Intel Core i7-11800H vs Intel Core i7-9700K Comparison

The Intel Core i7-9700K and Intel Core i7-11800H are both eight-core Intel processors, but they target entirely different segments: the former is an end-of-life desktop chip from the Coffee Lake era, while the latter is an active mobile part from Tiger Lake-H. Despite the 9700K’s higher boost clock and desktop-oriented power budget, the benchmark data overwhelmingly favors the 11800H, which wins 18 of the 19 head-to-head comparisons. The only exception is a single PassMark test where the older desktop chip pulls ahead, making this a surprisingly one-sided matchup on paper.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the data is the consistency of the 11800H’s victory margin across Cinebench tests. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the 11800H scores 1679 against the 9700K’s 1233, a delta of -26.6%. That exact percentage repeats in Cinebench R20 multicore (6998 vs 5139) and Cinebench R23 multicore (16663 vs 12238), indicating a uniform performance gap that scales with workload duration. Single-core Cinebench results tell the same story: the 11800H leads by 26.3% in R15 (236 vs 174), 26.5% in R20 (987 vs 725), and 26.6% in R23 (2352 vs 1727). These are not marginal wins; the mobile chip is roughly a quarter faster across the board in rendering workloads.

Geekbench results are closer but still favor the 11800H. In single-core, the margin narrows to just 1.6% (1666 vs 1639), while multicore shows a 2.3% lead (7986 vs 7799). This suggests that in lighter, latency-sensitive tasks, the 9700K’s higher 4.90 GHz boost clock partially compensates for architectural differences, but the 11800H’s newer Tiger Lake design still edges it out.

PassMark tests reveal where the 11800H truly dominates. The largest delta is in data encryption, where the 11800H scores 12241 versus 4590 — a 62.5% advantage. Integer math shows a 42% lead (71423 vs 41411), and multithread performance is 28% higher (20012 vs 14414). Find prime numbers also favors the 11800H by 38.8% (85 vs 52). These are compute-heavy, parallel workloads where the 11800H’s 16 threads (versus the 9700K’s 8) provide a clear structural advantage.

The 9700K’s sole win comes in PassMark extended instructions, where it scores 18088 against the 11800H’s 16068, a 12.6% margin. This is a narrow but notable victory, suggesting the older chip’s instruction handling is superior in that specific benchmark. Elsewhere, the 11800H wins by smaller margins: floating point math is 16.3% higher (42423 vs 35498), random string sorting is 9.3% higher (28411 vs 25756), physics is 6.2% higher (938 vs 880), and single-thread performance is 5.8% higher (3043 vs 2865).

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for almost any workload: the Intel Core i7-11800H. With 16 threads versus the 9700K’s 8, the mobile chip delivers 26.6% higher multicore scores in every Cinebench version tested, plus a 28% lead in PassMark multithread. For users prioritizing encryption, integer math, or prime-number calculation, the 11800H is the only rational choice — its 62.5% encryption advantage and 42% integer math lead are decisive.

The 9700K’s case rests on two factors: its 12.6% win in extended instructions and its status as an unlocked multiplier part, which allows overclocking. The data as tested, however, shows no overclocked results, so the 11800H’s stock performance stands as the benchmark baseline. For single-threaded tasks, the difference is small (1.6% in Geekbench), so users with legacy single-core software won’t see a major penalty either way.

Choose the 9700K only if extended instruction performance is your primary metric or if you plan to overclock and accept that the benchmark scores here reflect stock settings. For everyone else — rendering, encryption, math, or general multitasking — the 11800H is the superior processor based strictly on these numbers.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from different process nodes and generations. The 9700K uses Intel’s 14 nm process with a Coffee Lake architecture, while the 11800H is built on 10 nm with a Tiger Lake-H design. The die sizes are close — 180.3 mm² for the 9700K versus 190 mm² for the 11800H — but the transistor-level changes enable the newer chip to do more with similar physical resources.

Core and thread counts diverge significantly. Both have 8 cores, but the 9700K runs 8 threads (one per core), while the 11800H supports 16 threads via Hyper-Threading. This doubles the parallel work capacity and explains much of the multicore performance gap. Cache hierarchies also differ: the 9700K offers 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core with 12 MB shared L3, while the 11800H provides 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core with 24 MB shared L3. The larger per-core L2 and doubled L3 give the mobile chip a memory subsystem advantage.

Clock speeds tell a more nuanced story. The 9700K has a higher base clock at 3.60 GHz and a higher boost at 4.90 GHz, versus the 11800H’s 1900.00 MHz base (notably low for a laptop chip) and 4.60 GHz boost. The 9700K also carries a 95 W TDP, while the 11800H is rated at 35 W — meaning the mobile chip achieves superior performance despite a much tighter thermal envelope. The 9700K is a desktop Socket 1151 part with 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes, while the 11800H uses BGA 1787 with 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, offering newer and more plentiful expansion options.

Memory bandwidth favors the 11800H at 51.2 GB/s versus the 9700K’s 42.7 GB/s, both using dual-channel DDR4. Integrated graphics differ as well: UHD Graphics 630 on the desktop chip versus UHD Graphics 750 on the mobile part. The 9700K is end-of-life with an unlocked multiplier, while the 11800H is active, locked, and mobile-only.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more threads?

A: The Intel Core i7-11800H has 16 threads, while the Intel Core i7-9700K has 8 threads. Both have 8 cores.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two?

A: The biggest delta is in PassMark data encryption, where the 11800H scores 12241 versus the 9700K’s 4590, a 62.5% difference.

Q: Does the 9700K win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the 9700K wins PassMark extended instructions with a score of 18088, which is 12.6% higher than the 11800H’s 16068.

Q: How do their cache sizes compare?

A: The 11800H has 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core, with 24 MB shared L3. The 9700K has 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core, with 12 MB shared L3.

Q: Which chip has a higher boost clock?

A: The 9700K boosts to 4.90 GHz, while the 11800H boosts to 4.60 GHz. The 9700K also has a higher base clock at 3.60 GHz versus 1900.00 MHz.

Q: Are both processors unlocked for overclocking?

A: No, the 9700K has an unlocked multiplier, but the 11800H is locked.

Where Each One Wins

The 11800H is the clear winner in almost every category. For rendering and content creation, its Cinebench scores are 26.6% higher across R15, R20, and R23 in both single and multicore tests. For security and compression tasks, it dominates data encryption by 62.5% and data compression by 13.1%. Math-heavy workloads favor it heavily, with integer math up 42% and floating-point math up 16.3%. Multithreaded productivity is 28% higher, and even physics simulation shows a 6.2% edge. For users running parallel, compute-intensive applications, the 11800H is the only sensible pick from this data.

The 9700K’s winning territory is narrow. Its 12.6% advantage in extended instructions suggests it handles certain specialized instruction sets better, which could matter for niche scientific or legacy software. The unlocked multiplier also offers overclocking headroom that the locked 11800H cannot match, though no overclocked benchmark scores are included in this data. For single-threaded performance, the gap is small (1.6% in Geekbench), so legacy single-core apps won’t see a dramatic difference. Choose the 9700K for its instruction handling and overclocking potential; pick the 11800H for everything else.