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Intel Core i5-1240U

Intel Core i5-1240U: A Balance of Performance and Battery Life for Modern Ultrabooks

(Relevant as of March 2025)

Introduction

CPUs for thin and light laptops always involve a compromise between power, energy consumption, and cost. The Intel Core i5-1240U, released in 2022, remains a popular choice for budget and mid-range ultrabooks. In this article, we will explore who this chip is suitable for, how it performs in real tasks, and what to consider when purchasing a device based on it.

Architecture and Process Technology: Hybrid Approach and Optimization

Alder Lake Hybrid Cores

The Core i5-1240U is built on the Alder Lake architecture with a hybrid core structure:

- 2 Performance-cores (P-cores) with Hyper-Threading support (4 threads).

- 8 Efficient-cores (E-cores) without Hyper-Threading (8 threads).

Total: 10 cores and 12 threads. The P-cores handle "heavy" tasks (like rendering), while the E-cores manage background processes (updates, music streaming).

Clock Frequencies:

- Base: 1.1 GHz (P-cores), 0.8 GHz (E-cores).

- Turbo Boost: up to 4.4 GHz for P-cores, up to 3.3 GHz for E-cores.

Cache: 12 MB L3 — sufficient for smooth operation in office applications and browsing with multiple tabs open.

Integrated Graphics Intel Iris Xe

The Iris Xe iGPU (96 EU) supports:

- 4K@60 Hz via HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort.

- Hardware decoding of AV1 and VP9 for 4K streaming.

- Gaming at low settings: e.g., CS:2 (40-50 FPS), GTA V (30-45 FPS).

Intel 7 Process (formerly 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin):

This allows for reduced energy consumption without sacrificing performance. In comparison, AMD's competitors (Ryzen 5 7530U) use TSMC's 6 nm.

Power Consumption and TDP: 9W for Thin Chassis

The nominal TDP of the processor is 9W, but in turbo mode, consumption can reach 29W. This is important to consider:

- In ultrabooks (e.g., Lenovo Yoga 7i), the cooling system is designed for 15-20W, so under prolonged load, throttling is possible.

- In budget laptops (Acer Swift 3), cooling is weaker — the chip tends to operate at base frequencies more often.

Tip: When choosing a device, check whether it is equipped with a fan or uses passive cooling. The latter option is suitable only for working with documents.

Performance: From Word Processing to Casual Gaming

Office Work and Multitasking

- Google Chrome with 20+ tabs + Zoom + Excel: The processor handles this without noticeable slowdowns, thanks to the E-cores that help offload the P-cores.

- Running a virtual machine (e.g., Ubuntu): There may be delays when working simultaneously in Photoshop.

Multimedia

- Adobe Photoshop (2025): Processing RAW files takes 15-20% longer than with the Core i7-1260P.

- Premiere Pro (1080p video): Rendering using Intel Quick Sync is 30% faster compared to chips without AV1 hardware decoding.

Gaming

Iris Xe is not a substitute for a discrete GPU, but it suffices for less demanding projects:

- Dota 2: 50-60 FPS at low settings (720p).

- Fortnite: 30-40 FPS (720p, Performance mode).

Important: In gaming with turbo mode, the processor heats up to 85-90°C, which may lead to throttling after 10-15 minutes.

Turbo Boost: How Long It Sustains Peak Frequency

- Short loads (up to 30 seconds): P-cores reliably operate at 4.2-4.4 GHz.

- Long tasks (video conversion): Frequencies drop to 2.8-3.0 GHz (P-cores) and 2.4 GHz (E-cores).

Use Cases: Who Needs the i5-1240U in 2025?

- Students: Working with texts, online courses, light presentation editing.

- Office Workers: Teams, Excel, corporate CRM systems.

- Travelers: Long battery life, compactness.

- Casual Gamers: Indie games and older titles.

Not Suitable for:

- 3D modeling in Blender or 4K video editing.

- Streaming games at high settings.

Battery Life: Up to 10 Hours Under Ideal Conditions

- Scenario "reading + browsing": 8-10 hours (with a 60Wh battery).

- Watching Netflix: 5-6 hours.

- Power-saving technologies:

- Intel Dynamic Tuning: Automatically reduces frequencies during idle.

- Chipset Deep Sleep: Turns off unused components.

Example: The ASUS Zenbook 14 (2025) with i5-1240U and a 70Wh battery operates for up to 12 hours in power-saving mode.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 7540U (Zen 4, 4nm)

- Pros: Better in multithreaded tasks (8 Zen 4 cores), supports DDR5-5600.

- Cons: Radeon 740M graphics are weaker than Iris Xe in gaming.

- Price: Laptops with Ryzen 5 7540U start at $750 (compared to $650 for models with i5-1240U).

Apple M2

- Pros: 30% better battery life, operates cool.

- Cons: Limited compatibility with Windows software.

- Price: MacBook Air M2 — starts at $999.

Pros and Cons of the Core i5-1240U

Pros:

- Optimized for thin laptops.

- Support for Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E.

- Good integration with Windows 11.

Cons:

- Limited future-proofing (2027+).

- Noisy fans under load.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

1. Type of Device:

- Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 (2025), weight up to 1.2 kg.

- Budget Laptop: HP Pavilion Aero 13, starting price of $650.

2. What to Look for:

- Display: IPS panel with 300 nits is ideal for working in bright conditions.

- Memory: 16 GB LPDDR5 — minimum for Windows 11 and multitasking.

- Storage: 512 GB SSD (PCIe 4.0).

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-1240U is a solid choice for those seeking an affordable (up to $700) laptop with long battery life and sufficient performance for everyday tasks. It falls short compared to the new Ryzen 8000U and Apple M3 in multithreaded scenarios but wins on accessibility and compatibility. If you need a compact device for study, work, and occasional gaming, this processor is worth considering.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

February 2022

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.

i5-1240U

Code Name

Alder 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

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.

4.40 GHz

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

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

4.40 GHz

Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency

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

3.30 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

L3 Cache

12 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1781

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

TDP

9 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.

9 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.

29 W

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

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 LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s

Max Memory Size

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

64 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

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

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.

900 MHz

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

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 (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 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 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 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 High Definition Audio

Yes

Intel Active Management Technology (AMT)

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

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

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1963

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

6333

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1424

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

5188

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3086

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13745

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 5 7540U

2162 +10.1%

Ryzen 7 5800

2051 +4.5%

Core i5-1240U

1963

Ryzen 9 6900HS

1854 -5.6%

Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U

1737 -11.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-1365URE

7152 +12.9%

Core i7-6950X

6726 +6.2%

Core i5-1240U

6333

Xeon D-1746TER

5884 -7.1%

Xeon D-1587

5548 -12.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 9 5900X

1565 +9.9%

Xeon W-11865MRE

1487 +4.4%

Core i5-1240U

1424

Xeon Silver 4514Y

1357 -4.7%

Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U

1308 -8.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 4500

5779 +11.4%

Ryzen 7 PRO 5875U

5473 +5.5%

Core i5-1240U

5188

EPYC 7371

4929 -5%

Xeon E5-2630

4705 -9.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-1265U

3228 +4.6%

Ryzen 5 6600U

3185 +3.2%

Core i5-1240U

3086

Ryzen 3 7330U

3005 -2.6%

Core i5-11260H

2932 -5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-1681 v3

14820 +7.8%

Ryzen 5 4600HS

14322 +4.2%

Core i5-1240U

13745

Xeon E5-2695 v2

13238 -3.7%

Xeon W-2133

12636 -8.1%