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.
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
HiSilicon Kirin 980 Name Intel Core i5-655K
HiSilicon Kirin Family Intel Core i5
7 Generation 1
HiSilicon Kirin 980 Group Intel Core i5 600
 
 

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
None None 3.46 GHz
1.8 GHz C-Core Frequency None
1.92 GHz B-Core Frequency None
2.6 GHz A-Core Frequency None
2x Cortex-A76 Cores B None
2x Cortex-A76 Cores A None
No Overclocking Yes
hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
None None 3.2 GHz
8 Threads 4
No Hyperthreading Yes
8 CPU Cores 2
None None 2x
 
 

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.
0.72 GHz GPU frequency 0.5 GHz
Q3/2018 Release date Q1/2010
12 Direct X 10.1
ARM Mali-G76 MP10 GPU name Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
7 nm Technology 32 nm
-- Max. displays --
160 Shaders 24
4.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
10 Execution units 12
Bifrost 3 Generation 5
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.73 GHz
 
 

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 AVC Decode
Decode / Encode VC-1 No
Decode / Encode VP9 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode h264 Decode
Decode / Encode VP8 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode JPEG No
No AV1 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.
4 Memory channels 2
8.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
No ECC No
-- Bandwidth 21.0 GB/s
LPDDR4X-2133 Memory type DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
 
 

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.
-- Tjunction max --
6 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 73 W
 
 

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
-- Part Number --
0 bytes L2-Cache 512.0 KB
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
Cortex-A76 / Cortex-A55 Architecture Clarkdale
7 nm Technology 32 nm
Socket LGA 1156
Android Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
-- Release price 177 $
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
2.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB