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Intel Core i5-7500

Intel Core i5-7500: A Moderate Classic for Basic Tasks in 2025

Architecture, Performance, and Relevance in Modern Reality

Key Features: What Does Kaby Lake Offer?

The Intel Core i5-7500 processor, released in 2017, belongs to the Kaby Lake generation (7th generation) and is still found in budget builds. Its key specifications are:

- 4 cores / 4 threads with no support for Hyper-Threading.

- Base frequency of 3.4 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.8 GHz.

- 14 nm process technology with a TDP of 65 W.

- Integrated graphics Intel HD Graphics 630.

- 6 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR4-2400 memory.

What Makes Kaby Lake Stand Out?

- Hardware video decoding for 4K (HEVC, VP9) — relevant for media centers.

- Improved energy efficiency compared to Skylake.

- Support for Optane Memory (for HDD acceleration).

Performance in 2025

According to Geekbench 6 tests:

- 1266 points (single-core) — on par with modern budget processors, such as Intel Celeron G6900 (~1300 points).

- 3462 points (multi-core) — weaker than even Ryzen 3 5300G (~4500 points).

For office tasks (Word, Excel, browsing) and streaming video, the processor can still manage, but it clearly shows its age in resource-intensive applications (video editing, 3D rendering).

Compatible Motherboards: Searching in Times of Scarcity

LGA 1151 Socket (v2 version) — a crucial factor. Only motherboards with 200-series chipsets are compatible:

- H110, B250, H270, Z270.

Selection Features in 2025:

- New motherboards are hardly produced. Only rare examples remain on the market, such as the ASUS Prime B250M-K (~$90-110).

- Z270 — an optimal choice for enthusiasts (memory overclocking support), but difficult to find new.

- H110 — a basic option, but may require a BIOS update for Kaby Lake support.

Tip: When buying a motherboard, check the compatibility list (QVL) on the manufacturer's website. For example, the Gigabyte H270-HD3 supports the i5-7500 "out of the box."

Memory Support: DDR4 as the Standard

The processor works only with DDR4-2133/2400 MHz.

- Maximum capacity: 64 GB (depends on the motherboard).

- Dual-channel mode is essential to unlock its potential.

Example Configuration:

2x8 GB DDR4-2400 (e.g., Kingston Fury) — optimal for gaming and multitasking.

Important: Attempting to install DDR5 (even through adapters) is pointless — the processor's memory controller does not support the new standard.

Power Supply: How Many Watts Are Needed?

With a TDP of 65 W, a system based on the i5-7500 does not require a powerful PSU:

- Without a discrete graphics card: 300-400 W (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 400W).

- With a graphics card like the NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super: 500-550 W (Corsair CX550).

Calculation Example:

- i5-7500: 65 W.

- GTX 1660 Super: 125 W.

- Other components: ~50 W.

Total: 240 W under load. A 500 W PSU leaves headroom for stability.

Pros and Cons: Is It Worth Buying in 2025?

Pros:

- Low power consumption and heat generation.

- Sufficient for basic tasks and older games (CS:GO, Dota 2).

- Low price (~$80-100 for a new processor).

Cons:

- No support for Hyper-Threading — poor multi-threaded performance.

- Obsolete socket — no upgrade without replacing the motherboard.

- Incompatibility with PCIe 4.0/5.0 and DDR5.

Use Cases: Who Is It Relevant For?

1. Office PC: Working with documents, video calls, watching YouTube.

2. Home Media Center: Streaming 4K via Plex or Kodi.

3. Undemanding Gaming: Rocket League, Minecraft, GTA V (on medium settings with a GTX 1650 level graphics card).

4. Entry-Level Server: NAS or home file hosting.

Real Experience: A user from a dedicated forum built a budget PC for study using the i5-7500: 16 GB DDR4, 500 GB SSD, without a graphics card. The system manages Zoom, Google Classroom, and even light video editing in Shotcut.

Comparison with Competitors

1. AMD Ryzen 5 1400 (2017):

- 4 cores / 8 threads, unlocked multiplier.

- 30-40% faster in multi-threaded tasks.

- Price: ~$90 (new).

2. Intel Core i3-12100 (2022):

- 4 cores / 8 threads, single-threaded performance is 60% higher.

- Price: ~$120 (new).

Conclusion: The i5-7500 lags behind even budget newcomers from 2022-2024 but has price advantages in the second-hand market.

Assembly Tips

1. Motherboard: Look for B250/H270 boards with a warranty (e.g., ASRock B250M Pro4).

2. Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient — even for summer heat.

3. SSD Is Essential: Kingston A400 480 GB (~$35) will reduce system "slowdowns."

4. Graphics Card: Avoid installing the RTX 3060 or similar — the processor will bottleneck.

5. Budget Option: i5-7500 + 16 GB DDR4 + GTX 1650 + 500 GB SSD = ~$250-300 (excluding case and PSU).

Conclusion: Who Will Benefit from the i5-7500 in 2025?

This processor is worth considering only in two scenarios:

1. Building the Cheapest Possible PC for office work, studies, or browsing.

2. Upgrading an Old Computer on LGA 1151 (e.g., from a Pentium G4560).

Alternative: If the budget allows for $150-200, it’s better to opt for a new combo of Intel i3-13100F + H610 motherboard — this will provide future-proofing and support for DDR5/PCIe 5.0.

The i5-7500 is an example of a "workhorse" slowly retiring but still useful in non-demanding scenarios.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2017

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.

i5-7500

Code Name

Kaby 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.

Basic Frequency

3.40 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.

3.80 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.80 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

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.

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1151

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.

14 nm

TDP

65 W

Max. Operating Temperature

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

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

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.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

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

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

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.

DDR4-2133/2400 | DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V

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.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

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

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

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.

1.10 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

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

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.

4096x2304@24Hz

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.

4096x2304@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.

4096x2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

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

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

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.

6 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 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 Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

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 InTru 3D Technology

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.

4.5

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

1266

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3462

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

965

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3286

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2269

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

6024

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i7-9750H

1349 +6.6%

Core i3-1210U

1304 +3%

Core i5-7500

1266

Xeon W-2133

1223 -3.4%

Core i7-7820HQ

1184 -6.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon W-1290TE

3915 +13.1%

Core i5-8305G

3688 +6.5%

Core i5-7500

3462

Core i5-7400

3214 -7.2%

Core i5-6402P

3017 -12.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Platinum 9242

1011 +4.8%

Ryzen 5 4600U

989 +2.5%

Core i5-7500

965

Xeon E3-1245 v5

945 -2.1%

Core i7-5930K

928 -3.8%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 2400G

3550 +8%

Core i7-6700T

3399 +3.4%

Core i5-7500

3286

Xeon Bronze 3106

3173 -3.4%

Xeon E3-1285L v3

3045 -7.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-9100

2334 +2.9%

Core i3-9300T

2302 +1.5%

Core i5-7500

2269

Xeon E3-1230 v6

2242 -1.2%

Xeon E3-1285 v3

2213 -2.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon X5675

6446 +7%

Xeon E5-1428L

6255 +3.8%

Core i5-7500

6024

Core i7-3820QM

5696 -5.4%

Core i7-3770T

5444 -9.6%