Intel Core i5-8500 vs Intel Core i7-10750H Comparison

The Intel Core i5-8500 and Intel Core i7-10750H are both six-core Intel parts built on the 14 nm process, but they target different market segments and deliver distinctly different performance profiles. The data shows the i7-10750H wins 18 of the 19 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, yet the two chips remain closely matched in overall average score, with the i5-8500 posting an average of 13142 against the i7-10750H's 13024, a 0.9% gap. This pattern—one chip dominating most individual tests while the overall averages sit nearly equal—reflects the i5-8500's edge in a narrow set of workloads and the i7-10750H's broad superiority elsewhere.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The i7-10750H's most decisive victory comes in PassMark integer math, where it scores 39730 against the i5-8500's 26551, a 33.2% advantage. This is the largest delta in the entire comparison and indicates a substantial throughput advantage in integer-heavy compute tasks. The margin is nearly as large in random string sorting, where the i7-10750H leads 21416 to 16294, a 23.9% gap, and in data encryption, where it posts 3930 versus 3027, a 23% lead. These three workloads all reward the i7-10750H's additional six threads, which allow it to process more parallel operations per cycle.

The i7-10750H also dominates the multithreaded Cinebench suite. In Cinebench R23 multicore, it scores 9718 against 8079, a 16.9% margin; the same delta appears in both R15 multicore (979 vs 814) and R20 multicore (4081 vs 3393). Geekbench multicore shows a slightly smaller advantage at 14.7%, with scores of 5574 and 4752. The single-core Cinebench results follow the same pattern, with the i7-10750H leading by 17.4% in R15 (138 vs 114), 17% in R20 (576 vs 478), and 16.9% in R23 (1372 vs 1140). These single-core margins are notable because both chips share the same microarchitecture generation lineage, but the i7-10750H's higher boost clock—5.00 GHz versus 4.10 GHz—explains the consistent edge.

The i7-10750H wins the remaining workloads by smaller but still meaningful margins. PassMark multithread shows a 17.9% lead (11616 vs 9532), floating point math a 10.3% gap (25070 vs 22489), and physics a matching 10.3% advantage (700 vs 628). Data compression comes in at 19.5% (167213 vs 134673), while single-thread PassMark shows just a 7% difference (2625 vs 2441). Prime number finding is the closest test at 7.7% (39 vs 36). Geekbench single-core is even tighter at 5.3% (1417 vs 1342), suggesting that the i7-10750H's clock advantage matters less in lightly threaded, latency-sensitive workloads.

The i5-8500's sole win comes in PassMark extended instructions, where it scores 11480 against 10470, a 9.6% advantage. This result is striking because it is the only category where the six-thread desktop chip outperforms the twelve-thread mobile part. The i5-8500's lead here likely reflects its higher base clock of 3.00 GHz versus 2.60 GHz, which helps in instruction-heavy workloads that do not scale linearly with thread count. However, this single win does little to offset the i7-10750H's broad dominance across the other eighteen tests.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher overall average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-8500 posts an average benchmark score of 13142, which is 0.9% higher than the i7-10750H's 13024. Despite this, the i7-10750H wins 18 of the 19 head-to-head comparisons.

Q: How large is the performance gap in multithreaded rendering workloads?

A: In Cinebench R23 multicore, the i7-10750H scores 9718 versus 8079 for the i5-8500, a 16.9% advantage. The same 16.9% margin appears in both Cinebench R15 and R20 multicore tests.

Q: Does the i5-8500 win any benchmark at all?

A: Yes, the i5-8500 wins PassMark extended instructions with a score of 11480 against the i7-10750H's 10470, representing a 9.6% lead. This is its only head-to-head win out of 19 tests.

Q: How do the two chips compare in single-threaded performance?

A: The i7-10750H leads in every single-thread test. The largest margin is in Cinebench R15 single-core (138 vs 114, a 17.4% gap), while Geekbench single-core shows the smallest difference at 5.3% (1417 vs 1342).

