▷ Intel core i5 【all information】

Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7 processors have been around for about 10 years, but some users are still stumped every time they try to build their own systems and are forced to choose between the three. With the latest ninth-generation architecture (Coffe Lake Refresh) about to hit store shelves, it's a good time to take a look at the most popular Intel processors.

Index of contents

Everything you need to know about Intel Core i5

Intel Core i5 is a brand of Intel, which is applied to various families of desktop and laptop processors. All of them are based on the x86-64 instruction set in order to guarantee full compatibility with the entire PC ecosystem. Intel Core i5 processors have so far used the Nehalem, Westmere, Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Haswell, Broadwell, Skylake, Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake microarchitectures.

We recommend reading our post about AMD Ryzen - The best processors manufactured by AMD

If you want a simple answer, overall, Intel Core i7 is better than Intel Core i5, which in turn is better than Intel Core i3. These numbers are merely indicative of their relative processing levels, so they do not indicate the number of processor cores, much less.

Their relative levels of processing power are based on a collection of criteria involving their number of cores, the clock speed in GHz, the size of the cache memory, as well as Intel technologies such as Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading. The more cores there are, the more tasks can be attended to at the same time. The lowest number of cores can be found in the Core i3, which currently has only four cores.

Currently, the Intel Core i5 processors offer a six-core configuration, just like their older siblings, the Core i7. The difference is that Core i5 lacks Hyper-Threading, so they can only run six threads of processing, while Core i7 can run twelve threads because they have Hyper-Threading. In high-threaded applications like video encoding, the lack of HyperThreading hurts the performance of Core i5 vs. Core i7 by as much as 20 percent or even more. That being said, this chip is even faster than any Core i3 processor, as all of these are a range below the Core i5.

The first Intel Core i5 processor to hit the market used the Nehalem microarchitecture, this first processor was introduced on September 8, 2009 as a conventional variant of the previous Core i7 based on the same Lynnfield core. The Intel Core i5 Lynnfield processors offered an 8MB L3 cache, a DMI bus running at 2.5 GT / s, and dual channel DDR3-800 / 1066/1333 memory support, and had Hyper-threading technology disabled. With the arrival of the Intel Core i7 and i5, a new feature was introduced called Turbo Boost Technology, which maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match workload.

The first mobile Intel Core i5 processors were based on the Arrandale core, which in turn was Westmere's reduction to Intel's 32nm manufacturing process. Arrandale processors were the first to offer integrated graphics capability, but only models with two processor cores. These chips were launched in January 2010.

Intel Turbo Boost

Normally, the processor has a standard clock speed that partially determines how fast it works. While the processor may slow down the clock at times to save power, the clock speed indicated when purchasing the PC is the fastest clock speed you will receive unless you decide to overclock.

The clock speed of a processor is typically much lower than the actual maximum clock speed that the processor could achieve. The extra margin is not used just because the manufacturer needs to plan the worst possible scenarios, which means you need a processor that is sold as a 3GHz processor, it can work at that speed in all conditions

However, Intel's new Core i5 and Core i7 processors do have a feature called Turbo Boost, which has the ability to dynamically expand a processor's clock speed based on the available thermal range. Intel Turbo Boost monitors the current usage of a Core i5 or i7 processor to determine how close the processor is to the maximum thermal design power, or TDP. The TDP is the maximum amount of power that the processor must use. If the Core i5 or i7 processor sees that it is working well within limits, Turbo Boost is activated.

Turbo Boost is a dynamic feature. There is no unmatched speed that the Core i5 or i7 processor will achieve when in Turbo Boost. It operates in 133Mhz increments and will expand until it reaches the maximum allowed, which is determined by the processor model, or the processor approaches its maximum TDP.

Before Turbo Boost, the option to buy a processor was a compromise. Low-core processors worked faster than many-core processors, simply because having more cores increases power consumption and heat generation. Some programs, like games, favored dual-core processors, while other programs, such as 3D rendering software, favored more core models. This presented the user with the situation of having to choose, since one could not have everything. Turbo Boost gets rid of this compromise, since it is possible to offer processors with many cores, which are also capable of reaching very high frequencies when they only use a few cores.

Intel UHD Graphics

With the rise of multimedia content in 4K resolution, Intel had to upgrade its integrated graphics processors to support HDCP2.2 on the DisplayPort and HDMI interfaces, although an external LSPCon for HDMI 2.0 is still needed. The UHD Graphics 630 graphics core with 24 Execution Units is essentially the same used in the previous generation, although its multimedia capabilities have been improved to meet current demands. The UHD naming is mostly for marketing purposes now that UHD content and displays are more ubiquitous when the nomenclature first started. The most important change is the addition of HDCP2.2 support.

