Intel Core i5-9500F vs Intel Core i7-1195G7 Comparison

The Intel Core i5-9500F and Intel Core i7-1195G7 represent two distinct design philosophies from Intel: a desktop-focused, 6-core processor built on the mature Coffee Lake architecture versus a mobile-oriented, 4-core part with hyper-threading on the newer Tiger Lake architecture. The benchmark data reveals a surprisingly consistent pattern across most workloads, with the mobile chip taking the lead in seven of eight head-to-head tests, despite the desktop part's higher core count. The only exception is a decisive victory for the i5-9500F in Geekbench multicore, where its physical core advantage proves decisive.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head comparison is the Geekbench multicore test, where the Intel Core i5-9500F scores 5185 against the Intel Core i7-1195G7's 4248. This represents a 22.1% advantage for the desktop chip, a substantial margin that highlights the value of its six physical cores over the mobile part's four cores with hyper-threading. This is the single largest delta in either direction across all benchmarks, making it the clear high-water mark for the i5-9500F.

Outside of that one test, however, the Intel Core i7-1195G7 consistently outperforms its desktop counterpart by a narrow but uniform margin. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the mobile chip scores 887 versus 852, a 3.9% lead. The pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 multicore, where the i7-1195G7 posts 3697 against 3550, again a 4% difference. The Cinebench R23 multicore results follow the same trajectory, with the i7-1195G7 achieving 8803 compared to the i5-9500F's 8453, a 4% advantage. This consistency across all three Cinebench versions suggests that the i7-1195G7's higher boost clock of 5.00 GHz, combined with its hyper-threading, allows it to overcome the i5-9500F's two additional physical cores in these workloads.

Single-core performance tells a similar story, with the i7-1195G7 winning every test by nearly identical margins. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the scores are 125 versus 120, a 4% lead. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 521 against 501, a 3.8% advantage, while Cinebench R23 single-core records 1242 versus 1193, a 3.9% difference. The Geekbench single-core test shows a slightly larger gap, with the i7-1195G7 scoring 1584 against the i5-9500F's 1504, a 5.1% lead. These results are consistent with the i7-1195G7's newer Willow Cove architecture and its significant boost clock advantage, which directly translate into higher single-threaded throughput.

Looking at the broader context, both processors sit near the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with the i5-9500F at percentile 50 and the i7-1195G7 at percentile 49. Their average benchmark scores are similarly close: 2670 for the i5-9500F and 2638 for the i7-1195G7. The nearest rivals for the i5-9500F include the Intel Core i7-9700T with an average score of 2668 and a delta of 0.1%, and the Intel Core i7-1365UE at 2677 with a delta of -0.3%. For the i7-1195G7, the closest competitors are the Intel Core i9-8950HK at 2641 with a delta of -0.1% and the Intel Core i7-5820K at 2642, also a -0.1% delta. These figures place both chips in a tightly contested mid-range performance band, where the differences between them are often smaller than the differences between them and their closest rivals.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins the majority of head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: The Intel Core i7-1195G7 wins seven of the eight head-to-head tests, with the only loss coming in Geekbench multicore. The i5-9500F takes that single test with a 22.1% advantage, but the i7-1195G7 leads by roughly 3.8% to 5.1% in every other benchmark.

Q: How do the two chips compare in multicore performance?

A: The results are split. In Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multicore tests, the i7-1195G7 leads by 3.9%, 4%, and 4% respectively. However, in Geekbench multicore, the i5-9500F wins decisively with a 22.1% margin, scoring 5185 versus 4248.

Q: What is the single-core performance difference between the two?

A: The i7-1195G7 is consistently faster in single-core tests. In Cinebench R15 it leads by 4%, in R20 by 3.8%, in R23 by 3.9%, and in Geekbench single-core by 5.1%. The i7-1195G7's boost clock of 5.00 GHz versus 4.40 GHz for the i5-9500F is the primary driver.

Q: How do their overall average benchmark scores compare?

