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Intel Core i7-10850H

Intel Core i7-10850H: Review of the 2025 Laptop Processor

Relevance in 2025: Is it worth considering Comet Lake?

Architecture and Manufacturing Process: Old but Reliable

The Intel Core i7-10850H, released in 2020, belongs to the Comet Lake generation and is still found in mid-range and premium laptops. Despite utilizing an outdated 14nm manufacturing process, it remains relevant due to architectural optimizations.

Key Specifications:

- 6 cores / 12 threads: Multitasking for heavy applications.

- Base Frequency: 2.7 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 5.1 GHz: High performance under peak loads.

- 12 MB L3 Cache: Accelerated data processing.

- Integrated Intel UHD Graphics for 10th Generation: Basic support for 4K displays and light gaming.

Architecture Features:

Comet Lake retained Hyper-Threading and support for DDR4-2933 memory but lags behind newer generations (Alder Lake, Meteor Lake) in energy efficiency. The integrated GPU, while weaker than discrete graphics cards, is suitable for office tasks and streaming video.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

TDP 45W classifies the i7-10850H as a processor for high-performance laptops. However, in reality, power consumption can reach 80–90W in Turbo Boost mode, necessitating an efficient cooling system.

What does this mean for the user?

- In gaming laptops with powerful coolers, the processor can fully demonstrate its potential.

- In thin ultrabooks, throttling (frequency reduction due to overheating) may occur.

Tip: When purchasing, check reviews about the cooling system of the specific model. For example, the Dell XPS 15 with the i7-10850H shows stable performance, while some budget gaming laptops (like the Acer Nitro 5) may become noisy under load.

Performance: From Office to Gaming

Geekbench 6:

- Single-Core: 1467: Sufficient for quick responses in browsers and applications.

- Multi-Core: 5397: Suitable for rendering, video encoding, and parallel tasks.

Real-World Scenarios:

1. Office Work:

- Running 30+ tabs in Chrome + Microsoft Teams — no lags.

- Working in Excel with large spreadsheets — calculations take 15% less time than with the i5-10300H.

2. Multimedia:

- Rendering a 10-minute video in Premiere Pro (1080p) — ~12 minutes compared to ~8 minutes with the Ryzen 7 5800H.

- Streaming in OBS — stable with NVENC (Nvidia GPU).

3. Gaming:

- Paired with RTX 3060: Cyberpunk 2077 on medium settings — 50–60 FPS (1080p).

- Turbo mode increases FPS by 5–10%, but raises temperatures.

Turbo Boost Mode:

The maximum frequency (5.1 GHz) engages for a short duration (up to 30 seconds). For extended sessions, it’s more stable at 4.2–4.5 GHz.

Usage Scenarios: Who is the i7-10850H For?

1. Professionals:

- Video editors and designers seeking a balance between price and performance.

- Developers working with code compilation and virtual machines.

2. Gamers:

- For gaming at Full HD with a discrete graphics card (RTX 3050 and above).

3. Everyday Tasks:

- Users who value speed in multitasking (e.g., streaming + work).

Examples of 2025 laptops with the i7-10850H:

- HP Envy 16 (Price: $900–1100) — for creative tasks.

- Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (Price: $1000–1200) — gaming model with RTX 4060.

Battery Life: A Compromise with 45W TDP

Battery Life:

- During web surfing: 5–7 hours (depends on battery capacity).

- Under load: 1.5–2 hours.

Power-saving Technologies:

- Speed Shift — dynamic frequency management.

- Adaptix Thermal Framework — cooling optimization.

Tip: Choose laptops with a battery of at least 80Wh. For example, the MSI Creator Z16 with the i7-10850H and 90Wh provides up to 8 hours in reading mode.

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (Zen 3, 7nm):

- Better for multi-threaded tasks (+20% in Cinebench R23).

- More energy-efficient but weaker in single-core performance.

2. Apple M2 (5nm):

- Half the power consumption, higher battery life.

- Compatibility only with macOS.

3. Intel Core i7-12800H (Alder Lake, 10nm):

+30% performance in multitasking but more expensive.

Conclusion: The i7-10850H falls short against new chips in efficiency but wins on price.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- High single-core performance.

- Affordable price (laptops starting at $800).

- Support for Thunderbolt 3 and Wi-Fi 6.

Weaknesses:

- Heating under load.

- Outdated 14nm process.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

1. Types of Devices:

- Gaming: ASUS TUF Dash F15 — good cooling.

- Workstations: Dell Precision 3560 — supports ECC memory.

- Ultrabooks: Not recommended due to heat output.

2. What to Look For:

- Cooling system (minimum of 2 fans).

- Ports (preferably Thunderbolt 3 for external GPUs).

Final Recommendation: Who is the i7-10850H For?

This processor is worth considering if:

- You need a powerful laptop for $800–1200.

- Performance in applications sensitive to single-core (Photoshop, games) is a priority.

- You are okay with heat and noise from the fans.

Alternatives for 2025:

- For battery life — Apple MacBook Air M2 ($999).

- For multi-threading — Lenovo ThinkPad with Ryzen 7 6800H ($1100).

The Intel Core i7-10850H remains a solid choice for budget gamers and professionals but lags behind newer chips in energy efficiency.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2020

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i7-10850H

Code Name

Comet Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.70 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

5.10 GHz

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom. Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 frequency is the clock frequency of the CPU when running in this mode.

4.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Yes

L3 Cache

12 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1440

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

45 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2933

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

45.8 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel® Processors

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.15 GHz

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@30Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

12 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1467

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

5397

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1106

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4981

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2703

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

11858

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-12500TE

1571 +7.1%

Core i9-10980XE

1523 +3.8%

Core i7-10850H

1467

Xeon W-3235

1414 -3.6%

Ryzen 7 4800U

1372 -6.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-10870H

6085 +12.7%

Core i5-11600T

5699 +5.6%

Core i7-10850H

5397

Ryzen 3 3100

5033 -6.7%

Core i5-8400

4741 -12.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E3-1275 v6

1148 +3.8%

Core i7-7820X

1120 +1.3%

Core i7-10850H

1106

Core i3-10305

1080 -2.4%

Xeon E3-1535M v6

1061 -4.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-10700T

5521 +10.8%

Core i5-11500T

5237 +5.1%

Core i7-10850H

4981

Xeon Gold 6130

4756 -4.5%

Core i5-9500T

4502 -9.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon W-10855M

2786 +3.1%

Ryzen 9 3900X

2749 +1.7%

Core i7-10850H

2703

Xeon W-3265

2669 -1.3%

Core i5-1145G7E

2627 -2.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E-2146G

13260 +11.8%

Xeon E5-2650L v4

12646 +6.6%

Core i7-10850H

11858

Xeon E5-2643 v4

11128 -6.2%

Core i5-9600K

10727 -9.5%