Core i5 8269U and Core i5 8259U are the only ones that mount an Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 graphics core, much more powerful thanks to the fact that it contains 48 Execution Units. Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 also contains a small 128MB eDRAM cache, reducing the need for the graphics core to access system RAM, which is much slower than this eDRAM. This makes them the most powerful Core i5 processors to play, as long as an AMD or Nvidia graphics card is not taken into account.

Current Core i5 processors

The newer Intel Core i5 processors are all based on Intel's Coffee Lake architecture, though the new Coffe Lake Refresh are already close by, so when you read this they may already be in stores. There is no doubt that AMD's Ryzen processors challenged Intel's position in the desktop PC market in 2017. Coffee Lake processors arrived in response to AMD's Ryzen. Coffee Lake has meant the jump from the Core i5 and i7 to a six-core configuration, a great leap after ten years anchored in the four cores.

The Core i5 series typically offers enthusiasts the best performance for their money. Thanks to those two additional cores, Core i5 is now faster than the previous generation Core i7 7700K in most games, and even in some applications. This means that the Core i5 Coffee Lake basically replaces the previous generation Core i7. Put another way, mid-range chips can now go with high-end graphics cards without becoming bottlenecks.

Intel Core i5 8400 and Core i5-8600K were the first to hit the market, both models offering six processing cores without Hyper-Threading. The differences between them are that the first one has the multiplier locked, so it is not possible to overclock it to improve performance. In addition to that, they come down to clock speeds, thermal design power, and price. Core i5 8400 features a 2.8 GHz base frequency, which was at the time the lowest of all Coffee Lake-based processors, including Intel's Core i3 models. This is because Intel wanted to maintain a 65 W TDP, while the Core i5-8600K earned a 95 W rating, allowing the same silicon to adapt to a 3.6 GHz base frequency.

A priori, a low clock speed looks bad for performance, but remember that Intel's Turbo Boost technology speeds up frequencies within certain parameters. This allows the Core i5 8400 to be considerably faster in workloads that do not load all cores, and can even reach 4 GHz speed when using a single core.

Core i5 8400 and Core i5-8600K are based on an LGA 1551 interface, but it is not compatible with 200 and 100 series motherboards despite using the same socket. This means that you will have to go to a 300 series motherboard. The justification given for this is that the distribution of the pins is different, so the socket is not really the same despite having the same number. of contacts. All new Coffee Lake desktop processors are socket processors for use on appropriate motherboards with 300 series chipsets, including the Z370, H370, B360, H310 and future Z390.

The K designation means that this processor has the multiplier unlocked and can be overclocked to improve its performance, always subject to proper cooling, applied voltage, and chip quality. Two processors are never the same, so an operating frequency beyond the factory cannot be guaranteed.

The following tables summarize the most important features of the current Core i5:

Intel Core i5 Coffee Lake for desktop
	Core i5 8600K	Core i5 8600	Core i5 8600T	Core i5 8500	Core i5 8500T	Core i5 8400	Core i5 8400T
Cores and Threads	6/6	6/6	6/6	6/6	6/6	6/6	6/6
Base frequency	3.6 GHz	3.1 GHz	2.3 GHz	3.0 GHz	2.1 GHz	2.8 GHz	1.7 GHz
Turbo boost	4.3 GHz	4.3 GHz	3.7 GHz	4.1 GHz	3.5 GHz	4 GHz	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	9 MB	9 MB	9 MB	9 MB	9 MB	9 MB	9 MB
Memory support	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Integrated graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630
Frequency of graphics	1.15 GHz	1.15 GHz	1.15 GHz	1.1 GHz	1.1 GHz	1.05 GHz	1.05 GHz
PCIe Lanes (CPU)	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
PCIe Lanes (Z370)	<24	<24	<24	<24	<24	<24	<24
TDP	95 W	65 W	35 W	65 W	35 W	65 W	36 W

Intel Core i5 Coffee Lake for Laptops
	Core i5 8500B	Core i5 8400B	Core i5 8400H	Core i5 8300H	Core i5 8269U	Core i5 8259U
Cores and Threads	6/6	6/6	4/8	4/8	4/8	4/8
Base frequency	3 GHz	2.8 GHz	2.5 GHz	2.3 GHz	261 GHz	2.3 GHz
Turbo boost	4.1 GHz	4 GHz	4.2 GHz	4 GHz	4.2 GHz	3.8 GHz
L3 Cache	9 MB	9 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB
Memory support	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2400
Integrated graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Iris Plus 655	Iris Plus 655
Frequency of graphics	1.10 GHz	1.05 GHz	1.10 GHz	1 GHz	1.10 GHz	1.05 GHz
TDP	65 W	65 W	45 W	45 W	28 W	28 W