CPU Comparison

The Intel Core i7-8750H and Intel Core 3 N355 are two mobile processors separated by nearly seven years of silicon evolution, yet the benchmark data reveals a surprisingly competitive rivalry. The i7-8750H, a 6-core/12-thread Coffee Lake-H part from 2018, and the Core 3 N355, an 8-core/8-thread Twin Lake chip from 2025, trade blows across different workloads. The final tally shows the older i7-8750H winning 10 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks, while the newer Core 3 N355 takes 7, but the margin of victory in each category tells a more complex story about architectural priorities and workload characteristics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the entire comparison is the Cinebench R23 multicore test, where the Intel Core i7-8750H delivers a crushing 57.2% victory. Its score of 8274 dwarfs the Core 3 N355's 5262, highlighting the sustained multi-threaded advantage of 12 threads over 8. This is the single largest delta in either direction, and it underscores how heavily threaded rendering workloads still favor the older chip's hyper-threading capability. The Cinebench R15 multicore test tells a similar, though much closer, story with the i7-8750H edging out a 1.5% win (834 vs 822), suggesting that newer instruction sets or memory access patterns in R23 amplify the thread-count advantage.

The Core 3 N355 fights back hard in single-core performance, where its modern architecture shines. The most dramatic single-core win is in Cinebench R15 single-core, where the N355 scores 168 versus the i7-8750H's 117, a massive 30.4% advantage. This is the largest win for the N355 in any test. The pattern continues in Cinebench R20 single-core (509 vs 490, a 3.7% win) but reverses in R23 single-core, where the i7-8750H takes a 12.4% lead (1168 vs 1039). This inconsistency across Cinebench versions suggests that the N355's advantage is highly sensitive to specific workload optimizations, not a universal IPC superiority.

In PassMark tests, the split becomes more thematic. The i7-8750H dominates memory and instruction-heavy tasks: data compression (139418 vs 117435, +18.7%), extended instructions (8637 vs 5968, +44.7%), random string sorting (18622 vs 14706, +26.6%), and integer math (35629 vs 33894, +5.1%). The N355 counters with a stunning 58.3% win in data encryption (8121 vs 3388), a result that likely reflects hardware-accelerated cryptographic instructions absent in the older chip. The N355 also takes narrow wins in floating-point math (22695 vs 22179, +2.3%), PassMark multithread (10174 vs 9799, +3.7%), and physics (625 vs 604, +3.4%).

The single-thread PassMark results are intriguing: the i7-8750H wins 2276 to 2153, a 5.7% margin, which contradicts the Cinebench R15 single-core result. This discrepancy suggests that the N355's newer core design excels in specific legacy single-threaded workloads but is not universally faster. The prime numbers test is a perfect tie at 27 points each, showing that neither chip has a meaningful edge in pure integer prime computation.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-8750H is the clear choice for heavily threaded, data-intensive, and legacy single-threaded workloads. Its 57.2% Cinebench R23 multicore lead and 44.7% extended instructions advantage make it the superior processor for video rendering, scientific computing, compression workloads, and any task that scales with thread count. The 18.7% data compression win and 26.6% random string sorting victory further cement its role for database operations and file archiving. The 5.7% PassMark single-thread win also suggests it remains competitive for older software that isn't optimized for newer instruction sets.

The Intel Core 3 N355 excels in specific modern workloads that leverage its architectural advancements. The 58.3% data encryption blowout is the standout, indicating hardware-accelerated AES or similar crypto instructions that the Coffee Lake chip lacks entirely. Its wins in floating-point math (2.3%), physics (3.4%), and PassMark multithread (3.7%) point to efficient execution of parallel floating-point operations, while the Cinebench R15 and R20 single-core wins (30.4% and 3.7%) show it handles certain single-threaded tasks far more efficiently. The N355's 3.8% Cinebench R20 multicore win over the i7-8750H (3612 vs 3475) is notable because it shows that in some multi-threaded scenarios, the newer chip's efficiency can overcome the older chip's thread count.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core rendering?

A: The Intel Core i7-8750H wins decisively in Cinebench R23 multicore with 8274 points versus 5262 for the Core 3 N355, a 57.2% advantage. However, in Cinebench R20 multicore, the N355 wins 3612 to 3475, a 3.8% lead, showing the result depends heavily on the specific rendering workload.

Q: How do the single-core performances compare?

