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Intel Core i5-1245U

Intel Core i5-1245U: A Balance Between Performance and Battery Life in 2025 Ultrabooks

(Analysis for users choosing laptops in March 2025)

Architecture and Process: The Hybrid Revolution of Alder Lake

The Intel Core i5-1245U processor, released in 2022, remains relevant for budget ultrabooks even in 2025 thanks to the hybrid Alder Lake architecture. Its key features include:

- 10 cores (2 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 12 threads. P-cores (Performance) operate at frequencies up to 4.4 GHz in Turbo Boost mode and support Hyper-Threading, while energy-efficient E-cores (Efficient) handle background tasks, saving battery life.

- Intel 7 Process (formerly 10nm Enhanced SuperFin). This has reduced power consumption and improved transistor density.

- Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96 EU). The integrated graphics support 4K displays, AV1 encoding, and light gaming.

The hybrid architecture requires an optimized OS: Windows 11 (or newer) correctly distributes tasks between cores via Thread Director. For example, when working in Chrome, P-cores handle the tabs while E-cores manage background updates.

Power Consumption and TDP: 15 W for Thin Devices

The 15 W TDP makes the Core i5-1245U ideal for ultrabooks weighing up to 1.5 kg. However, actual consumption depends on the load:

- In idle mode, the processor reduces its frequency to 0.8–1.2 GHz, consuming 2–5 W.

- Under maximum load (e.g., video rendering), power briefly peaks at 55 W (PL2), but the cooling system of most ultrabooks isn't designed for prolonged operation at that level.

Tip: Choose laptops with dual-fan cooling (e.g., Dell XPS 13 Plus) — they maintain high Turbo frequencies longer.

Performance: From Office Work to Light Gaming

Geekbench 6 test results (1890/5417) show that the i5-1245U is 15–20% faster than the previous generation (i5-1135G7) in multi-threading tasks.

Real-World Scenarios:

1. Office Work:

- Running 30 Chrome tabs + Zoom + Excel — no delays thanks to E-cores.

- Re-encoding a 1-hour video in HandBrake: 12–14 minutes (compared to 18 minutes with i5-1135G7).

2. Multimedia:

- Streaming 4K HDR on YouTube: GPU load — 40–60%, CPU — 10–15%.

- Editing photos in Lightroom: filters apply without lag, but exporting a catalog of 100 images takes 3–4 minutes.

3. Gaming:

- CS2 (Full HD, low settings): 50–60 FPS.

- The Sims 4 (Full HD, medium settings): 40–45 FPS.

- For games with Iris Xe, RAM size is critical: dual-channel (LPDDR5) increases FPS by 20–30%.

Turbo Boost mode works effectively for short tasks (e.g., opening large PDFs), but for prolonged loads (over 5 minutes), the frequencies of P-cores drop to 3.2–3.5 GHz due to overheating.

Usage Scenarios: Who is the i5-1245U Designed For?

- Students and Office Workers: Multitasking, document handling, and video conferencing.

- Digital Nomads: Lightweight laptops (starting from 1.1 kg) and battery life.

- Casual Content Creators: Editing short videos in CapCut, photo processing.

- Casual Gamers: Playing games like Dota 2 or Minecraft.

Not Suitable For: 3D rendering, streaming AAA games, working with neural networks (e.g., Stable Diffusion).

Battery Life: Up to 12 Hours in Mixed Use

Laptops based on the i5-1245U (with a 60 Wh battery) demonstrate:

- 14–16 hours when reading PDFs or working in office applications (brightness 150 nits).

- 6–8 hours when watching YouTube (1080p).

- 3–4 hours under maximum load (e.g., video editing).

Power-saving Technologies:

- Intel Dynamic Tuning: automatically adjusts power based on network connection (e.g., lowering frequencies on battery).

- Adaptix Sleep: fast wake from sleep without increased consumption.

Tip: Disable Turbo Boost in power settings to extend battery life by 20–30% (P-core frequency will be limited to 2.4 GHz).

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (Zen 4):

- Pros: Higher performance in multi-threaded tasks (by 10–15%), Radeon 740M is 25% faster than Iris Xe.

- Cons: More expensive (laptops from $1000), shorter battery life (by 1–2 hours).

Apple M2 (MacBook Air):

- Pros: Battery life up to 18 hours, cool operation.

- Cons: Limited compatibility with Windows software, no support for Thunderbolt 4.

Intel Core i5-1345U (Newer Generation):

- Performance gain of only 8–12%, but improved energy efficiency. However, laptops with the 13th generation cost $150–200 more.

Pros and Cons of the Core i5-1245U

Strengths:

- An ideal balance of price and performance for ultrabooks.

- Supports Thunderbolt 4 (for connecting external GPUs or 8K monitors).

- Good integration with Windows 11.

Weaknesses:

- Limited multi-threaded performance compared to Ryzen 5.

- Iris Xe graphics lag behind Radeon 700M and Apple M2.

- Heating under prolonged load in thin chassis.

Laptop Selection Recommendations

1. Type of Device: Ultrabooks (Asus ZenBook 14, HP EliteBook 840 G9) or compact business laptops (Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon).

2. Price: $800–$1200. Models priced below $800 often cut corners on screens (TN panels) or SSDs (256 GB).

3. What to Look For:

- Screen: At least IPS, 300 nits, 100% sRGB.

- RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 (soldered).

- SSD: 512 GB NVMe (preferably with PCIe 4.0).

- Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4 for future upgrades.

Example: Acer Swift 5 (2025) for $999 — 14-inch OLED screen, 16 GB RAM, weight 1.2 kg.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-1245U is an optimal choice for those seeking an affordable ultrabook (up to $1200) with 8–12 hours of battery life and sufficient performance for work, study, and light creativity. It falls behind the newer Ryzen 7000 and Apple M2 in demanding tasks but excels in price, portability, and compatibility with the Windows ecosystem. If you need a laptop that won't run out of battery on a plane and can handle basic video editing — this is your option.

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.

i5-1245U

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.

FCBGA1744

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

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

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

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 DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s 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.

1.20 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

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

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

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

1890

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

5417

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1394

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

5997

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3134

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

13409

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-1250P

2077 +9.9%

Xeon w9-3475X

1990 +5.3%

Core i5-1245U

1890

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

1766 -6.6%

Core i7-8086K

1677 -11.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-10600

6155 +13.6%

Xeon Platinum 8156

5726 +5.7%

Core i5-1245U

5417

Ryzen 7 1700

5076 -6.3%

Xeon E5-2687W

4784 -11.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-12100T

1538 +10.3%

Ryzen 5 5600G

1454 +4.3%

Core i5-1245U

1394

Ryzen 7 3800XT

1334 -4.3%

Core i5-1140G7

1290 -7.5%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon Gold 6226

6726 +12.2%

Ryzen 7 5825U

6331 +5.6%

Core i5-1245U

5997

Ryzen 5 5600H

5793 -3.4%

Ryzen 5 4600HS

5506 -8.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS

3268 +4.3%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX

3204 +2.2%

Core i5-1245U

3134

Ryzen 7 5800U

3044 -2.9%

Ryzen 5 5600H

2954 -5.7%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon W-2135

14394 +7.3%

Xeon E-2276G

13873 +3.5%

Core i5-1245U

13409

Core i5-10500

12762 -4.8%

Xeon E-2278GEL

12024 -10.3%