A: The i5-9500F has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 2670, compared to 2638 for the i7-1195G7. This places the i5-9500F at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, while the i7-1195G7 sits at the 49th percentile.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The i5-9500F has 6 cores and 6 threads, while the i7-1195G7 has 4 cores and 8 threads. The i5-9500F relies on additional physical cores, whereas the i7-1195G7 uses hyper-threading to reach 8 threads.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the i7-1195G7?

A: The Intel Core i7-1195G7 has a launch MSRP of $426. No launch MSRP data is available for the i5-9500F.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-9500F's single win in Geekbench multicore points to its strength in workloads that scale with physical core count. The 22.1% advantage over the i7-1195G7 suggests that applications optimized for multiple physical cores without relying on hyper-threading will see a meaningful benefit. This makes the i5-9500F the better choice for scenarios where raw multi-threaded throughput is the primary concern and where the software does not effectively utilize the i7-1195G7's additional threads.

The Intel Core i7-1195G7, by contrast, demonstrates superiority across the vast majority of tested workloads. Its consistent wins in all three Cinebench versions, both single-core and multicore, indicate that its higher boost clock and newer architecture provide a broad performance advantage. The 4% lead in Cinebench R23 multicore is particularly notable because it shows that even in multi-threaded rendering tasks, the i7-1195G7's hyper-threading and clock speed compensate for its lower core count. The i7-1195G7 also wins all single-core tests, making it the better fit for lightly-threaded applications, everyday responsiveness, and tasks that depend on high per-core performance.

For users prioritizing Geekbench multicore performance, the i5-9500F is the clear winner. For nearly everything else, including all Cinebench workloads and Geekbench single-core, the i7-1195G7 holds the advantage. The i7-1195G7's integrated Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 96EU also provides a functional GPU, whereas the i5-9500F has no integrated graphics, which is a practical consideration for systems without a discrete graphics card.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ fundamentally in their core and thread configurations. The i5-9500F offers 6 cores and 6 threads, while the i7-1195G7 provides 4 cores and 8 threads. Clock speeds also diverge significantly: the i5-9500F has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, while the i7-1195G7 starts at 2.90 GHz but boosts to 5.00 GHz. This 0.60 GHz boost clock advantage for the i7-1195G7 is the largest single clock speed difference between the two.

Thermal design power presents a stark contrast, with the i5-9500F rated at 65 W and the i7-1195G7 at 28 W. This reflects their different market segments: the i5-9500F is a desktop processor on Intel Socket 1151, while the i7-1195G7 is a mobile part on Intel BGA 1449. Memory support differs as well, with the i5-9500F supporting only DDR4, whereas the i7-1195G7 supports DDR4, LPDDR4, and LPDDR4X. The i5-9500F has a specified memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, while no bandwidth figure is provided for the i7-1195G7.

PCIe capabilities are another differentiator. The i5-9500F uses PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-1195G7 uses PCIe Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only), offering double the bandwidth per lane. The i7-1195G7 also includes integrated graphics, specifically Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 96EU, while the i5-9500F has none. Release dates are separated by roughly two years, with the i5-9500F launching in April 2019 and the i7-1195G7 in May 2021. Both are end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two chips is substantial, reflecting two distinct generations of Intel processor design. The i5-9500F is built on the Coffee Lake architecture, specifically from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, using a 14 nm process node. The i7-1195G7, in contrast, uses the Tiger Lake architecture with the Willow Cove microarchitecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. This process node advancement is a key factor in the i7-1195G7's ability to achieve higher clock speeds while maintaining a much lower TDP of 28 W versus 65 W.

Cache hierarchies also differ considerably. The i5-9500F has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The i7-1195G7 features larger per-core caches: 80 KB of L1 per core and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, along with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The i7-1195G7's larger L2 cache, in particular, is a notable architectural improvement that helps compensate for its lower core count.

The i7-1195G7 also has a specified die size of 144 mm², while no die size is listed for the i5-9500F. Both processors are manufactured by Intel, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. The i7-1195G7 carries the part number SRKSC. These architectural differences—process node, cache layout, and microarchitecture—explain why the i7-1195G7 can match or exceed the i5-9500F's performance in most benchmarks despite having fewer physical cores. The newer Tiger Lake design brings efficiency and per-core performance gains that the older Coffee Lake architecture cannot match, even with its additional cores.