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Intel Core i5-1038NG7

Intel Core i5-1038NG7: A Moderate Giant for Ultrabooks in 2025

Current Review of the Processor for Thin Laptops

Architecture and Process Technology: 10nm, Ice Lake-U, and Hidden Potential

The Intel Core i5-1038NG7 processor, released in 2020, continues to be in demand in budget ultrabooks even in 2025 due to its balanced specifications.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores, 8 threads—a classic configuration for medium-complexity tasks.

- Frequencies: Base frequency—2.0 GHz, maximum turbo frequency—3.8 GHz. In Turbo Boost mode, the processor dynamically overclocks, but due to its 15W TDP, it cannot sustain peak values for long periods.

- Ice Lake-U Architecture: The Sunny Cove microarchitecture has brought IPC improvements (up to 18% compared to previous generations), support for AVX-512, and AI acceleration via DL Boost.

- Integrated Graphics Iris Plus G7: 64 execution units (EUs), support for 4K@60 Hz, and decoding of VP9 and H.265. In gaming, it handles CS:GO at medium settings (45–60 FPS) and Dota 2 (720p, 50 FPS).

Practical Tip: For comfortable graphics work, choose laptops with dual-channel RAM (at least 16 GB LPDDR4X). This will increase iGPU performance by 20–30%.

Power Consumption and TDP: A Thin Balance

The 15W TDP makes this processor ideal for ultrabooks, but under load, consumption can reach 25–28W. This requires an efficient cooling system.

- Operating Modes: In office tasks (Chrome, Word), the processor consumes 5–8W; in rendering, it can use up to 25W.

- Thermal Management: In compact chassis (e.g., Dell XPS 13 9300), under load, temperatures can reach 85–90°C, which causes throttling. The solution is to use cooling pads.

Example: The Acer Swift 5 (2025) laptop with the i5-1038NG7 demonstrates stable 3.2 GHz under sustained loads thanks to an improved cooler.

Performance: From Office Tasks to Light Gaming

Office and Multimedia

- Microsoft Office, Browsers: Loading 20 tabs + Zoom—processor performs without lag.

- Photo Editors: Adobe Lightroom—processing RAW files takes 2–3 seconds per image.

- Video Conversion: Rendering a 10-minute 1080p video in HandBrake—about 25 minutes.

Gaming

- Light Projects: Minecraft (60 FPS, 1080p), Overwatch 2 (30 FPS, low settings).

- Turbo Mode: In games, the frequency remains at 3.5–3.6 GHz for the first 10 minutes, then drops to 2.8–3.0 GHz.

Tip: For gaming, use an external graphics card via Thunderbolt 3 (e.g., Razer Core X with GTX 1660). This will expand the laptop's capabilities.

Use Cases: Who is the i5-1038NG7 Suitable For?

- Students: Working with texts, presentations, online courses.

- Office Workers: Multitasking with emails, messaging apps, Excel.

- Travelers: Watching movies, light photo editing.

- Not Suitable For: 4K video editing, 3D modeling, AAA gaming without eGPU.

Example Device: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (2025)—weight 1.3 kg, battery life 10 hours, price $799.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

- Web Surfing: 8–10 hours (brightness 150 nits, Wi-Fi).

- Video Playback: Up to 12 hours (local playback of 1080p content).

- Power Saving Technologies:

- Intel Speed Shift: Dynamic switching between P-states.

- Adaptix Dynamic Tuning: Machine learning for load optimization.

Important: In 2025, competitors like Apple M3 or AMD Ryzen 7 7730U offer 30–50% more battery life for similar tasks.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (Zen 3, 6 Cores)

- Pros: Better multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23: 7500 vs. 4800 for Intel).

- Cons: Weaker single-thread performance (Geekbench 6: 1050 vs. 940).

Apple M3 (8 GPU, 4 Cores)

- Pros: Battery life up to 18 hours, higher IPC.

- Cons: Limited compatibility with Windows software.

Conclusion: The i5-1038NG7 falls short in multi-threading and energy efficiency but wins in price ($600–$900 for laptops vs. $1000–$1300 for Apple).

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Good single-thread performance.

- Support for Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6.

- Affordable device pricing.

Weaknesses:

- Heating under load.

