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Intel Core i5-8279U

Intel Core i5-8279U: Moderate Power for Mobile Tasks

A 2019 Processor Analysis in the Context of 2025

Architecture and Process Technology: Coffee Lake in the Era of 3 nm

The Intel Core i5-8279U processor, released in 2019, is based on the Coffee Lake microarchitecture and a 14nm process technology. By 2025, these specifications seem archaic compared to 3nm chips like Apple M3 or AMD Ryzen 8000, but at the time, it provided an effective solution for thin laptops.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores and 8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading. Base clock speed is 2.4 GHz, with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.1 GHz.

- Integrated Graphics: Iris Plus Graphics 655 with 48 execution units (EUs) and a frequency of up to 1.15 GHz. It supports 4K displays, H.265 encoding, and partially replaces discrete graphics in less demanding games.

- Cache: 6 MB L3 — modest for 2025, but sufficient for office tasks.

Architecture Features:

- Supports DDR4-2400 and LPDDR3-2136.

- Intel Quick Sync technology (video processing acceleration) and Thermal Velocity Boost (automatic overclocking at low temperatures).

Power Consumption and TDP: A Balance Between Power and Battery Life

With a TDP of 28W, the i5-8279U fits into the "high-performance ultrabook" category. For comparison:

- 15W processors (e.g., Intel Core i5-1235U) focus on battery life.

- 45W chips (H series) are intended for gaming laptops.

What Does This Mean for Users?

- Laptops with the i5-8279U require active cooling but are not as bulky as gaming models.

- In 2025, such systems are commonly found in the budget segment (new devices cost $600-800).

Performance: Speed in Everyday Scenarios

Office Work:

- Easily handles a browser (20+ tabs), Word, Excel, and Zoom.

- Launching virtual machines (e.g., Ubuntu) is possible but limited due to the 4 cores.

Multimedia:

- 1080p video editing in DaVinci Resolve: rendering will take 2-3 times longer than on the Apple M1.

- Photo editors (Lightroom, Photoshop): comfortable handling of RAW files, but filters are applied with a delay.

Gaming:

- Iris Plus 655 in 2025 is the minimum for gaming. Examples of FPS (on low settings):

- CS:GO — 50-60 FPS.

- GTA V — 30-35 FPS.

- Fortnite — 40 FPS (720p).

- Modern AAA projects (Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield) are not accessible.

Turbo Boost Mode:

- Under load, the frequency rises to 4.1 GHz, but only for 1-2 cores. In multi-threaded tasks (e.g., rendering), it maintains 3.5-3.8 GHz if the cooling system is capable.

Use Cases: Who is the i5-8279U Ideal for in 2025?

1. Students: For studying (typing, presentations, online courses) and light entertainment (YouTube, indie games).

2. Office Workers: Working with documents, video conferences, cloud services.

3. Budget-Conscious Users: New laptops with this CPU are cheaper than counterparts with Ryzen 5 7530U ($700-900 vs. $1000+).

Not Recommended For:

- Gamers (discrete graphics are needed).

- Video editors and 3D designers.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

With a TDP of 28W, the laptop's battery life heavily depends on its capacity:

- Models with 50 Wh — 6-8 hours of web surfing.

- Power-saving technologies: Intel Speed Shift (dynamic frequency management), Adaptive Brightness (automatic screen brightness adjustment).

- Under full load (gaming, rendering), the battery lasts 1.5-2 hours.

Tip: Look for laptops with fast charging (50% in 30 minutes) and "Power Saving" mode in Windows.

Comparison with Competitors: Intel vs AMD and Apple

- AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (2021): 6 cores/12 threads, Vega 7. Better in multi-threaded tasks, but the i5-8279U excels in single-thread performance.

- Apple M1 (2020): More energy-efficient, faster in rendering, but limited compatibility with Windows software.

- Intel Core i5-1235U (2023): 10nm processor with similar TDP. 20-30% more performance due to hybrid architecture.

Conclusion: In 2025, the i5-8279U is a choice for those looking for an affordable laptop with Windows support and basic performance.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Good integrated graphics for less demanding games.

- Sufficient performance for everyday tasks.

- Affordable device prices.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated 14nm process technology.

- 4 cores compared to 6-8 in modern counterparts.

- Limited upgradeability: laptops with this CPU often have non-removable RAM and SSD.

Laptop Selection Recommendations

1. Device Type: Ultrabook (e.g., Dell Inspiron 14) or budget laptop (Acer Swift 3).

2. What to Pay Attention To:

- Cooling: 2 fans and copper pipes are better than passive cooling.

- RAM: Minimum 8 GB, preferably 16 GB.

- Storage: Only SSD (NVMe preferred).

- Screen: Full IPS matrix with 300 nits brightness.

Examples of 2025 Models:

- Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (2024): 14-inch screen, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD — $750.

- HP Pavilion Aero 13: Weighs 1 kg, AMOLED display — $899.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-8279U in 2025 is a choice for casual users looking for a reliable laptop at a moderate price. It is suitable for work, study, and light media consumption, but don't expect miracles in gaming or professional tasks. Key advantages include affordability, portability, and time-tested stability. If your budget is limited to $800 and software requirements are minimal — this processor deserves attention.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2019

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.

i5-8279U

Code Name

Coffee 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

2.40 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.

4.10 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.10 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.

Yes

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1528

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

28 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.

1x4 | 2x2 | 1x2+2x1 and 4x1

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.

DDR4-2400 | LPDDR3-2133

Max Memory Size

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

32 GB

Memory Channels

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

Bus Speed

4 GT/s

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).

37.5 GB/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

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® Plus Graphics 655

Graphics Base Frequency

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

300 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.

1.15 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

32 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@30Hz

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

Graphics Output

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

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

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 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 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.

4.5

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

1232

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3796

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

900

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3655

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2300

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7468

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-10200H

1316 +6.8%

Core i3-10100T

1274 +3.4%

Core i5-8279U

1232

Core i5-8305G

1193 -3.2%

Xeon Gold 5122

1164 -5.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-10100

4224 +11.3%

Xeon E-2356G

4017 +5.8%

Core i5-8279U

3796

Core i7-7700HQ

3569 -6%

Xeon E3-1220 v5

3334 -12.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

EPYC 7252

933 +3.7%

Core i7-4790S

919 +2.1%

Core i5-8279U

900

Pentium Gold G5420

883 -1.9%

Core i5-6600T

870 -3.3%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Pentium Gold 8505

3980 +8.9%

Xeon E3-1283L v4

3799 +3.9%

Core i5-8279U

3655

Core i5-9300HF

3546 -3%

Core i7-7920HQ

3396 -7.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 3 2300X

2362 +2.7%

Ryzen Threadripper 1900X

2325 +1.1%

Core i5-8279U

2300

Ryzen 5 PRO 2600

2267 -1.4%

Pentium Gold G6500T

2238 -2.7%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E-2276ME

8167 +9.4%

Core i7-5775C

7713 +3.3%

Core i5-8279U

7468

Xeon E3-1275 v3

7244 -3%

Core i7-6820EQ

7001 -6.3%