Intel Core i7-11390H vs Intel Core i7-8700T Comparison

The Intel Core i7-11390H and Intel Core i7-8700T represent two distinct interpretations of Intel's mainstream performance during their respective eras. The 11390H is a mobile-first Tiger Lake-H part with an aggressive 5.00 GHz boost, while the 8700T is a low-power desktop Coffee Lake chip with six physical cores. Benchmark results show a clear split: the 8700T dominates in sustained multi-threaded and legacy single-threaded workloads, while the 11390H posts a commanding victory in the Geekbench suite, particularly in single-core performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the dataset is the Geekbench single-core test, where the Intel Core i7-11390H scores 1985 against the 8700T's 1343. That is a 47.8% advantage for the Tiger Lake part, a massive gap that speaks to the efficiency of its newer architecture and its higher 5.00 GHz boost clock. No other test in the head-to-head comes close to this margin. The 11390H also wins the Geekbench multi-core test, scoring 5478 versus 5168, a 6% lead. This is notable because the 8700T has two more physical cores, yet the 11390H's superior single-thread performance and memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s help it overtake the older chip in this particular workload.

However, the Cinebench results tell an entirely different story. Across all three versions of Cinebench (R15, R20, and R23), the 8700T wins every single test, both multi-core and single-core. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the 8700T scores 8698 while the 11390H scores 8218, a 5.5% deficit for the mobile chip. The same 5.5% delta appears in Cinebench R15 multi-core (876 vs 828) and Cinebench R20 multi-core (3653 vs 3451). What is surprising is the single-core Cinebench results: the 8700T wins those too, albeit by similar margins of 5.4% to 5.7%. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the 8700T scores 1228 versus 1160 for the 11390H. This contradicts the Geekbench result, where the 11390H was 47.8% ahead. The data shows that benchmark suites can diverge wildly; Geekbench favors the Tiger Lake architecture's IPC and clock speed, while Cinebench consistently favors the Coffee Lake design. Overall, the 8700T wins six of the eight head-to-head tests, with the 11390H taking only the two Geekbench tests.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-8700T is the clear winner in rendering and compute-heavy workloads that rely on Cinebench's multi-threaded scaling. With six cores and twelve threads, it outperforms the 4-core/8-thread 11390H in every multi-core Cinebench test. Its advantage ranges from 5.5% in R23 multi-core to the same margin in R15 and R20. The 8700T also wins every single-core Cinebench test, making it the better choice for legacy software that is optimized for Cinebench's rendering engine. Its 35W TDP is higher than the 11390H's 28W, but it is still a low-power desktop part, and its Socket 1151 platform allows for desktop cooling solutions. For users running tasks like video encoding or 3D rendering that scale with core count, the data firmly favors the 8700T.

The Intel Core i7-11390H wins in Geekbench, which often reflects more diverse, real-world application patterns. Its 47.8% lead in Geekbench single-core is the largest margin in the entire comparison, indicating a substantial architectural advantage in bursty, short-duration tasks. The 6% lead in Geekbench multi-core shows that its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and faster 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth can compensate for fewer cores in mixed workloads. The 11390H also has a newer PCIe Gen 4 interface with 20 lanes, versus Gen 3 with 16 lanes on the 8700T, which makes it more suitable for modern storage and GPU connectivity in a mobile form factor. Its integrated Iris XE 96EU graphics are also far more capable than the 8700T's UHD Graphics 630, making the 11390H the better option for light gaming or media creation on the go.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different manufacturing eras and design philosophies. The Intel Core i7-11390H is built on Intel's 10 nm process and uses the Tiger Lake architecture, with a die size of 146.1 mm². It is a mobile part (market segment "Mobile") designed for laptops, with a 28W TDP and a BGA 1449 socket. In contrast, the Intel Core i7-8700T uses the older 14 nm process and the Coffee Lake architecture, with a slightly larger die at 154 mm². It is a desktop part with a 35W TDP and an LGA 1151 socket. The 11390H has a higher base clock (2.90 GHz vs 2.40 GHz) and a significantly higher boost clock (5.00 GHz vs 4.00 GHz), which explains its Geekbench single-core dominance.

Cache configurations differ as well. The 11390H has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, while the 8700T has 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. Both share 12 MB of L3 cache. The 11390H supports dual-channel DDR4 with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, compared to 42.7 GB/s for the 8700T. Neither chip supports ECC memory. The 11390H uses PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while the 8700T is limited to PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The 11390H features Iris XE 96EU integrated graphics, whereas the 8700T has UHD Graphics 630. The 11390H was released in June 2021 and remains in production, while the 8700T was released in April 2018 and is now end-of-life. The 11390H has a launch MSRP of $426; no launch MSRP is listed for the 8700T.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-11390H has a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, compared to the 4.00 GHz boost clock of the Intel Core i7-8700T.

Q: How many more cores does the 8700T have?

A: The Intel Core i7-8700T has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Intel Core i7-11390H has 4 cores and 8 threads, giving the 8700T two additional physical cores.

Q: In which benchmark does the 11390H have its largest win?

A: The 11390H's largest win is in Geekbench single-core, where it scores 1985 versus 1343 for the 8700T, a 47.8% advantage.

Q: Does the 8700T win any single-core tests?

A: Yes, the 8700T wins all three single-core Cinebench tests (R15, R20, and R23), with margins ranging from 5.4% to 5.7% over the 11390H.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The 11390H supports 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, while the 8700T supports 42.7 GB/s, a difference of 8.5 GB/s.

Q: Which processor uses a smaller manufacturing process?

A: The 11390H uses Intel's 10 nm process, while the 8700T uses the older 14 nm process. The 11390H also has a smaller die size at 146.1 mm² versus 154 mm² for the 8700T.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear, if unusual, conclusion: the Intel Core i7-8700T is the better performer in Cinebench, winning all six Cinebench tests with margins around 5.5%, while the Intel Core i7-11390H is the better performer in Geekbench, with a crushing 47.8% single-core lead and a modest 6% multi-core lead. Given that the 8700T wins six of the eight head-to-head benchmarks, the overall benchmark score average favors it slightly (2701 vs 2715 for the 11390H, a negligible difference of 0.5%). The 8700T also offers more cores and threads (6/12 vs 4/8), which is advantageous for multi-threaded workloads.

However, context matters. The 8700T is a desktop part with a 35W TDP, while the 11390H is a mobile part with a 28W TDP. The 11390H's architectural advantages—newer 10 nm process, higher boost clock, faster memory bandwidth, and PCIe Gen 4—make it the more modern platform. For users who prioritize Geekbench-style performance, particularly single-threaded responsiveness, the 11390H is the clear winner. For users who prioritize Cinebench rendering performance and core count, the 8700T is the better choice. The 11390H also has superior integrated graphics (Iris XE 96EU vs UHD Graphics 630), making it more versatile for systems without a discrete GPU. Ultimately, pick the 8700T if you need raw multi-core throughput in a desktop; pick the 11390H if you need a modern, mobile-friendly part with exceptional single-core performance and a faster memory subsystem.