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Intel Core 5 120U

vs

Intel Core i5-1335U

Intel Core 5 120U vs Intel Core i5-1335U processor comparison

CPU Comparison Result

Intel Core 5 120U vs Intel Core i5-1335U: Similar Processors, But the Choice Is Not Obvious

At first glance, the Intel Core 5 120U appears to be a newer and significantly better processor than the Intel Core i5-1335U. However, in reality, the difference between them is less than it might seem from their names. Both chips belong to the economical U-series, are designed for thin laptops, and are well suited for office work, studying, browsing, video conferencing, and regular home tasks.

The main difference is straightforward: Core 5 120U is slightly faster due to higher frequencies, while the Core i5-1335U is often more interesting price-wise. Therefore, the choice should not be based solely on the processor but on the entire laptop as a whole.

Key Specifications

Specification	Intel Core 5 120U	Intel Core i5-1335U
Architecture	Raptor Lake	Raptor Lake
Cores / Threads	10 / 12	10 / 12
Configuration	2P + 8E	2P + 8E
Max Frequency for P-Cores	up to 5.0 GHz	up to 4.6 GHz
Max Frequency for E-Cores	up to 3.8 GHz	up to 3.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB	12 MB
Base Power	15 W	15 W
Turbo Power	up to 55 W	up to 55 W
Integrated Graphics	Intel Graphics, 80 EU, up to 1.3 GHz	Intel Iris Xe / UHD, 80 EU, up to 1.25 GHz
Max Memory	96 GB	96 GB

The specifications show that the Core 5 120U does not represent a leap into a different class. The number of cores, threads, cache, and power limits are identical. The main advantage of the new chip is its higher CPU frequencies and slightly higher integrated graphics frequency.

Performance

In everyday tasks, both processors will feel quite similar. They handle browsing, office applications, spreadsheets, video calls, online services, light photo editing, and multitasking well.

The Core 5 120U is faster in short tasks: launching applications, switching between windows, interface responsiveness, unpacking archives, and certain browsing scenarios. This is aided by the P-cores reaching 5.0 GHz compared to 4.6 GHz in the Core i5-1335U.

In multi-threaded workloads, the gap is possible, but it's not drastic. Both processors have the same configuration of 2 performance cores + 8 efficient cores. Therefore, while the Core 5 120U is better as a CPU, it's not enough of a difference to justify purchasing a laptop with inferior memory, display, or battery.

There is also an important nuance: in a thin chassis, the difference may almost vanish if the manufacturer has severely limited the processor's power or used weak cooling. A well-designed laptop with the i5-1335U may sometimes perform more stably under prolonged loads than a thinner model with the Core 5 120U.

Integrated Graphics

The graphics are nearly identical: both processors feature 80 execution units. The Core 5 120U has a slightly higher frequency—up to 1.3 GHz compared to 1.25 GHz in the i5-1335U.

For gaming, this is a minor difference. Both options are suitable for older games, simple online projects, video playback, and everyday graphics. For modern heavy games, it's better to look for a laptop with a discrete graphics card or more powerful integrated graphics.

More crucial is that integrated graphics heavily depend on RAM. A laptop with dual-channel RAM can be noticeably faster than a similar model with single-channel memory. This is especially relevant for the i5-1335U, where the Iris Xe designation often depends on the memory configuration: with single-channel memory, the graphics may be classified as Intel UHD.

Memory is More Important Than It Seems

For a purchase in 2026, it's best to aim for 16 GB of RAM. This is more critical than the small difference between the Core 5 120U and the Core i5-1335U. A laptop with the i5-1335U and 16 GB of RAM will often be more comfortable than a model with the Core 5 120U and 8 GB of RAM.

Both processors support up to 96 GB of memory, but in real laptops, configurations with 8 or 16 GB are more common. If the memory is soldered and upgrading is impossible, 8 GB is worth considering only for the simplest tasks and at a significantly lower price.

Battery Life

In terms of power consumption, the processors are almost equal: base power of 15 W, maximum turbo power up to 55 W. The Core 5 120U should not be automatically considered more energy-efficient just because of its new designation.

