Intel Core i7-9850HL vs Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 Comparison

The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 and Intel Core i7-9850HL are two end-of-life Intel processors sharing the same BGA 1440 socket, yet they represent different design philosophies. The Xeon is a Skylake-H workstation part with a 45 W TDP, while the i7-9850HL is a Coffee Lake-HR mobile chip with a 25 W TDP and two additional cores. Benchmark data from Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 shows an extraordinarily tight race, with the Xeon winning all six head-to-head tests, but by margins of 0.1% to 0.3%—a statistical near-tie. Both processors land at the 44th percentile of all CPUs, with average benchmark scores of 1945 for the Xeon and 1941 for the i7-9850HL. The data suggests that, despite differences in core count, clock speed, and power envelope, these two chips deliver functionally equivalent performance in the tested workloads.

Where Each One Wins

Based purely on the benchmark results, the Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 wins every single comparison. The head-to-head table lists six tests, and the Xeon takes all six: Cinebench R15 multicore (677 vs 676), R15 singlecore (95 vs 95), R20 multicore (2824 vs 2819), R20 singlecore (398 vs 397), R23 multicore (6726 vs 6712), and R23 singlecore (949 vs 947). The largest advantage is 0.3% in R20 singlecore, while the smallest is a 0% delta in R15 singlecore, where both chips score exactly 95 points. This means the Xeon is the winner in every measured category, but the margins are so small they fall within typical run-to-run variance.

The Intel Core i7-9850HL, despite having 6 cores and 12 threads versus the Xeon’s 4 cores and 8 threads, does not win a single benchmark. Its higher boost clock of 4.10 GHz compared to the Xeon’s 3.70 GHz does not translate into a performance advantage in these tests. The i7-9850HL’s lower 25 W TDP suggests it may be designed for thermally constrained environments, but the benchmark data shows no performance benefit from its additional cores in Cinebench workloads. The Xeon’s wins are consistent across both single-core and multi-core tests, indicating that the older Skylake architecture is not penalized by its lower core count in this comparison.

For real-world use cases, the data implies that the Xeon E3-1535M v5 is the safer choice for raw compute performance, even if the margin is negligible. The i7-9850HL’s advantage lies outside the benchmark suite—its lower TDP and newer integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630 vs HD Graphics P530) could make it more appealing for mobile systems where power efficiency matters. However, based on benchmark scores alone, the Xeon wins outright in every category.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 has an average benchmark score of 1945, while the Intel Core i7-9850HL scores 1941. The Xeon is 0.2% ahead of the i7-9850HL in the nearestRivals comparison.

Q: How does the core count differ between the two chips?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the Intel Core i7-9850HL has 6 cores and 12 threads. Despite having 50% more cores, the i7-9850HL does not win any benchmark.

Q: What is the largest performance gap in the head-to-head tests?

A: The largest delta is 0.3% in Cinebench R20 singlecore, where the Xeon scores 398 versus the i7-9850HL’s 397. All other deltas are 0.1% or 0.2%, except R15 singlecore which is a 0% tie at 95 points.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 supports ECC memory, while the Intel Core i7-9850HL does not. This is a key differentiator for workstation reliability.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for each chip?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5 has a TDP of 45 W, while the Intel Core i7-9850HL has a TDP of 25 W. The i7-9850HL is designed for lower power consumption.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Core i7-9850HL has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is higher than the Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5’s 3.70 GHz. Despite this, the Xeon wins all single-core benchmarks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results paint a picture of near-perfect parity. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Xeon scores 677 against the i7-9850HL’s 676, a 0.1% margin. The R15 singlecore test is a dead tie at 95 points for both chips. Moving to R20 multicore, the Xeon takes 2824 versus 2819, a 0.2% lead. R20 singlecore shows the largest delta at 0.3%, with the Xeon at 398 and the i7-9850HL at 397. In R23 multicore, the Xeon scores 6726 against 6712, another 0.2% margin. Finally, R23 singlecore shows the Xeon at 949 versus 947, again a 0.2% difference.

