Intel Core i7-5850HQ vs Intel Core i7-990X Comparison

Intel Core i7-990X vs Intel Core i7-5850HQ is a generational clash that ends in a clean sweep for the older flagship. The Gulftown-based Extreme Edition wins all six recorded head-to-head benchmarks against the Broadwell-H part, with margins of roughly 4 to 5 percent across every Cinebench test in the database. The 5850HQ counters with a far leaner power envelope and modern platform features, but on raw performance the recorded data leaves no ambiguity: the 990X leads everywhere, even in single-core tests despite being the older design by a wide margin.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-990X wins every performance category in the database. It takes the multi-core contests on the strength of its six cores and twelve threads, and, more surprisingly, it also wins the single-core tests, where newer architectures usually dominate. The database shows the 990X scoring 86 versus 82 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 359 versus 345 in R20 single-core, and 857 versus 823 in R23 single-core. Those are small margins, but they are consistent, and they mean the 5850HQ cannot claim even the lighter workload categories.

Multi-core is where the gap is widest in absolute terms. The 990X posts 611 in Cinebench R15 multi-core against 588, 2549 versus 2451 in R20, and 6071 versus 5836 in R23. Two extra cores and four extra threads translate into a measurable lead in rendering-style throughput.

The 5850HQ wins on everything that is not a benchmark score. It fits a 47-watt envelope compared to 130 watts for the 990X, it integrates Iris Pro Graphics 6200 where the 990X has no integrated graphics at all, and it supports PCI Express Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes against the 990X's Gen 2 interface. For a system where graphics and efficiency matter more than peak rendering throughput, the Broadwell part holds clear structural advantages. Its launch MSRP is recorded at $434.

Both chips sit at the 40th percentile versus all CPUs in the database, with average benchmark scores of 1713 for the 990X and 1688 for the 5850HQ, so neither is a standout against the broader field. The 990X's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U (average score 1715), Intel Core i7-4910MQ (1716), Xeon E5-1620 v3 (1709), and Xeon E3-1265L v4 (1709), all effectively dead even. The 5850HQ's neighborhood is similarly tight: Core i7-3770K (1688), Ryzen 7 3750H (1690), Core i7-980 (1693), and Core i5-4690K (1682).

Architecture Differences

These are two Intel designs separated by a full node transition and a market-class divide. The i7-990X is a Westmere-architecture Gulftown die, built on Intel's 32 nm process, carrying 1,170 million transistors on a 239 mm² die. It belongs to the Core i7 Extreme line, and its unlocked multiplier confirms that positioning. The i7-5850HQ is a Broadwell-H part fabricated on 14 nm, with a smaller 182 mm² die and a locked multiplier, and it belongs to the standard Core i7 tier.

The core counts diverge sharply. Six cores and twelve threads for the 990X, four cores and eight threads for the 5850HQ. Cache follows the same pattern: the 990X carries 12 MB of shared L3, double the 6 MB of the 5850HQ. Per-core L1 and L2 are identical in the recorded data, 64 KB and 256 KB per core respectively, so the cache advantage comes entirely from the shared L3 pool.

Memory handling differs in kind, not just capacity. The 990X uses a triple-channel DDR3 memory bus on Socket 1366, a desktop workstation arrangement. The 5850HQ uses a dual-channel DDR3 bus on BGA 1364, with recorded memory bandwidth of 29.9 GB/s. The 990X's memory bandwidth figure is not recorded in the database.

Platform connectivity is the other major split. The 990X offers PCIe Gen 2, while the 5850HQ supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes, a meaningfully faster interface for add-in devices. Neither chip supports ECC memory. The 5850HQ includes Iris Pro Graphics 6200 integrated graphics; the 990X lists none and requires discrete graphics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Every recorded test favors the 990X, and the margins cluster tightly, which itself is informative: the gap is architectural and consistent rather than workload-dependent.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core the 990X scores 611 against 588, a 3.9 percent win. Cinebench R20 multi-core goes to the 990X 2549 to 2451, a 4 percent margin, and R23 multi-core lands at 6071 versus 5836, again 4 percent. The multi-core story is exactly what the core counts predict: six cores and twelve threads outworking four cores and eight threads by a modest but real margin.

