Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core i7-11800H Comparison

The Intel Core i7-11800H and Intel Core i5-11600K represent two very different interpretations of Intel’s 11th Gen architecture, one aimed at high-performance mobile systems and the other at desktop towers. The benchmark data shows a split decision: the mobile i7 wins 15 head-to-head comparisons, while the desktop i5 takes 10. The margin of victory, however, is not uniform, with the i5 often winning by larger margins in lightly-threaded tasks and the i7 dominating heavily-threaded workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory in the entire comparison belongs to the Intel Core i7-11800H in the PassMark find prime numbers test. The mobile chip scores 85 against the desktop’s 58, a staggering 46.6% advantage. This is not a subtle edge; it indicates a fundamental capability difference in a specific integer workload. The i7 also shows strong double-digit wins in floating-point math (42,423 vs 38,269, a 10.9% lead) and integer math (71,423 vs 64,664, a 10.5% lead). In these compute-heavy scenarios, the i7’s additional cores and threads are clearly paying dividends, as it stretches its lead to over 10% in both cases.

The Intel Core i5-11600K, however, strikes back hard in single-threaded performance. The Geekbench single-core score is the largest gap in the entire dataset, with the i5 scoring 1,973 against the i7’s 1,666 — a 15.6% deficit for the mobile part. This pattern repeats in the PassMark single-thread test, where the i5 scores 3,344 versus 3,043, a 9% advantage. The 3DMark suite tells a similar story at lower thread counts: the i5 wins the 2-thread test by 5.6% (1,861 vs 1,757) and the 4-thread test by 6.9% (3,512 vs 3,268). The desktop chip’s higher base and boost clocks are a decisive factor in these latency-sensitive tests.

The multi-core picture is more nuanced. In Cinebench, the i7 wins every iteration but by remarkably slim margins: 0.7% in R15 multi-core (1,679 vs 1,668), 0.7% in R20 multi-core (6,998 vs 6,951), and 0.7% in R23 multi-core (16,663 vs 16,552). These are essentially statistical ties. Yet in Geekbench multi-core, the i5 pulls off a surprising 13.6% win (9,238 vs 7,986). The i7’s wins in PassMark multi-thread (20,012 vs 19,527, a 2.5% lead) and 3DMark max-threads (6,548 vs 6,270, a 4.4% lead) show that its advantage grows as thread counts increase. In 3DMark 16-threads, the i7 wins by 4.3% (6,518 vs 6,247), and in 8-threads by 2.2% (5,384 vs 5,268). The i7 also edges out wins in data encryption (12,241 vs 12,212, a 0.2% margin) and random string sorting (28,411 vs 27,870, a 1.9% lead).

Other tests round out the picture. The i5 wins data compression by 1.4% (242,740 vs 239,304) and extended instructions by 8.8% (17,615 vs 16,068). The i7 wins physics by a hair in Cinebench R15 single-core (236 vs 235, a 0.4% lead) and R20 single-core (987 vs 981, a 0.6% lead). The i5 takes PassMark physics by just 0.6% (944 vs 938). The overall average benchmark score is close: the i7 sits at 19,998 versus the i5’s 19,786, a difference of roughly 1%. Both processors rank in the 73rd and 74th percentiles of all CPUs, respectively.

Architecture Differences

The two chips are built on fundamentally different silicon. The Intel Core i7-11800H uses the Tiger Lake architecture on a 10 nm process node, while the Intel Core i5-11600K uses the Rocket Lake architecture on a 14 nm node. This is a critical distinction: the i7 is a mobile-native design (Tiger Lake-H), whereas the i5 is a desktop part (Rocket Lake-S). The die sizes reflect this divergence, with the i7 at 190 mm² and the i5 at a much larger 276 mm².

The core configurations are also different. The i7 packs 8 cores and 16 threads, while the i5 offers 6 cores and 12 threads. The i7’s base clock is a modest 1.90 GHz, but it boosts to 4.60 GHz. The i5, by contrast, starts at a much higher 3.90 GHz base clock and boosts to 4.90 GHz. The i7’s lower base clock is a direct consequence of its 35 W TDP, versus the i5’s 125 W TDP, a massive difference that defines their respective thermal envelopes.

