Intel Core i5-11260H vs Intel Core i7-9700KF Comparison

The Intel Core i7-9700KF and Intel Core i5-11260H represent two very different Intel design philosophies: a desktop Coffee Lake part versus a mobile Tiger Lake-H chip. The benchmark data shows a fascinating split, with the mobile part dominating Cinebench while the desktop chip takes Geekbench by a wide margin. Both processors land at the 56th percentile among all CPUs, yet their average benchmark scores tell slightly different stories: the i7-9700KF averages 3787, while the i5-11260H sits at 3721. This places the desktop chip 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 2700 and 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-8086K, while the mobile chip matches the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650GE at -0.3% and trails the Intel Xeon Silver 4116 by the same margin. The i5-11260H also sits 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-10980HK, a notable result for a lower-tier mobile processor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results are emphatically one-sided. The Intel Core i5-11260H wins all six Cinebench tests, and it does so with remarkable consistency. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the mobile chip scores 1300 against 1219 for the i7-9700KF, a 6.2% advantage. The single-core R15 test follows the same pattern: 183 for the i5-11260H versus 172, again a 6% gap. Moving to Cinebench R20, the i5-11260H posts 5420 multicore and 764 single-core, compared to 5082 and 717 for the i7-9700KF. The deltas remain locked at 6.2% for both metrics. Cinebench R23 continues the trend with the i5-11260H scoring 12905 multicore and 1821 single-core, while the i7-9700KF manages 12100 and 1708 respectively. The consistency of the 6.2% delta across every Cinebench generation suggests a fundamental architectural advantage for Tiger Lake in this workload, not a test-specific quirk.

The Geekbench results flip the script entirely. Here, the Intel Core i7-9700KF asserts its dominance with a 31.8% lead in multicore performance: 7620 versus 5780. That is a massive margin, far exceeding any of the Cinebench deltas. The single-core Geekbench test is closer, with the i7-9700KF winning 1681 to 1595, a 5.4% advantage. This divergence between benchmark suites is striking. In Cinebench, the i5-11260H leads by roughly 6% across the board; in Geekbench, the i7-9700KF leads by over 30% in multicore and over 5% in single-core. The data suggests that the two processors excel in different types of workloads, and the winner depends heavily on the specific application being used.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700KF has an average benchmark score of 3787, compared to 3721 for the Intel Core i5-11260H. The i7-9700KF sits 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 2700, while the i5-11260H is 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650GE.

Q: How do the two processors compare in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-11260H wins both Cinebench R23 tests. It scores 12905 in multicore versus 12100 for the i7-9700KF, and 1821 in single-core versus 1708, with a 6.2% delta in both cases.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two chips?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench multicore, where the Intel Core i7-9700KF leads by 31.8%, scoring 7620 against 5780 for the i5-11260H.

Q: Does the i5-11260H win any single-core tests?

A: Yes, the i5-11260H wins all single-core Cinebench tests: R15 (183 vs 172), R20 (764 vs 717), and R23 (1821 vs 1708), each by approximately 6%. However, it loses Geekbench single-core to the i7-9700KF (1595 vs 1681).

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700KF has a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, which is higher than the 4.40 GHz boost clock of the Intel Core i5-11260H.

Q: How many benchmark wins does each processor have?

A: The Intel Core i5-11260H wins 6 out of 8 head-to-head benchmarks, while the Intel Core i7-9700KF wins 2. The i5-11260H wins all Cinebench tests, and the i7-9700KF wins both Geekbench tests.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-11260H is the clear winner for Cinebench-oriented workloads. Its consistent 6.2% advantage across R15, R20, and R23, in both multicore and single-core tests, indicates a processor that handles rendering and 3D animation tasks with greater efficiency. The data points to a chip that is well-suited for content creation applications that rely on Cinebench-style rendering engines. The i5-11260H also holds its own in single-core performance, winning all three Cinebench single-core tests, which suggests it can handle lightly-threaded tasks like everyday productivity and general responsiveness with ease.

The Intel Core i7-9700KF is the champion of Geekbench, and its 31.8% multicore lead is a decisive statement. This suggests the desktop chip is better suited for workloads that Geekbench measures, which tend to reflect real-world applications like web browsing, image processing, and file compression. The i7-9700KF also wins Geekbench single-core by 5.4%, further solidifying its position for general-purpose computing tasks. For users who prioritize the specific mix of workloads represented by Geekbench, the i7-9700KF is the stronger performer, despite losing the Cinebench sweep to its mobile rival.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The Intel Core i7-9700KF has 8 cores and 8 threads, while the Intel Core i5-11260H has 6 cores and 12 threads. The desktop chip runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts to 4.90 GHz, whereas the mobile chip operates at 2.10 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost. The i7-9700KF has a TDP of 95 watts, compared to just 35 watts for the i5-11260H. The socket differs as well: the i7-9700KF uses Intel Socket 1151, while the i5-11260H uses Intel BGA 1787, reflecting its soldered mobile design. The i7-9700KF is an end-of-life product released on 2019-01-07, while the i5-11260H is active and was released on 2021-05-10. The i7-9700KF has an unlocked multiplier, but the i5-11260H does not. The i5-11260H includes integrated UHD Graphics, while the i7-9700KF has no integrated graphics. The i7-9700KF has a launch MSRP of $374, while the i5-11260H has a launch MSRP of $250. The i5-11260H offers 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, while the i7-9700KF provides 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes. Memory bandwidth is also higher on the mobile chip: 51.2 GB/s versus 42.7 GB/s.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is substantial. The Intel Core i7-9700KF is built on Coffee Lake, a 14 nm process, while the Intel Core i5-11260H uses the newer Tiger Lake architecture on a 10 nm node. The die sizes are close, at 180.3 mm² for the i7-9700KF and 190 mm² for the i5-11260H, but the cache layouts differ significantly. The i7-9700KF has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, while the i5-11260H has 80 KB of L1 and a much larger 1.25 MB of L2 per core. Both share 12 MB of L3 cache, but the mobile chip’s larger per-core L2 cache is a key architectural advantage. The i5-11260H also supports PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes, a generational leap over the i7-9700KF’s PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The i7-9700KF is a desktop part with a 95-watt TDP and no integrated graphics, while the i5-11260H is a mobile part with a 35-watt TDP and UHD Graphics onboard. The i5-11260H’s higher memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s versus 42.7 GB/s further underscores its more modern design. The i7-9700KF belongs to the Core i7 (Coffee Lake Refresh) generation, while the i5-11260H is part of the Core i5 (Tiger Lake-H) lineup. These architectural differences explain the benchmark split: the newer 10 nm Tiger Lake design excels in Cinebench, while the older 14 nm Coffee Lake chip with more physical cores dominates Geekbench multicore.