The single-core results are the more interesting finding. The 990X scores 86 in R15 single-core versus 82, a 4.9 percent lead, the largest margin in the entire head-to-head set. R20 single-core goes 359 to 345 for the 990X, 4.1 percent, and R23 single-core finishes 857 to 823, also 4.1 percent. The Broadwell design cannot overcome the 990X's higher clocks in lightly threaded loads: 3.73 GHz boost against 3.60 GHz, and 3.47 GHz base against 2.70 GHz.

The final tally is six wins for the 990X and zero for the 5850HQ. That said, the margins are narrow enough that both processors land in the same overall performance neighborhood, as their identical 40th percentile placement and near-identical average scores (1713 versus 1688, a difference of 25 points) confirm.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in benchmarks?

A: The i7-990X. It wins all six recorded head-to-head tests, with margins between roughly 4 and 5 percent in every Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 test, both single-core and multi-core.

Q: Does the newer architecture give the 5850HQ a single-core advantage?

A: No. The database shows the 990X ahead in every single-core test: 86 to 82 in R15, 359 to 345 in R20, and 857 to 823 in R23. Its higher base and boost clocks offset the architectural gap.

Q: How much more power does the 990X consume?

A: The recorded TDP figures are 130 watts for the 990X and 47 watts for the 5850HQ. The Broadwell part is designed for a far tighter thermal envelope.

Q: Do either of these CPUs have integrated graphics?

A: The 5850HQ includes Iris Pro Graphics 6200. The 990X has no integrated graphics listed and requires a discrete solution.

Q: Which has more cache?

A: The 990X, with 12 MB of shared L3 against 6 MB on the 5850HQ. Both have identical per-core L1 (64 KB) and L2 (256 KB) caches.

Q: Can either CPU be overclocked?

A: The 990X has an unlocked multiplier. The 5850HQ does not.

The Verdict

Pick the i7-990X if throughput is the priority. It wins every benchmark in the database, it brings more cores, more threads, double the L3 cache, triple-channel memory, and an unlocked multiplier for tuning. The tradeoffs are a 130-watt TDP, a larger 239 mm² die on the older 32 nm node, PCIe Gen 2 only, and the absence of integrated graphics.

Pick the i7-5850HQ if efficiency and platform integration matter more than peak scores. It delivers performance within roughly 4 percent of the 990X across the board at a 47-watt TDP, includes Iris Pro Graphics 6200, and offers PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes. Its launch MSRP is recorded at $434.

The performance data alone favors the 990X in every measurable category, but only narrowly. Both processors occupy the same 40th percentile band against the full database, so neither represents high-end performance by modern standards. The deciding factors are the ones the benchmarks do not capture: power budget, graphics integration, and platform connectivity, where the 5850HQ holds all the structural advantages.

Specification Differences

• Cores/Threads: 6 cores, 12 threads (990X) vs 4 cores, 8 threads (5850HQ)
• Base Clock: 3.47 GHz vs 2.70 GHz
• Boost Clock: 3.73 GHz vs 3.60 GHz
• TDP: 130 W vs 47 W
• Socket: Intel Socket 1366 vs Intel BGA 1364
• Architecture: Westmere (Gulftown) vs Broadwell (Broadwell-H)
• Process Node: 32 nm vs 14 nm
• Transistors: 1,170 million vs not recorded
• Die Size: 239 mm² vs 182 mm²
• L3 Cache: 12 MB shared vs 6 MB shared
• Memory Bus: Triple-channel vs Dual-channel
• Memory Bandwidth: not recorded vs 29.9 GB/s
• PCIe: Gen 2 vs Gen 3, 16 lanes (CPU only)
• Integrated Graphics: none vs Iris Pro Graphics 6200
• Multiplier: unlocked vs locked
• Launch MSRP: not recorded vs $434
• Release Date: February 2011 vs June 2015
• Part Number: SLBVZ vs SR2BH