Intel Core i5-7600T vs Intel Core i7-8560U Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data tells a remarkably consistent story across every recorded workload: the Intel Core i7-8560U wins all six head-to-head comparisons, though the margins are relatively uniform. The Core i5-7600T does not claim a single victory, with winsA at 0 and winsB at 6.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-8560U posts a score of 568 against the i5-7600T's 500, a 12% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows a similar gap: 80 versus 70, a 12.5% delta in favor of the mobile chip. These early results establish the pattern that persists through newer Cinebench versions.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the multi-core scores are 2369 for the i7-8560U and 2086 for the i5-7600T, a delta of 11.9%. Single-core R20 continues the theme: 334 versus 294, a 12% lead. The i7-8560U's advantage in R20 mirrors the R15 results almost exactly, suggesting that the performance gap is consistent across rendering workloads regardless of the benchmark generation.

Cinebench R23 delivers the same verdict. Multi-core sees the i7-8560U at 5641 and the i5-7600T at 4968, an 11.9% gap. Single-core R23 shows 796 against 701, also 11.9%. The uniformity of these deltas, hovering between 11.9% and 12.5% across all six tests, indicates a stable architectural advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

Looking at the broader database context, the i5-7600T sits in the 40th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 1664. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-6700TE at 1666 (0.1% behind the 7600T), the Intel Core i7-4770HQ at 1660 (0.3% ahead of the 7600T), the Intel Xeon E-2124 at 1658 (0.4% ahead), and the Intel Core i5-4670K at 1656 (0.5% ahead). These are extremely close margins, placing the 7600T in a tight cluster of mid-range desktop parts.

The i7-8560U, by contrast, holds the 39th percentile with an average score of 1631. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon E5-2623 v3 at 1630 (0.1% ahead of the 8560U), the Intel Pentium Gold G7400T at 1628 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 2200G at 1640 (0.6% behind the 8560U), and the Intel Core i3-9100T at 1620 (0.7% ahead). Despite winning every head-to-head test against the i5-7600T, the 8560U's average score is actually lower, which reflects differences in how the aggregate benchmark pool weights various tests.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different Intel families and target different market segments. The Core i5-7600T is a Kaby Lake desktop part, released in January 2017, while the Core i7-8560U is a Whiskey Lake-U mobile chip that arrived in September 2018. Both are built on Intel's 14 nm process and use the same dual-channel DDR4 memory bus with 38.4 GB/s of bandwidth, but the similarities end there.

Core and thread counts differ meaningfully. The i5-7600T has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the i7-8560U has 4 cores and 8 threads. Hyper-threading on the 8560U explains a substantial portion of its multi-core advantage, especially in rendering workloads that scale with thread count.

Clock speeds tell a more complex story. The i5-7600T runs at a 2.80 GHz base clock with a 3.70 GHz boost. The i7-8560U lists a base clock of 1800.00 MHz, which in the database is recorded as 1800.00, but that figure appears to be a data entry artifact given the boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The 8560U's boost clock is substantially higher, which drives its single-core wins.

Cache configurations differ as well. The i5-7600T has 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3. The i7-8560U matches the L1 and L2 allocations per core but carries 8 MB of shared L3, a 33% larger last-level cache.

Integrated graphics also differ. The i5-7600T uses Intel HD 630, while the i7-8560U features Intel UHD Graphics 620. Memory support is another distinction: the 7600T supports DDR4 only, whereas the 8560U supports both DDR3 and DDR4.

The sockets are entirely different. The i5-7600T uses Intel Socket 1151, a desktop platform, while the i7-8560U is soldered to Intel BGA 1528 for mobile integration. Production status also diverges: the i5-7600T remains listed as active, while the i7-8560U is end-of-life. Both chips are multiplier-locked, and neither supports ECC memory.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more benchmark tests?

A: The Intel Core i7-8560U wins all six head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the Intel Core i5-7600T, covering Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 in both single-core and multi-core variants.

Q: How large is the performance gap in multi-core workloads?

A: The i7-8560U leads by 12% in Cinebench R15 multi-core (568 versus 500), 11.9% in R20 multi-core (2369 versus 2086), and 11.9% in R23 multi-core (5641 versus 4968).

Q: What is the difference in thread counts?

A: The i5-7600T has 4 threads, while the i7-8560U has 8 threads. Both have 4 physical cores.

Q: Which chip has a higher boost clock?

A: The i7-8560U boosts to 4.60 GHz, while the i5-7600T boosts to 3.70 GHz. The base clocks are listed as 1800.00 MHz for the 8560U and 2.80 GHz for the 7600T.

Q: How do the two processors compare in overall database percentile?

A: The i5-7600T sits at the 40th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 1664. The i7-8560U sits at the 39th percentile with an average score of 1631.

Q: What are the cache differences?

A: Both processors have 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core. The i5-7600T has 6 MB of shared L3, while the i7-8560U has 8 MB of shared L3.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several specification fields. Core counts are identical at 4, but thread counts differ: 4 threads for the i5-7600T versus 8 threads for the i7-8560U. Base clocks are recorded as 2.80 GHz for the desktop chip and 1800.00 MHz for the mobile chip, with boost clocks of 3.70 GHz and 4.60 GHz respectively. Thermal design power is a major differentiator: 35 watts for the i5-7600T versus 15 watts for the i7-8560U.

Sockets are entirely different, with the i5-7600T on Intel Socket 1151 and the i7-8560U on Intel BGA 1528. Architecture generation differs: Kaby Lake for the 7600T versus Whiskey Lake for the 8560U, with codenames of Kaby Lake and Whiskey Lake-U respectively. L3 cache size is 6 MB for the i5-7600T and 8 MB for the i7-8560U.

Memory support shows a split: DDR4 only for the 7600T versus DDR3 and DDR4 for the 8560U. Integrated graphics differ, with HD 630 on the desktop part and UHD Graphics 620 on the mobile part. Market segments are Desktop for the i5-7600T and Mobile for the i7-8560U. Production status lists the 7600T as Active and the 8560U as End-of-life. Release dates are January 2017 for the i5-7600T and September 2018 for the i7-8560U. Part numbers are SR336 and SRGML respectively.

The Verdict

The benchmark data clearly favors the Intel Core i7-8560U in every measured workload. Its 8-thread configuration and higher boost clock deliver consistent 12% leads across all three Cinebench generations, in both single-core and multi-core tests. For anyone prioritizing raw rendering performance, the i7-8560U is the stronger choice on the merits of the recorded scores.

The i5-7600T, however, remains relevant for different reasons. It is a desktop part with an active production status, a 35 watt TDP, and a replaceable socket design on Intel Socket 1151. Its 40th percentile standing is marginally better than the 8560U's 39th percentile, and its average benchmark score of 1664 edges out the 8560U's 1631, though these aggregate figures mask the head-to-head sweep.

The i7-8560U is the better performer in direct comparison, but it is an end-of-life mobile chip soldered to a board. The i5-7600T offers desktop flexibility and ongoing availability. The choice comes down to whether the user needs the 12% performance advantage of the 8560U or the platform longevity of the 7600T. The data does not hide the performance winner, but it also does not erase the desktop chip's practical advantages in socket upgradeability and production status.