Core i5-3550S vs Core i3-8100H

Both the Core i5-3550S and Core i3-8100H share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Core i5-3550S versus 3 GHz on the Core i3-8100H — a 20.9% clock advantage for the Core i5-3550S (base: 3 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i5-3550S uses the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture (22 nm), while the Core i3-8100H uses Coffee Lake-H (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-3550S scores 4,442 against the Core i3-8100H's 4,435 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i5-3550S. L3 cache: 6144 kB (total) on the Core i5-3550S vs 6 MB on the Core i3-8100H.

The Core i5-3550S uses the LGA1155 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-8100H uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core i5-3550S versus DDR4-2666 on the Core i3-8100H — the Core i3-8100H supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i3-8100H supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-3550S) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i3-8100H). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 2500 (Core i5-3550S) and UHD Graphics 630 (Core i3-8100H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-3550S targets Legacy Desktop, Core i3-8100H targets Mobile. Direct competitor: Core i5-3550S rivals FX-6350.