A: The results are mixed. The Core 3 N355 wins Cinebench R15 single-core by 30.4% (168 vs 117) and R20 single-core by 3.7% (509 vs 490). But the i7-8750H wins Cinebench R23 single-core by 12.4% (1168 vs 1039) and PassMark single-thread by 5.7% (2276 vs 2153).

Q: Is the newer Core 3 N355 better for encryption workloads?

A: Yes, overwhelmingly. The Core 3 N355 scores 8121 in PassMark data encryption versus 3388 for the i7-8750H, a 58.3% advantage. This suggests hardware-accelerated cryptographic instructions in the newer chip.

Q: Which chip has more cores and threads?

A: The i7-8750H has 6 cores and 12 threads. The Core 3 N355 has 8 cores and 8 threads. The i7-8750H has hyper-threading, while the N355 does not, giving the older chip 4 more logical threads.

Q: What are the TDP differences between the two?

A: The i7-8750H has a TDP of 45 watts, while the Core 3 N355 has a TDP of 15 watts. This is a major difference, with the N355 consuming 30 watts less at the rated power level.

Q: How do they compare in overall benchmark scores?

A: The i7-8750H has an average benchmark score of 13868, while the Core 3 N355 scores 13492, a difference of roughly 2.7%. Both sit at the 68th percentile of all CPUs, and their nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-10400 and Intel Core i3-12100F.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ fundamentally in their core and thread configurations. The i7-8750H offers 6 cores and 12 threads, while the N355 provides 8 cores and 8 threads. This means the older chip has 4 more logical threads, which is crucial for heavily threaded workloads. The base clocks differ as well: the i7-8750H runs at 2.20 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost, while the N355 runs at 1.90 GHz base and 3.90 GHz boost, making the i7-8750H 0.3 GHz faster in both metrics.

The TDP is a major differentiator, with the i7-8750H rated at 45 watts versus just 15 watts for the N355. This 30-watt difference has profound implications for thermal design and battery life in mobile devices. The sockets are incompatible: the i7-8750H uses Intel BGA 1440, while the N355 uses Intel BGA 1264. The memory support differs, with the i7-8750H limited to DDR4, while the N355 supports DDR4, DDR5, and LPDDR5, and features a single-channel memory bus with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth. The integrated graphics also differ, with the i7-8750H featuring UHD 630 and the N355 featuring UHD Graphics 770.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The i7-8750H is built on Intel's Coffee Lake architecture, specifically Coffee Lake-H, using a 14 nm process node with a die size of 149 mm². The N355 uses the Twin Lake architecture, classified under the Alder Lake-N generation, built on a 10 nm process node. The cache hierarchies are completely different: the i7-8750H has 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The N355 has 96 KB L1 per core and 2 MB shared L2, with only 6 MB of shared L3 cache, half of the i7-8750H's L3.

The N355's integrated graphics is a generation newer (UHD Graphics 770 vs UHD 630), and it supports a wider range of memory types including DDR5 and LPDDR5, whereas the i7-8750H is locked to DDR4. The N355 also supports PCIe Gen 3 with 9 lanes (CPU only), a specification not listed for the i7-8750H. The i7-8750H is marked as end-of-life with a release date of April 2018, while the N355 is active with a release date of January 2025. The i7-8750H's part number is SR3YY, while the N355's is SRPNT.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for different use cases. Choose the Intel Core i7-8750H if your workload is dominated by heavily threaded rendering, data compression, extended instruction sets, or legacy single-threaded software. Its 57.2% Cinebench R23 multicore lead, 44.7% extended instructions advantage, and 18.7% data compression win make it the superior choice for video editing, 3D rendering, scientific simulations, and database-heavy tasks. The 12.4% Cinebench R23 single-core win also reassures that it won't fall behind in many everyday applications.

Choose the Intel Core 3 N355 if your priorities are encryption, floating-point math, energy efficiency, or modern single-threaded workloads. The 58.3% data encryption lead is non-negotiable for security-focused applications, while the 2.3% floating-point math win and 3.7% physics win indicate smooth handling of physics simulations and scientific floating-point calculations. The 30-watt TDP advantage makes it ideal for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals are paramount, and its support for DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory future-proofs the platform. The N355's 3.8% Cinebench R20 multicore win also shows it can hold its own in some multi-threaded scenarios, making it a more versatile modern option despite losing the overall benchmark war.