-HR) | Zen 3 (Cezanne-U) |

| Process Node | 14 nm (Intel) | 7 nm (TSMC) |

| Base Clock | 2.30 GHz | 1.9 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.80 GHz | 4.40 GHz |

| TDP | 45W | 15W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1440 | AMD Socket FP6 |

| L2 Cache | 256 KB per core | 512 KB per core |

| Die Size | 149 mm² | 180 mm² |

| Transistors | Not recorded | 10,700 million |

| Memory Bandwidth | 42.7 GB/s | 51.2 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 3 | Gen 3, 8 lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD 630 | Radeon Vega 8 |

| Release Date | 2019-04-22 | 2021-01-11 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Part Number | SRFD1 | 100-000000285 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 3433 | 3369 |

| Database Percentile | 54 | 54 |