Q: Which chip has more threads, and how does that affect results?

A: The i7-10750H supports 12 threads versus 6 for the i5-8500. This doubling of thread count is reflected in the multithreaded benchmarks, where the i7-10750H leads by 14.7% to 23.9% across Geekbench, Cinebench, and PassMark tests.

Q: Are both CPUs in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both chips are in the 68th percentile against all CPUs. Their average benchmark scores differ by only 118 points, placing them in the same performance tier overall.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-10750H is the clear choice for compute-heavy parallel workloads. Its 33.2% lead in integer math and 23.9% edge in random string sorting make it well suited for data processing, compilation, and scientific computing. The 16.9% advantage across all three Cinebench versions indicates strong rendering performance for 3D modeling and video encoding. The 23% lead in data encryption and 19.5% lead in data compression further cement its position for security-related tasks and archive management. The i7-10750H also wins every single-threaded test, so it holds the edge in general desktop responsiveness and lightly threaded applications.

The i5-8500's only victory is in extended instructions, where it leads by 9.6%. This suggests it retains an advantage in workloads that rely heavily on SIMD or specialized instruction sets without requiring massive thread parallelism. The i5-8500 also benefits from a higher base clock (3.00 GHz versus 2.60 GHz), which may help in latency-sensitive tasks that cannot boost for sustained periods. For users whose primary workload involves extended instruction execution, the i5-8500 offers a measurable edge, but this is a narrow use case. The i5-8500's desktop socket and 65 W TDP make it a more straightforward fit for stationary systems, while the i7-10750H's 45 W TDP and mobile BGA socket target laptops.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several fundamental specifications. The i5-8500 has 6 threads, while the i7-10750H has 12 threads, doubling the thread count despite identical core counts. Base clocks differ: the i5-8500 runs at 3.00 GHz, while the i7-10750H runs at 2.60 GHz. Boost clocks are reversed in magnitude, with the i7-10750H reaching 5.00 GHz versus the i5-8500's 4.10 GHz. TDP ratings also diverge, with the i5-8500 rated at 65 W and the i7-10750H at 45 W.

The memory bandwidth figures differ, with the i7-10750H supporting 46.9 GB/s against the i5-8500's 42.7 GB/s. L3 cache capacity is larger on the i7-10750H at 12 MB shared, compared to 9 MB shared on the i5-8500. The integrated graphics differ in naming, with the i5-8500 featuring UHD Graphics 630 and the i7-10750H featuring UHD Graphics without the model number. The i5-8500 uses an Intel Socket 1151, while the i7-10750H uses Intel BGA 1440. Market segments differ accordingly: the i5-8500 is a desktop part, and the i7-10750H is mobile. Production status also differs, with the i5-8500 marked as end-of-life and the i7-10750H as active.

Architecture Differences

Both CPUs are built on Intel's 14 nm process and share the same L1 cache structure of 64 KB per core and L2 cache of 256 KB per core. However, they belong to different architectural generations: the i5-8500 is Coffee Lake, while the i7-10750H is Comet Lake-H. The i5-8500 has a die size of 154 mm², while the i7-10750H's die size is not listed. Neither chip supports ECC memory, and both offer PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

The i7-10750H's 12 MB shared L3 cache versus the i5-8500's 9 MB is a key architectural difference, providing more room for frequently accessed data. The i7-10750H also carries the Core 10th Gen series designation, while the i5-8500 belongs to the Core i5 (Coffee Lake) generation. Both processors use dual-channel DDR4 memory and are unlocked multiplier-wise, meaning neither supports overclocking via multiplier adjustment. The release dates differ by over two years, with the i5-8500 launching in February 2018 and the i7-10750H in April 2020. The i5-8500 has a launch MSRP of $192, while no launch MSRP is listed for the i7-10750H. The i5-8500's part number is SR3XE, and the i7-10750H's is SRH8Q.