Intel Core i7-5600U vs Intel Core i7-880 Comparison

The Intel Core i7-880 and Intel Core i7-5600U represent two divergent design philosophies from Intel, separated by five years of process technology evolution. The i7-880 is a 2010 desktop part built on a 45 nm process, while the i7-5600U is a 2015 mobile chip fabricated on a 14 nm node. Despite their shared Core i7 branding, the data shows they land at nearly identical average benchmark scores — 1006 for the i7-880 and 1005 for the i7-5600U — placing both at the 27th percentile of all CPUs. This near-parity in aggregate performance masks significant differences in core count, power envelope, and architectural efficiency that define where each processor excels.

FAQ

Q: How do the two processors compare in multi-core performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-880 wins every multi-core benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the i7-880 scores 2923 against the i7-5600U's 2537, a 15.2% advantage. The gap is consistent across Cinebench R15 (294 vs 255, 15.3% delta) and Cinebench R20 (1227 vs 1065, 15.2% delta).

Q: Does the i7-5600U win any benchmark categories?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the i7-880 wins all five tested benchmarks, including both single-core and multi-core workloads. The i7-5600U's wins total is 0, while the i7-880 records 5 wins.

Q: What explains the similar average benchmark scores despite different core counts?

A: The i7-880 has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the i7-5600U has 2 cores and 4 threads. However, the i7-5600U's newer Broadwell architecture with a 14 nm process and 1,300 million transistors compensates somewhat for fewer cores through improved per-core efficiency, yielding an average score of 1005 versus 1006.

Q: How significant is the single-core performance gap?

A: The i7-880 leads by 15.3% in Cinebench R20 single-core (173 vs 150) and 15.1% in Cinebench R23 single-core (412 vs 358). This is a substantial margin, especially considering the i7-5600U's higher clock-for-clock efficiency from the newer architecture.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The i7-880 has a TDP of 95 watts, while the i7-5600U is rated at 15 watts. This 80-watt difference reflects the mobile design target of the i7-5600U versus the desktop-oriented i7-880.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory type?

A: Yes, both support DDR3 memory with dual-channel memory buses. However, the i7-5600U has a specified memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s, while the i7-880's memory bandwidth is not listed in the data.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-880 is the clear winner in raw computational throughput. Benchmark results show it leads in every single test, with deltas ranging from 15.1% to 15.3% across both single-core and multi-core Cinebench workloads. This makes it the superior choice for desktop tasks where power consumption is not a primary constraint and where sustained multi-threaded performance matters — content creation, compile workloads, or any application that can utilize its 8 threads.

The Intel Core i7-5600U, despite losing all head-to-head benchmarks, wins in the context of its intended mobile segment. Its 15-watt TDP is a fraction of the i7-880's 95-watt requirement, making it suitable for laptops and compact systems where thermal management and battery life are critical. The data shows it achieves 86.8% of the i7-880's multi-core performance (2537 vs 2923 in Cinebench R23) while consuming roughly one-sixth the power budget. For single-core tasks, the i7-5600U delivers 86.9% of the i7-880's score (358 vs 412), an impressive efficiency ratio given the architectural generation gap.

The i7-5600U also benefits from integrated graphics (Intel HD 5500), which the i7-880 lacks entirely. This makes the mobile chip a complete system-on-chip solution, whereas the desktop part requires a discrete graphics card. For users prioritizing portability and low power draw over absolute performance, the i7-5600U represents the more practical choice.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two processors is stark. The i7-880 uses the Nehalem architecture with the Lynnfield codename, built on a 45 nm process node. It contains 774 million transistors on a 296 mm² die. In contrast, the i7-5600U employs the Broadwell architecture with the Broadwell-U codename, manufactured on a 14 nm process with 1,300 million transistors packed into an 82 mm² die. This represents a dramatic density improvement — the newer chip packs nearly 70% more transistors into less than one-third the silicon area.

Cache hierarchies differ significantly. Both share the same per-core L1 (64 KB per core) and L2 (256 KB per core) allocations, but the L3 cache differs: the i7-880 offers 8 MB shared, while the i7-5600U provides only 4 MB shared. The i7-880's larger L3 cache likely contributes to its multi-core advantage, as more shared cache reduces memory latency for thread communication.

The memory controllers are similar in both supporting DDR3 dual-channel, but the i7-5600U specifies 25.6 GB/s bandwidth. PCIe support also differs: the i7-880 provides Gen 2 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-5600U offers Gen 2 with 12 lanes (CPU only). The i7-5600U includes integrated Intel HD 5500 graphics, a feature entirely absent from the i7-880.

Socket compatibility separates the two completely. The i7-880 uses Intel Socket 1156, a desktop platform, while the i7-5600U uses Intel BGA 1168, a soldered mobile package. Neither is interchangeable with the other's platform.

Specification Differences

The core specifications reveal fundamental design intent. The i7-880 features 4 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 3.07 GHz and boost clock of 3.73 GHz. The i7-5600U halves the core count to 2 cores and 4 threads, with a lower base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost of 3.20 GHz. Despite the clock disadvantage, the newer architecture partially compensates through higher instructions per clock.

Power envelopes diverge dramatically: 95 watts TDP for the i7-880 versus 15 watts for the i7-5600U. This 6.3x difference is the single most defining specification gap between the two. The i7-880 targets desktop sockets (Intel Socket 1156) with a 45 nm process; the i7-5600U targets mobile BGA 1168 with a 14 nm process.

Transistor counts and die sizes reflect the manufacturing generation gap: the i7-880 uses 774 million transistors on 296 mm², while the i7-5600U packs 1,300 million transistors on just 82 mm². L3 cache shrinks from 8 MB to 4 MB. PCIe lanes drop from 16 to 12. The i7-5600U includes a memory bandwidth specification of 25.6 GB/s, which the i7-880 lacks in the data. The i7-5600U also has a launch MSRP of $393, while the i7-880 has no listed launch MSRP.

Both processors are end-of-life, unlocked multipliers are false for both, and neither supports ECC memory. The i7-880 was released in 2010, the i7-5600U in 2015.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a remarkably consistent picture: the i7-880 wins every test by nearly identical margins. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-880 scores 294 versus 255 for the i7-5600U, a 15.3% advantage. This establishes the pattern that repeats across all other tests.

Cinebench R20 multi-core shows the i7-880 at 1227 against 1065, again a 15.2% delta. The single-core R20 test gives the i7-880 a 173 to 150 victory, also 15.3%. The consistency of these margins suggests the performance difference is structural — likely stemming from the combination of more cores and higher clocks — rather than workload-specific.

The most modern test, Cinebench R23, confirms the trend. Multi-core scores are 2923 for the i7-880 versus 2537 for the i7-5600U (15.2% delta), while single-core is 412 versus 358 (15.1% delta). The slightly smaller single-core delta hints that the i7-5600U's newer architecture narrows the gap when fewer cores are involved, but the i7-880's clock advantage (3.73 GHz boost vs 3.20 GHz) still prevails.

The i7-5600U's strongest relative showing is in single-core R23, where it achieves 86.9% of the i7-880's score. Its weakest relative performance is in multi-core R15 and single-core R20, both at 86.7% of the i7-880's output. The i7-880's wins across all five benchmarks underscore its dominance in raw processing power, though the i7-5600U's efficiency — delivering over 86% of the performance at less than 16% of the TDP — tells an equally compelling story for mobile applications. No Geekbench results exist for the i7-880 in the data, so the i7-5600U's Geekbench scores (1750 multi-core, 917 single-core) stand as the only data points from that suite.