Intel Core i7-8550U vs AMD A9-9420

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-8550U CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD A9-9420
Intel Core i7-8550U AMD A9-9420

CPU comparison

Intel Core i7-8550U or AMD A9-9420 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i7-8550U has 4 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.00 GHz. Up to 32 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-8550U was released in Q3/2017.

The AMD A9-9420 has 2 cores with 2 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz. The CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The AMD A9-9420 was released in Q2/2017.
Intel Core i7 (293) Family AMD A (112)
Intel Core i 8000U (7) CPU group AMD A9-9000 (4)
8 Generation 4
Kaby Lake U Refresh Architecture Stoney Ridge (Excavator)
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-8550U has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-8550U is 1.80 GHz (4.00 GHz) while the AMD A9-9420 has 2 CPU cores and 2 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD A9-9420 is at 3.00 GHz (3.60 GHz).

Intel Core i7-8550U Characteristic AMD A9-9420
4 Cores 2
8 Threads 2
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.80 GHz Frequency 3.00 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.60 GHz
2.40 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.00 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i7-8550U Characteristic AMD A9-9420
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-8550U or AMD A9-9420 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
0.30 GHz GPU frequency 0.85 GHz
1.15 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
9.5 GPU Generation 7
14 nm Technology 28 nm
3 Max. displays 3
24 Compute units 3
192 Shader 192
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
16 GB Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
12 DirectX Version 12

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i7-8550U can use up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 38.4 GB/s. The AMD A9-9420 supports up to 8 GB of memory in 1 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to --.

Intel Core i7-8550U Characteristic AMD A9-9420
DDR4-2400 Memory DDR4-2133
32 GB Max. Memory 8 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 1 (Single Channel)
38.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth --
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
8.00 MB L3 Cache 2.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
12 PCIe lanes 8
11.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 7.9 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i7-8550U is 15 W, while the AMD A9-9420 has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i7-8550U Characteristic AMD A9-9420
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 25 W
-- TDP down 10 W
-- Tjunction max. 90 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-8550U is manufactured in 14 nm and has 8.00 MB cache. The AMD A9-9420 is manufactured in 28 nm and has a 2.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i7-8550U Characteristic AMD A9-9420
14 nm Technology 28 nm
Monolithic Chip design Unknown
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, FMA3, FMA4
BGA 1356 Socket FP4
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems
Q3/2017 Release date Q2/2017
385 $ Release price --
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
1037 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
497 (48%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
2967 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
805 (27%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
Intel UHD Graphics 620 @ 1.15 GHz
442 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge) @ 0.85 GHz
325 (74%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
5955 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
2348 (39%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 1.80 GHz
1666 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
328 (20%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
167 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
81 (49%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
564 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
134 (24%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
61 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
189 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
1032 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
4626 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
1296 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
3419 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
354 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
1211 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
37 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
671.5 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-8550U Intel Core i7-8550U
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
378 (100%)
AMD A9-9420 AMD A9-9420
2C 2T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-8550U AMD A9-9420
Unknown Unknown

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