The consistency of these results is notable. The Xeon wins by 0.1% or 0.2% in every multi-core test, and by 0.2% to 0.3% in single-core tests, except for the R15 singlecore tie. This pattern suggests that the Xeon’s higher base clock of 2.90 GHz, compared to the i7-9850HL’s 1.90 GHz base clock, gives it a slight edge in these workloads. The i7-9850HL’s higher boost clock of 4.10 GHz is not enough to overcome this, likely because sustained multi-core loads do not reach peak boost frequencies.

The average benchmark scores corroborate this: the Xeon averages 1945, while the i7-9850HL averages 1941. In the nearestRivals data, the Xeon is 0.2% ahead of the i7-9850HL, and the i7-9850HL is 0.2% behind the Xeon. These deltas are consistent with the head-to-head results, where no test exceeds a 0.3% gap. For practical purposes, these two CPUs are interchangeable in Cinebench performance, but the Xeon holds a mathematical, if not meaningful, advantage in all six tests.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specifications. The Xeon E3-1535M v5 has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the i7-9850HL has 6 cores and 12 threads. Base clocks are dramatically different: the Xeon runs at 2.90 GHz, while the i7-9850HL has a base clock of 1.90 GHz. Boost clocks are reversed, with the Xeon at 3.70 GHz and the i7-9850HL at 4.10 GHz. The TDP is a major differentiator: 45 W for the Xeon versus 25 W for the i7-9850HL.

Memory support also diverges. The Xeon supports both DDR3 and DDR4, while the i7-9850HL supports only DDR4. Memory bandwidth is higher on the i7-9850HL at 42.7 GB/s, compared to 34.1 GB/s for the Xeon. ECC memory is supported on the Xeon but not on the i7-9850HL. The integrated graphics differ as well: HD Graphics P530 on the Xeon versus UHD Graphics 630 on the i7-9850HL.

The cache hierarchy is similar in structure but different in total size. Both have 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core. The L3 cache is 8 MB (shared) on the Xeon and 9 MB (shared) on the i7-9850HL. The die size is 122 mm² for the Xeon and 149 mm² for the i7-9850HL, with the Xeon listing 2,300 million transistors while the i7-9850HL has no transistor count listed. The PCIe interface also differs: the Xeon has Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-9850HL has Gen 3 without a lane count specified.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is clear: the Xeon E3-1535M v5 is built on the Skylake architecture, specifically Skylake-H, while the i7-9850HL uses the Coffee Lake architecture, codenamed Coffee Lake-HR. Both are manufactured on Intel’s 14 nm process node, but the microarchitectural differences are significant. Skylake is an older design, released in 2015, while Coffee Lake is a later iteration that typically offers higher clock speeds and improved power efficiency.

The Xeon is classified as a server/workstation part with a generation of “Xeon E3 (Skylake-H),” while the i7-9850HL is a mobile processor with a generation of “Core i7 (Coffee Lake-HR).” This classification explains some of the specification differences: the Xeon supports ECC memory for workstation reliability, while the i7-9850HL does not. The Xeon also supports both DDR3 and DDR4, whereas the i7-9850HL is limited to DDR4.

The core counts reflect the architectural evolution. The i7-9850HL packs 6 cores into a 149 mm² die, while the Xeon fits 4 cores into a smaller 122 mm² die. The i7-9850HL also has a larger 9 MB L3 cache versus 8 MB on the Xeon. The base clock difference of 1.0 GHz (2.90 GHz vs 1.90 GHz) is notable, but the boost clock difference of 0.4 GHz (3.70 GHz vs 4.10 GHz) favors the i7-9850HL. Despite these architectural differences, the benchmark results are nearly identical, suggesting that the extra cores and newer architecture on the i7-9850HL are offset by its much lower base clock and TDP.