Cache hierarchies differ as well. Both share an L1 cache of 80 KB per core, but the L2 cache is vastly different: the i7 has 1.25 MB per core, while the i5 has only 256 KB per core. The shared L3 cache also favors the i7, which has 24 MB shared versus the i5’s 12 MB shared. This gives the mobile chip a significant cache advantage. Both processors support DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Both also feature PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only) and integrate UHD Graphics 750.

The sockets are incompatible: the i7 uses Intel BGA 1787 (soldered), while the i5 uses Intel Socket 1200 (LGA). The i5 has an unlocked multiplier, making it overclockable, while the i7 does not. Production status also differs: the i7 is marked as Active, while the i5 is End-of-life. The i7’s launch MSRP is $395, while the i5’s is $262.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i7-11800H has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core i5-11600K has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: Why does the i5-11600K win so decisively in single-threaded benchmarks?

A: The i5-11600K has a much higher base clock (3.90 GHz vs 1.90 GHz) and a higher boost clock (4.90 GHz vs 4.60 GHz). The data shows this results in a 15.6% lead in Geekbench single-core and a 9% lead in PassMark single-thread.

Q: Is the mobile i7-11800H faster in multi-core workloads?

A: Generally yes, but not always. The i7 wins in Cinebench R23 multi-core (16,663 vs 16,552) and PassMark multi-thread (20,012 vs 19,527), but the i5 wins Geekbench multi-core decisively (9,238 vs 7,986).

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

A: The largest delta is in PassMark find prime numbers, where the i7-11800H scores 85 versus the i5-11600K’s 58, a 46.6% advantage for the mobile chip.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory and PCIe features?

A: Yes, both support DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth and feature PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only).

Q: Are these processors overclockable?

A: Only the Intel Core i5-11600K has an unlocked multiplier. The Intel Core i7-11800H does not.

Specification Differences

| Field | Intel Core i7-11800H | Intel Core i5-11600K |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Cores | 8 | 6 |

| Threads | 16 | 12 |

| Base Clock | 1.90 GHz | 3.90 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.60 GHz | 4.90 GHz |

| TDP | 35 W | 125 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1787 | Intel Socket 1200 |

| Architecture | Tiger Lake | Rocket Lake |

| Process Node | 10 nm | 14 nm |

| Die Size | 190 mm² | 276 mm² |

| L2 Cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 24 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |

| Market Segment | Mobile | Desktop |

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

| Release Date | 2021-05-10 | 2021-03-15 |

| Launch MSRP | $395 | $262 |

| Multiplier Unlocked | No | Yes |

| Part Number | SRKT3 | SRKNU |

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-11800H is the clear winner for heavily-threaded, compute-intensive workloads. Its 46.6% lead in prime number finding, 10.9% lead in floating-point math, and 10.5% lead in integer math make it the superior choice for scientific computing, financial modeling, or any task that crunches large numbers. Its larger L3 cache (24 MB vs 12 MB) and higher L2 cache per core (1.25 MB vs 256 KB) likely contribute to these strong results. The i7 is also the only one of the two that is still in active production, making it a viable option for current mobile systems that need maximum multi-threaded performance in a 35 W package.

The Intel Core i5-11600K is the better performer for single-threaded and lightly-threaded applications. Its higher clocks give it a 15.6% edge in Geekbench single-core, a 9% edge in PassMark single-thread, and a 6.9% edge in 3DMark 4-threads. This makes it the better choice for everyday desktop use, older games that rely on few cores, and applications that are poorly optimized for multi-threading. Its unlocked multiplier also allows for manual overclocking, which the i7 cannot do. However, its End-of-life production status and higher 125 W TDP mean it is a less future-proof and more thermally demanding option.

In the final analysis, the decision comes down to workload and platform. The i7-11800H offers more cores, more cache, and better multi-threaded performance in a mobile form factor. The i5-11600K offers superior single-thread performance, a higher clock speed, and an unlocked multiplier in a desktop socket. The average benchmark scores are nearly identical (19,998 vs 19,786), but the distribution of wins is distinctly different. The data suggests that for users who prioritize raw compute throughput, the i7 is the winner, while those who need fast response times in lightly-threaded tasks will prefer the i5.