Core i7-10870H vs Core i9-9980HK

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i7-10870H

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Core i9-9980HK needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9980HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $417 MSRP, while Core i9-9980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Core i9-9980HK

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,966 vs 14,087).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-10870H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-10870H

2020

Core i9-9980HK

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Core i9-9980HK needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9980HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $417 MSRP, while Core i9-9980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (13,966 vs 14,087).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-10870H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-10870H better than Core i9-9980HK?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-9980HK is ahead with a 15.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-10870H pulls ahead with 0.9% better PassMark. Core i9-9980HK also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-10870H is the better fit. You are getting 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core i7-10870H is the smarter buy today. Core i7-10870H is at an unclear MSRP at $417 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.9% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-9980HK is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 15.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (33.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core i7-10870H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i7-10870H Benchmark Check

Core i9-9980HK Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-10870H	Core i9-9980HK
1080p
low	286 FPS	271 FPS
medium	256 FPS	246 FPS
high	217 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	235 FPS
medium	189 FPS	193 FPS
high	155 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	165 FPS
medium	133 FPS	137 FPS
high	103 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	93 FPS

Open Core i7-10870H Open Core i9-9980HK

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-10870H	Core i9-9980HK
1080p
low	253 FPS	349 FPS
medium	208 FPS	349 FPS
high	193 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	349 FPS
1440p
low	217 FPS	349 FPS
medium	183 FPS	349 FPS
high	171 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	149 FPS	323 FPS
4K
low	171 FPS	349 FPS
medium	148 FPS	310 FPS
high	141 FPS	291 FPS
ultra	122 FPS	245 FPS

Open Core i7-10870H Open Core i9-9980HK

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-10870H	Core i9-9980HK
1080p
low	352 FPS	349 FPS
medium	352 FPS	349 FPS
high	352 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	349 FPS
1440p
low	352 FPS	349 FPS
medium	352 FPS	349 FPS
high	352 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	349 FPS
4K
low	352 FPS	349 FPS
medium	352 FPS	349 FPS
high	352 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	325 FPS	322 FPS

Open Core i7-10870H Open Core i9-9980HK

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-10870H	Core i9-9980HK
1080p
low	352 FPS	349 FPS
medium	352 FPS	349 FPS
high	352 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	349 FPS
1440p
low	352 FPS	349 FPS
medium	352 FPS	349 FPS
high	352 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	349 FPS
4K
low	352 FPS	349 FPS
medium	352 FPS	349 FPS
high	352 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	349 FPS

Open Core i7-10870H Open Core i9-9980HK

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-10870H and Core i9-9980HK

Core i7-10870H

The Core i7-10870H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 17 September 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,087 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i9-9980HK

The Core i9-9980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-HR (2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,966 points. Launch price was $583.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i7-10870H and Core i9-9980HK share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i7-10870H versus 5 GHz on the Core i9-9980HK — a 4.1% clock advantage for the Core i9-9980HK (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i7-10870H uses the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i9-9980HK uses Coffee Lake-HR (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-10870H scores 14,087 against the Core i9-9980HK's 13,966 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i7-10870H. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-10870H vs 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9980HK.

Feature	Core i7-10870H	Core i9-9980HK
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz	5 GHz+4%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	2.4 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Comet Lake-H (2020)	Coffee Lake-HR (2019)
PassMark	14,087	13,966
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,594	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,228	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	6,822	—

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the BGA1440 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Core i7-10870H	Core i9-9980HK
Socket	BGA1440	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i7-10870H) / not specified (Core i9-9980HK). The Core i7-10870H includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Core i9-9980HK requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-10870H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i7-10870H rivals Ryzen 7 4800H.