11th Gen H Series: Benchmarks Across the Stack

For our newest generation of Intel-powered enthusiast laptops, we ask a simple question: Did our 11th Gen H-series mobile processors (Tiger Lake H) raise the bar for laptops?

The answer is a resounding “yes!” We demonstrated during launch that the i9-11980HK is the World’s Best Gaming Laptop Processor¹, but we know that’s not enough. Everyone wants to know: How do the new i5, i7, i9 and i9k compare to 10th Gen? This data comes from Intel’s performance testing labs and focuses on a few key CPU performance benchmarks. 

Tests and data

Specifically, we ran three tests.

1. SYSmark* 25 As detailed in BAPCo’s white paper, SYSmark 25 bases its workloads on titles such as Adobe Acrobat* , Adobe Creative Cloud*  applications, Google Chrome* , and various Microsoft Office* programs. SYSmark offers an Overall score as well as sub-scores for Productivity, Creativity, and Responsiveness performance. For simplicity, we used the Overall score.
2. SPECrate* 2017 Integer (1 copy).These SPEC tests excel at benchmarking CPU and memory performance. We ran the rate tests for assessing throughput, which can reflect the number of jobs completed in a given time. Running “1 copy” provides a strong view into single-threaded performance.
3. SPECrate* 2017 Integer (n copy). With “n” copies, we get a better view into multi-threaded performance. The system will test the maximum number of threads possible.

SPECrate 2017 scores are estimates (based on measurements on a non-production Intel Reference System). Here’s a synopsis of our different configurations (full configuration details at the end).

Analysis 

There’s a bit to unpack here. We wanted to examine two things in particular: the improvement from 10th Gen (Comet Lake, CML-H) to 11th Gen (Tiger Lake, TGL-H) and the relative performance between 11th Gen i7 and i9. These two questions are important, because they address the key concern of every potential laptop buyer: Is it worth upgrading? Is this so much better than that?

Without getting too deep in the weeds, here are the top points that jump out at us from the results below:

1. An 11th Gen i5 (i5-11400H) outperforms a comparable 10th Gen i7 (i7-10750H) — noticeably. We see 4% better single-threaded performance, 7% better multi-threaded performance, and a head-turning 19% better overall Windows* application performance.
2. The i7-10750H is one of our best-selling 10th Gen H series processors. The i7-11800H supplants the i7-10750H. We were able to pack two more cores (four logical threads) in the new chip, and it shows. The i7-11800H realized 13% better single-threaded performance, 28% better multi-threaded performance, and 28% better overall Windows application performance.
3. As we move up the 11th Gen stack, we see progressive  improvement from i5 to i7 to i9, although in some cases the separation is near parity.

Scores are estimates (based on measurements on a non-production Intel Reference System). Differences in scores of ~1% are essentially parity based on run to run variation. Scores are normalized relative to i7-10750H.

A bar chart view might make this data easier to view.

Figure 1 - Performance scaling across three key CPU benchmarks – scores are estimates based on measurement and are normalized relative to i7-10750H.

Key takeaways

So, did we raise the bar? Absolutely. But maybe the real question should be: Why does that matter?

When you’re looking at a 28% improvement in Windows performance between i7 generations, that’s a big deal. That’s the kind of improvement you can feel in how applications respond and how long it takes to batch tasks. That’s the sort of compute power you want keeping your Thunderbolt™ 4 pipeline full. That’s the speed that gives you confidence in installing that heavy-duty software that demands a lot of resources but could dramatically improve your output and productivity.

The numbers also show a smaller performance leap from the 11th Gen i7 to i9. Let us offer this perspective: For the most performance demanding users even a smaller leap is still valuable. Think about a freelancer or IT professional - say a 4% performance gain allows you to complete just two additional jobs in a year, how much is each job worth?

That’s the business calculus on performance. The i7 is a phenomenal productivity platform with exceptional total value. The i9 is what you buy when cumulative minutes equal measurable money. Put these new 11th Gen H-series chips in a built for business commercial or mobile workstation, and the results can be meaningful.

Between i9-11900H and our fully unlocked i9-11980HK there’s small scaling of single threaded and multithreaded performance and parity on SYSmark 25. The primary value of the i9-11980HK comes from its key feature as a fully unlocked, fully overclockable mobile processor for those who want the highest performance and the knobs to turn it up even more³.

With our leadership performance 11th Gen H-series raises the bar, but it’s up to you to choose which one fits your needs.

Configurations

^Footnotes:

¹The 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-11980HK is the world's best gaming laptop processor, as measured by in-game benchmark mode performance (score or frames per second) where available, or frames per second where benchmark mode is unavailable, on the following 29 games: Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation*, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey*, Borderlands 3*, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive*, Crysis Remastered*, DOTA 2*, F1 2020*, Far Cry New Dawn​*, Grand Theft Auto V*, ​Gears of War 5*, Grid 2019*, Hitman 3*,  League of Legends*, Metro Exodus*, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)*, Red Dead Redemption 2*, ​Serious Sam 4*, Shadow of the Tomb Raider​*, Sid Meier's Civilization 6: Gathering Storm*, Strange Brigade*,  Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege*​, Tom Clancy's The Division 2*, Total War: Three Kingdoms: Dynasty​ Mode*, Troy: A Total War Saga: Siege*, War Thunder*, Watch Dogs: Legion*, World of Tanks​ Encore RT*, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands*, World War Z*. Results: The 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11980HK-based system scored higher on the majority of the 29 game titles tested. Learn more at www.intel.com/11thgenmobile.

²The Intel® Turbo Boost Max 3.0 is available on select SKUs only. A listed “up to” frequency is the maximum frequency at which the processor can operate when implemented in systems in accordance with Intel specifications. Whether the processor enters into turbo mode and the amount of time the processor spends in that state depends on workload, operating environment, and other factors described more fully here.

³Altering clock frequency or voltage may void any product warranties and reduce stability, security, performance, and life of the processor and other components. Check with system and component manufacturers for details.

Notices & disclaimers

Performance varies by use, configuration and other factors. Learn more at www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex. 

Performance results are based on testing as of June 17, 2021 and may not reflect all publicly available ​updates. 

Your costs and results may vary. 

© Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

SPEC, SPECrate and SPEC CPU are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. See http://www.spec.org/spec/trademarks.html for more information.