Battery life depends more on the specific laptop: battery capacity, display, cooling, power limits, and manufacturer settings. A model with i5-1335U and a 60 Wh battery may work longer than a laptop with Core 5 120U and a 42 Wh battery.

Which Option to Choose

Situation	Best Choice
Laptops are priced the same	Core 5 120U
The model with i5-1335U is significantly cheaper	Core i5-1335U
Core 5 120U with 8 GB RAM vs i5-1335U with 16 GB RAM	Core i5-1335U
Maximum responsiveness is needed	Core 5 120U
Battery life is crucial	Consider the battery and display, not just the CPU
Casual gaming	Almost equal, dual-channel memory is important
Thin chassis without good cooling	The difference between CPUs may be minimal

Conclusion

Intel Core 5 120U is better as a processor: it is newer, operates at higher frequencies, and is slightly faster in everyday tasks. However, this is not a significant leap forward but a careful update of a close platform.

Intel Core i5-1335U still remains a good choice, especially if the laptop with it is cheaper or better equipped. For most users, the difference between these CPUs will be less significant than having 16 GB of RAM, a good display, a decent battery, and quality cooling.

If the price is the same, choose the Core 5 120U. If the i5-1335U is cheaper or comes in a better laptop, it may be a more sensible purchase. The key is not to overpay for the Core 5 120U in a weak configuration with 8 GB of memory, a poor display, or a small battery.

Advantages

Intel Core 5 120U

Higher Max Turbo Frequency: 5 GHz (5 GHz vs 4.60 GHz)
Newer Launch Date: January 2024 (January 2024 vs January 2023)

Basic

Intel

Label Name

Intel

January 2024

Launch Date

January 2023

Mobile

Platform

Mobile

120U

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i5-1335U

Raptor Lake

Code Name

Raptor Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Performance-cores

Efficient-cores

5 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.60 GHz

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

12 MB

L3 Cache

12 MB

FCBGA1744

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1744

Intel 7

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

Intel 7

15 W

TDP

15 W

Processor Base Power

The time-averaged power dissipation that the processor is validated to not exceed during manufacturing while executing an Intel-specified high complexity workload at Base Frequency and at the junction temperature as specified in the Datasheet for the SKU segment and configuration.

15 W

55 W

Maximum Turbo Power

The maximum sustained (>1s) power dissipation of the processor as limited by current and/or temperature controls. Instantaneous power may exceed Maximum Turbo Power for short durations (<=10ms). Note: Maximum Turbo Power is configurable by system vendor and can be system specific.

55 W

Minimum Assured Power

12 W

100°C

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

Microprocessor PCIe Revision

Gen 4

Memory Specifications

Up to DDR5 5200 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5/x 6400 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

Up to DDR5 5200 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5/x 6400 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s

96 GB

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

96 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Intel® Graphics

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics eligible

1.25 GHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.25 GHz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

12.1

Execution Units

The Execution Unit is the foundational building block of Intel’s graphics architecture. Execution Units are compute processors optimized for simultaneous Multi-Threading for high throughput compute power.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP 1.4b | DP 1.4a | HDMI 2.1

Miscellaneous

Yes

Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) on CPU

A new set of embedded processor technologies designed to accelerate AI deep learning use cases. It extends Intel AVX-512 with a new Vector Neural Network Instruction (VNNI) that significantly increases deep learning inference performance over previous generations.

Yes

Intel Image Processing Unit

6.0

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

12 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel High Definition Audio

Yes

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Volume Management Device (VMD)

Intel® Volume Management Device (VMD) provides a common, robust method of hot plug and LED management for NVMe-based solid state drives.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Hardware Shield Eligibility

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel QuickAssist Software Acceleration

Yes

Intel Control-Flow Enforcement Technology

CET - Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) helps protect against the misuse of legitimate code snippets through return-oriented programming (ROP) control-flow hijacking attacks.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.6

OpenCL Support

OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for heterogeneous parallel programming.

3.0

Intel Quick Sync Video