HiSilicon Kirin 980 vs Intel Core i5-655K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

HiSilicon Kirin 980 or HiSilicon Kirin 980 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The HiSilicon Kirin 980 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2018 and belongs to the 7 generation of the HiSilicon Kirin series.
The Intel Core i5-655K features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2010 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Intel Core i5 series.
To use the Intel Core i5-655K, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1156 socket.
HiSilicon Kirin 980 Group Intel Core i5 600
7 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
HiSilicon Kirin 980 Name Intel Core i5-655K
HiSilicon Kirin Family Intel Core i5
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.6 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
The Intel Core i5-655K has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i5-655K is 3.2 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.46 GHz.
4x Cortex-A55 Cores C None
8 Threads 4
1.92 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 2x
8 CPU Cores 2
hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
2x Cortex-A76 Cores A None
No Hyperthreading Yes
2.6 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking Yes
2x Cortex-A76 Cores B None
1.8 GHz C-Core Frequency None
None None 3.46 GHz
None None 3.2 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the HiSilicon Kirin 980 uses the ARM Mali-G76 MP10, which has 160 texture shaders
and 10 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Intel Core i5-655K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i5-655K uses the Intel HD Graphics (Westmere), which has 24 texture shaders
and 12 execution units.
160 Shaders 24
Q3/2018 Release date Q1/2010
7 nm Technology 32 nm
12 Direct X 10.1
4.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
10 Execution units 12
0.72 GHz GPU frequency 0.5 GHz
Bifrost 3 Generation 5
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.73 GHz
ARM Mali-G76 MP10 GPU name Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode / Encode VP8 No
Decode / Encode VC-1 No
Decode / Encode JPEG No
No AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode AVC Decode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode
Decode / Encode VP9 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 21.0 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
LPDDR4X-2133 Memory type DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
No ECC No
8.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
4 Memory channels 2
-- Bandwidth 21.0 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 6 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 73 W watts.
6 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 73 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 2.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i5-655K is manufactured using a 32 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
Q4/2018 Release date Q1/2010
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
7 nm Technology 32 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
-- Release price 177 $
Cortex-A76 / Cortex-A55 Architecture Clarkdale
2.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB
Android Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number --
Socket LGA 1156
0 bytes L2-Cache 512.0 KB