Intel Core i7-1165G7 vs Intel Core i7-8650U Comparison

The Intel Core i7-8650U and Intel Core i7-1165G7 are both 4-core, 8-thread mobile processors, but they represent vastly different generations of Intel’s ultrabook silicon. The benchmark data shows a decisive victory for the newer i7-1165G7, which wins all 17 head-to-head comparisons, often by substantial margins. However, the i7-8650U remains a competent part for specific legacy workloads, and its lower power envelope makes it suitable for fanless designs. This analysis breaks down where each chip excels, what separates them architecturally, and how their benchmark scores translate into real-world use.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-1165G7 is the clear winner in every single benchmark included in this comparison. Its largest advantages come in heavily multithreaded and encryption-heavy tasks, where the newer architecture’s wider execution resources and higher clocks pay off. For example, in PassMark’s data encryption test, the i7-1165G7 scores 5561 compared to the i7-8650U’s 2067, a 62.8% lead. Similarly, in Cinebench R23 multi-core, the newer chip posts 8293 versus 5253 for the older part, a 36.7% advantage. This makes the i7-1165G7 the obvious choice for content creation, 3D rendering, and any workload that can utilize all available threads.

The i7-8650U does not win any of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks, but that does not mean it is without a use case. Its 15W TDP, compared to the 28W TDP of the i7-1165G7, suggests it is designed for thinner, more power-efficient laptops where sustained performance is less critical than battery life and thermal management. For basic productivity tasks like word processing, web browsing, and light spreadsheet work, the older chip’s PassMark single-thread score of 2103 is still perfectly serviceable. The data shows it is not a slow processor in absolute terms; it is simply outclassed by its successor in every measurable way.

The i7-8650U’s nearest rivals in the overall benchmark database include the Intel Xeon Gold 6330 and the Intel Core i5-8350U, with an average benchmark score of 8932. This places it in the 65th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms a majority of processors ever tested, even if it lags behind the i7-1165G7’s 9235 average score. The i7-1165G7, in turn, sits in the same 65th percentile, but its nearest rivals are more powerful desktop and server parts like the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8280M, showing it punches well above its mobile class.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two parts is substantial. The i7-8650U is built on Intel’s older 14 nm process node, while the i7-1165G7 uses the newer 10 nm node. This process shrink allows the newer chip to pack more transistors into a similar die area; the i7-1165G7’s die size is 144 mm² versus 123 mm² for the i7-8650U. The newer chip also features a completely different core microarchitecture: Kaby Lake-R versus Tiger Lake’s Willow Cove cores. This explains the massive IPC (instructions per clock) improvements seen in single-threaded tests.

Cache hierarchies differ significantly as well. The i7-8650U has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, while the i7-1165G7 has 80 KB of L1 and a much larger 1.25 MB of L2 per core. The shared L3 cache also jumps from 8 MB on the older part to 12 MB on the newer one. This additional cache is critical for workloads that repeatedly access the same data, such as database queries or complex simulation loops, and it directly contributes to the newer chip’s superior performance in integer math and floating-point operations.

Memory support is another differentiator. The i7-8650U only supports DDR4, while the i7-1165G7 supports both DDR4 and LPDDR4X, and it features a dual-channel memory bus. The newer part also includes PCIe Gen 4 with 4 lanes available from the CPU, a feature entirely absent from the older chip’s specification sheet. The integrated graphics are also a major upgrade: the i7-8650U comes with the UHD 620, while the i7-1165G7 is equipped with the Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 with 96 execution units. This makes the newer chip far more capable for light gaming and GPU-accelerated tasks like video encoding.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is in PassMark’s data encryption test, where the i7-1165G7 scores 5561 versus the i7-8650U’s 2067, a 62.8% lead. This is the largest percentage gap in the entire comparison and highlights the newer chip’s hardware-accelerated encryption instructions. In contrast, the smallest gap is in PassMark’s random string sorting, where the newer part leads by only 17.4% (12698 vs 10485). This suggests that memory latency and cache bandwidth improvements are less pronounced in this specific workload.

Across the Cinebench suite, the i7-1165G7 consistently leads by roughly 36.7% to 36.8%. For example, in Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 835 versus 529, and in single-core it scores 117 versus 74. The same pattern holds in R20 and R23, indicating that the performance advantage is uniform across different rendering workloads. The i7-1165G7’s 1170 score in Cinebench R23 single-core is particularly impressive, as it nearly doubles the i7-8650U’s 741, showcasing the massive IPC gains from the Willow Cove architecture.

In PassMark’s integer math test, the i7-1165G7 scores 33349 compared to 22007 for the i7-8650U, a 34% lead. Floating-point math shows a similar story: 19830 versus 13299, a 32.9% advantage. The find prime numbers test, which is highly sensitive to both clock speed and core efficiency, shows a 52.2% lead for the newer chip (46 vs 22). The overall PassMark multithread score reinforces this trend, with the i7-1165G7 achieving 9958 versus 6193 for the older part, a 37.8% gap. Every metric points in the same direction: the i7-1165G7 is a generational leap forward.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-threaded workloads?

A: The Intel Core i7-1165G7 is significantly faster. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, it scores 8293 versus 5253 for the i7-8650U, a 36.7% advantage. The same pattern appears in PassMark multithread (9958 vs 6193) and Cinebench R20 multi-core (3483 vs 2206).

Q: Is there any benchmark where the i7-8650U wins?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the i7-1165G7 winning all 17 benchmark comparisons. The closest result is in PassMark random string sorting, where the i7-1165G7 leads by 17.4%, while the largest margin is in data encryption at 62.8%.

Q: How do their single-core performances compare?

A: The i7-1165G7 leads by around 36.8% in Cinebench R15 single-core (117 vs 74) and by 36.7% in R23 single-core (1170 vs 741). In PassMark single-thread, the newer chip scores 2763 versus 2103, a 23.9% lead.

Q: What are the key architectural differences between the two CPUs?

A: The i7-8650U uses a 14 nm Kaby Lake-R architecture with 8 MB of L3 cache, while the i7-1165G7 uses a 10 nm Tiger Lake architecture with 12 MB of L3 cache. The newer chip also has larger L1 and L2 caches per core (80 KB and 1.25 MB vs 64 KB and 256 KB) and supports LPDDR4X memory.

Q: Which processor has better integrated graphics?

A: The i7-1165G7, which features the Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 96EU, is far more capable than the i7-8650U’s UHD 620. This difference is not directly benchmarked here, but the architectural specification indicates a major upgrade in GPU performance.

Q: What is the TDP of each processor?

A: The i7-8650U has a TDP of 15W, while the i7-1165G7 has a TDP of 28W. This means the older chip is more power-efficient, making it better suited for fanless ultrabooks, while the newer chip trades power for performance.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i7-8650U | Intel Core i7-1165G7 |

|----------------|----------------------|----------------------|

| Base Clock | 1900 MHz | 2800 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.20 GHz | 4.70 GHz |

| TDP | 15 W | 28 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1356 | Intel BGA 1449 |

| Architecture | Kaby Lake | Tiger Lake |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 10 nm |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 144 mm² |

| L1 Cache | 64 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |

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

| L3 Cache | 8 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR4 | DDR4, LPDDR4X |

| Memory Bus | Not specified | Dual-channel |

| PCIe | Not specified | Gen 4, 4 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD 620 | Iris Xe-LP Graphics G7 96EU |

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

| Release Date | 2017-08-20 | 2020-09-01 |

| Launch MSRP | Not specified | $426 |

| Part Number | SR3L8 | SRK02 |