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Intel Core i9-9880H

Intel Core i9-9880H in 2025: Is it worth getting a laptop with this processor?

Analysis of capabilities, comparison with competitors, and selection tips

Architecture and Technology Process: The Legacy of Coffee Lake

The Intel Core i9-9880H processor, released in 2019, is based on the Coffee Lake-H architecture and a 14nm technology process. Although by 2025 this technology process is considered outdated (compared to the 5nm Apple M3 and 4nm AMD Ryzen 8000), it remains a testament to Intel's reliable engineering of its time.

Key Features:

- 8 cores and 16 threads — a strong foundation for multitasking and heavy computing.

- Base clock: 2.3 GHz, maximum Turbo Boost frequency of up to 4.8 GHz (for a single core).

- 16 MB L3 cache — speeds up data processing in resource-intensive applications.

- Integrated graphics UHD 630 — with 24 EU (Execution Units), supporting 4K@60 Hz. Suitable for basic tasks, but not for modern gaming.

Architecture Features:

- Support for DDR4-2666 MHz (up to 128 GB) and PCIe 3.0 (16 lanes).

- Hyper-Threading and Thermal Velocity Boost technologies for automatic frequency boosts with cooling.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

The processor's TDP is rated at 45 W, but in reality, consumption can reach 90-100 W in Turbo mode. This necessitates an effective cooling system, which complicates usage in thin ultrabooks.

What does this mean for the user?

- Laptops with the i9-9880H typically have large coolers and weigh at least 2.5 kg.

- Without quality cooling, the processor throttles (reduces frequencies), leading to a significant drop in performance.

Performance in 2025: Where is it still relevant?

Geekbench 6 benchmark results (1355 / 6052) show that the i9-9880H remains competitive in multithreaded tasks but lags behind in energy efficiency.

Office Tasks and Multimedia:

- Easily handles dozens of browser tabs, streaming video, and office suites.

- 4K editing in Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve is possible, but rendering will be slower than on newer Ryzen 7 7840U CPUs (+20% speed improvement).

Gaming:

- Integrated graphics UHD 630 — the weak point: only older games can run at low settings (e.g., CS:GO — 40-50 FPS at Full HD).

- With a discrete GPU like the NVIDIA RTX 3060 or higher — comfortable FPS in games from 2023-2024 (Cyberpunk 2077 — 60 FPS on medium settings).

Turbo Boost Mode:

- Peak frequency lasts 10-15 seconds before stabilizing at 3.8-4.2 GHz (depends on cooling).

Usage Scenarios: Who is the i9-9880H Suitable for in 2025?

1. Professionals on a budget:

- Video editing, 3D modeling, programming. Example: Dell Precision 7540 (price in 2025 — from $800).

2. Gamers looking for used hardware:

- Devices with RTX 2070/3060 and i9-9880H can be found for $700-$900.

3. Universal users:

- Streaming work, virtualization.

Battery Life: The Processor's Weak Point

With a TDP of 45 W, battery life for laptops rarely exceeds 4-5 hours (web browsing, office). Under load (gaming, rendering) — about 1.5 hours.

Energy-Saving Technologies:

- Intel Speed Shift — dynamic frequency management.

- Adaptix Thermal Framework — optimization of fan performance.

Tips:

- Lower the screen brightness.

- Disable Turbo Boost in the power settings.

Comparison with Competitors: Who is Better?

1. AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (2021):

- Pros: 7nm technology, better energy efficiency (+15% battery life).

- Cons: lower frequency in single-threaded tasks.

2. Apple M2 (2022):

- Pros: 18-hour battery life, cool operation.

- Cons: macOS, limited compatibility with Windows software.

3. Intel Core i7-12800H (2022):

- Pros: 10nm process, +25% IPC improvement.

- Cons: more expensive on the secondary market.

Pros and Cons of the i9-9880H in 2025

Strengths:

- High multithreaded performance.

- Affordable price on the used market ($500-800 for a laptop).

- Support for Windows 11 and Linux.

Weaknesses:

- High heat output and noisy cooling.

- Outdated PCIe 3.0 and DDR4.

- Low battery life.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

1. Device Type:

- Gaming laptop (ASUS ROG Strix, MSI GP75) — for gaming with discrete GPU.

- Workstation (HP ZBook 15) — for professional tasks.

2. What to Look for:

- Cooling system: at least two fans and heat pipes.

- Battery: from 80 Wh.

- Display: IPS matrix with 100% sRGB for color work.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the Core i9-9880H?

This processor is worth considering in 2025 if:

- You need a powerful laptop for work or gaming under $800.

- Battery life and weight are not critical concerns.

- You have the option to upgrade (SSD replacement, RAM addition).

Key Benefits:

- Budget savings without significant performance compromises.

- Proven reliability of the Coffee Lake platform.

However, if you want a modern laptop with long battery life, consider models with the Ryzen 7 7840U or Apple M3.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2019

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.

i9-9880H

Code Name

Coffee 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

2.30 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.

4.80 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

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

L3 Cache

16 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.

DDR4-2666 | LPDDR3-2133

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).

41.8 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 630

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.

1.20 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

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

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

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.

16 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 Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

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 InTru 3D Technology

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

1355

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

6052

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1055

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

6017

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2534

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13860

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E-2124

1442 +6.4%

Core i3-9300

1388 +2.4%

Core i9-9880H

1355

Core i5-10500E

1313 -3.1%

EPYC 7272

1272 -6.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 3600

6865 +13.4%

Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U

6427 +6.2%

Core i9-9880H

6052

Xeon D-1732TE

5653 -6.6%

Xeon Silver 4114

5390 -10.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-1110G4

1095 +3.8%

Core i7-4790K

1072 +1.6%

Core i9-9880H

1055

Core i5-8400

1026 -2.7%

Ryzen 5 2600

1006 -4.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon Platinum 8153

6726 +11.8%

Ryzen 5 6600H

6350 +5.5%

Core i9-9880H

6017

Xeon W-10885M

5802 -3.6%

Xeon E5-4610 v4

5510 -8.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E-2126G

2611 +3%

EPYC 7773X

2570 +1.4%

Core i9-9880H

2534

Xeon W-2195

2498 -1.4%

Core i9-9820X

2450 -3.3%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

EPYC 7251

14935 +7.8%

Core i5-10600K

14351 +3.5%

Core i9-9880H

13860

Xeon D-1581

13282 -4.2%

Xeon E5-1680 v2

12741 -8.1%