Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y vs Intel Core i9-11900KB vs Intel Xeon W-11955M

Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y

The Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y is a low power entry level processor for small laptops or tablets and based on the Kaby Lake architecture. It was announced in Q1 2019 and offers two processor cores clocked at 1.7 GHz (no Turbo Boost). Thanks to Hyper Threading, the processor can execute up to four threads simultaneously. The chips also includes the Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU, a dual-channel memory controller (DDR3L/LPDDR3) as well as VP9 and H.265 video de- and encoder. It is still produced in a 14 nm process with FinFET transistors. Compared to the much faster Core m3-7Y30, the Pentium 4425 offers no Turbo Boost, different CPU and GPU clock speeds, a smaller L3 cache and a higher TDP of 6 Watt. Compared to the predecessor Pentium Gold 4415Y from 2017, the Pentium Gold 4425Y is clocked 100 MHz higher (the CPU cores).

Architecture

Intel basically used the familiar micro architecture from the Skylake generation, so the per-MHz performance is identical. Only the Speed-Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of the voltages and clocks was improved, and the matured 14 nm process now also enables much higher frequencies and better efficiency than before. 

Performance

Due to the missing Turbo Boost, the Pentium 4425Y offers a significantly worse single thread performance than the more expensive Core m3-7Y30. This should be noticeable in daily tasks. Compared to older CPUs, the Pentium Gold should match a Core i3-4100U (100 MHz higher clock speed but older architecture).

Graphics

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU has 24 Execution Units (EUs) like the old HD Graphics 515 and runs with clocks between 300 and 850 MHz in combination with this processor. The performance heavily depends on the TDP limit as well as the memory configuration; with fast LPDDR3-1866 RAM in dual-channel mode, the GPU should sometimes be able to compete with the HD Graphics 520, but can also be much slower in other scenarios. Modern games from 2016 will, if at all, only run smoothly in the lowest settings.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake now also supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14 nm process with FinFET transistors, so the power efficiency was once again improved significantly. The TDP is rated at 6 Watt and can be reduced to 4,5 Watt (cTDP down).

Intel Core i9-11900KB

The Intel Core i9-11900KB is an Octa-Core-CPU that was used in the Intel Beast Canyon NUC. It is based on the Tiger-Lake-H45 series and was announced in the second quarter of 2021. The processor cores can clock from 3.3 to 5.3 GHz, all cores at once can reach up to 4.9 GHz. The CPU features 24 MB level 3 cache and DDR4-3200 memory. The integrated UHD graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture with 32 cores and clocks up to 1.45 GHz.

As with the slower Tiger Lake-H CPUs, the 11900KB has a partly integrated WiFi 6E and Thunderbolt 4 in the chip. Furthermore, the 11900KB supports 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes.

The TDP is rated at 65 Watt with 3.3. GHz base clock and can be configured to 55 Watt (cTDP-down).

Intel Xeon W-11955M

The Intel Xeon W-11955M is a high end octa core SoC for laptops and mobile workstations. It is based on the Tiger Lake H45 generation and was announced in mid 2021. It integrates eight Willow Cove processor cores (16 threads thanks to HyperThreading). The base clock speed depends on the TDP setting and at 45 Watt is at 2.6 GHz. The single core boost speed can reach up to 5 GHz (ITBM 3.0, also two cores), all cores can reach up to 4.5 GHz. The CPU offers 24 MB level 3 cache and supports DDR4-3200 memory. Similar to the Core i9-11950H, the Xeon W-11955M supports SIPP, vPro and TXT. In addition to this, the Xeon line supports ECC memory.

Performance

The average W-11955M in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 7 4800H, Core i7-11850H, Core i7-1360P, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is a fairly fast chip, as of early 2023.

Your mileage may vary depending on how competent the cooling solution of your laptop is, and how high the CPU power limits are.

The SoC also included the improved Xe graphics card called UHD graphics with all 32 EUs.

Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (20 lanes in the H45 series), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6E in the chip.

Power consumption

This Xeon series chip has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 35 W to 45 W, the expectation being that laptop makers will go for a higher value to get better performance.

The W-11955M is built with Intel's third-gen 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for average, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.