- Outdated process technology compared to 5nm chips from competitors.

Recommendations for Laptop Choice

- Device Type: Ultrabook or 2-in-1 hybrid.

- Essential Parameters:

- 16 GB RAM.

- 512 GB NVMe SSD.

- IPS display with Full HD resolution.

- Additional: Active cooling, Thunderbolt 4 port for upgrades.

Top Models of 2025:

- HP Envy 13 (price: $849).

- ASUS ZenBook 14 (price: $799).

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-1038NG7 in 2025 is an excellent choice for those seeking an affordable ultrabook for work and leisure. Its key advantages include:

- Sufficient power for everyday tasks.

- Support for modern interfaces (Thunderbolt 4).

- Optimal price-to-performance ratio.

Who it is suitable for: Students, office workers, users who value portability and are not willing to overpay for top-tier models.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Laptop

Launch Date

May 2020

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.

i5-1038NG7

Code Name

Ice Lake-U

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

Performance-core Base Frequency

2.0 GHz

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

3.8 GHz

L1 Cache

48K per core

L2 Cache

512K per core

L3 Cache

6MB shared

Unlocked Multiplier

Multiplier

20x

Bus Frequency

100MHz

CPU Socket

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

BGA-1344

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.

10 nm

TDP

15 W

Max. Operating Temperature

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

100 °C

PCIe Version

PCI Express is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard used for connecting high-speed components, replacing older standards such as AGP, PCI, and PCI-X. It has gone through multiple revisions and improvements since its initial release. PCIe 1.0 was first introduced in 2002, and in order to meet the growing demand for higher bandwidth, subsequent versions have been released over time.

3.0

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.

x86-64

Memory Specifications

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.

LPDDR4-3733

Max Memory Size

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

64GB

Memory Channels

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

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

58.3 GB/s

ECC Memory Support

GPU Specifications

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.

True

GPU Max Dynamic Frequency

1050 MHz

GPU Base Frequency

300 MHz

Max Resolution

5120x3200 - 60 Hz

Miscellaneous

PCIe Lanes

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23

Single Core Score

1092

Cinebench R23

Multi Core Score

5055

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

940

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3241

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1136

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4325

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2212

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

9123

Blender

Score

Compared to Other CPU

Cinebench R23 Single Core

Snapdragon X Elite

1772 +62.3%

M1 Pro

1545 +41.5%

Core i9-10940X

1260 +15.4%

Core i5-1038NG7

1092

Pentium N3710

201 -81.6%

Cinebench R23 Multi Core

Core i9-10920X

15767 +211.9%

M1 Max

12629 +149.8%

Core i7-5960X

9720 +92.3%

Core i5-1038NG7

5055

Celeron N3350E

255 -95%

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i3-6100T

1041 +10.7%

Athlon 220GE

993 +5.6%

Core i5-1038NG7

940

Xeon E3-1230L v3

893 -5%

Core m3-8100Y

847 -9.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon Bronze 3206R

3702 +14.2%

Xeon E3-1225 v3

3499 +8%

Core i5-1038NG7

3241

Core i9-9920X

3027 -6.6%

Ryzen 3 1200

2833 -12.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i9-9900

1198 +5.5%

Core i9-9900X

1165 +2.6%

Core i5-1038NG7

1136

Xeon W-3245

1114 -1.9%

Core i7-9800X X-series

1093 -3.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-12450H

4784 +10.6%

EPYC 7351P

4563 +5.5%

Core i5-1038NG7

4325

Core i7-10710U

4095 -5.3%

Xeon E5-1630 v4

3888 -10.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon W-2133

2268 +2.5%

Xeon Gold 6154

2239 +1.2%

Core i5-1038NG7

2212

Xeon Gold 6150

2188 -1.1%

Xeon E3-1240 v3

2158 -2.4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E-2234

9961 +9.2%

Core i5-9400F

9492 +4%

Core i5-1038NG7

9123

Ryzen 3 7320C

8614 -5.6%

Opteron 6386 SE

8291 -9.1%

Blender

Xeon Silver 4310

224 +220%

M1 Pro

172 +145.7%

112 +60%

Core i5-1038NG7

Celeron N4020

5 -92.9%