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Intel Core i7-6560U

Intel Core i7-6560U: Outdated, but still relevant for basic tasks? Review and recommendations for 2025

Introduction

The Intel Core i7-6560U, released in 2015, became part of the sixth-generation mobile chip lineup (Skylake). Despite its age, devices with this CPU are still found on the market — mainly in budget ultrabooks and refurbished laptops. Is it worth considering in 2025? Let’s delve into the details.

1. Architecture and Process Technology: What’s Inside?

A Dual-Core Giant of the Past

The Core i7-6560U is built on a 14nm process technology. This dual-core processor supports Hyper-Threading (4 threads), which appears modest for 2025 — modern budget chips (e.g., Intel Core i3-N305) offer 8 cores. The base frequency is 2.2 GHz, and the maximum in Turbo Boost is 3.2 GHz.

Skylake Architecture Features:

- Support for DDR4-2133 and LPDDR3-1866;

- Integration of PCIe 3.0 controller (12 lanes);

- Improved IPC (about a 10% increase compared to Broadwell).

Integrated Graphics Iris 540: An Unexpected Bonus

The main advantage of this CPU is the graphics accelerator Iris Graphics 540 with 64 MB of eDRAM. This was one of the first integrated GPUs with dedicated memory, significantly boosting its performance. Specifications:

- 48 execution units (EU);

- Frequency up to 1050 MHz;

- Support for DirectX 12 and 4K displays.

Example: In 2016, the Iris 540 handled games like Overwatch on low settings (720p, 30–40 FPS). Today, its capabilities are only sufficient for browser-based projects or older titles.

2. TDP 15W: A Balance Between Power and Autonomy

The processor belongs to the U-series category with a TDP of 15W, making it ideal for slim ultrabooks. However, in 2025 even budget chips (e.g., AMD Ryzen 3 7420U) at the same TDP offer 4 cores and higher IPC.

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep — Dynamic frequency scaling;

- Turbo Boost 2.0 — Short-term boost to 3.2 GHz;

- C6/C7 sleep states — Reduced power consumption during idle.

3. Performance: What Can It Do in 2025?

Office and Multimedia

- Google Chrome: 10–15 tabs + YouTube 1080p — occasional stuttering when switching between applications.

- Microsoft Office: Word, Excel operate without issues.

- 4K Video: Playback via VLC or YouTube (with hardware acceleration) — smooth, but there may be stutters with H.265.

Gaming

- CS:GO — 720p, low settings: 40–50 FPS;

- Fortnite — 720p, low settings: 20–25 FPS (almost unacceptable);

- Stardew Valley — Stable 60 FPS.

Turbo Boost: In single-threaded tasks (e.g., web browsing), the frequency rises to 3.2 GHz, but due to limited cooling in ultrabooks, the turbo mode rarely lasts longer than 30 seconds.

4. Use Cases: Who Is It Suitable For?

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

- Office Employees: Email, Zoom, Excel.

- Linux Users: Lightweight distributions (Lubuntu, Xubuntu) run quickly.

Not Suitable For:

- Photo/video editors (even in Lightroom, lags may occur);

- Streamers;

- Gamers.

5. Autonomy: How Long Will the Laptop Last?

In 2025, laptops with the i7-6560U typically come equipped with 40–50 Wh batteries. Actual results:

- Web Browsing: 6–7 hours;

- Video (1080p): 5–6 hours;

- Maximum Load: 2–3 hours.

Tip: To extend battery life, disable Turbo Boost through Windows power settings.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD A12-9700P (2016)

- Pros: 4 cores, better in multi-threaded tasks.

- Cons: Weak Radeon R7 graphics.

Apple M1 (2020)

- Performance: M1 is 3–4 times faster in multitasking;

- Autonomy: MacBook Air with M1 lasts up to 15 hours.

Intel Core i3-1215U (2022)

- 6 cores (2P+4E), Iris Xe Graphics — surpasses i7-6560U in everything at the same TDP.

7. Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Compact and lightweight laptop designs;

- Good graphics for its time;

- Low price (new devices from $400).

Cons:

- Only 2 cores — limited multitasking;

- Outdated process technology (14nm vs. 7nm from competitors in 2025);

- No support for Wi-Fi 6 or Thunderbolt 4.

8. How to Choose a Laptop with This Processor in 2025?

- Type of Device: Ultrabooks (e.g., Dell XPS 13 9350 or HP EliteBook 840 G3).

- What to Look For:

- RAM Size: Minimum 8 GB (preferably 16 GB for Windows 11);

- Storage: SSD is essential (SATA or NVMe);

- Display: Full HD — 4K will lag due to weak graphics;

- Ports: USB-C with charging support — useful for modern accessories.

Prices: New devices (rare!) — $400–600; refurbished — $200–300.

9. Conclusion: Who Is the i7-6560U Suitable For in 2025?

This processor is an option for those who:

- Are looking for an extremely cheap new laptop for basic tasks;

- Want a compact device for travel;

- Plan to install Linux for office work.

Key Benefits:

- Low cost;

- Proven reliability (Skylake is known for stability);

- Sufficient performance for undemanding scenarios.

Alternative: If your budget allows for $600–800, it's better to choose a laptop with Intel Core i3-N305 or AMD Ryzen 3 7420U — they will last longer and not disappoint in multitasking.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

July 2015

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.

i7-6560U

Code Name

SkyLake

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

2.20 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.

3.20 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.20 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

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1356

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

15 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.

DDR4-2133 | LPDDR3-1866 | DDR3L-1600

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).

34.1 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® Graphics 540

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.

1.05 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@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

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

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.

4 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

934

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1976

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

723

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1641

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1691

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

3342

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 5 7535H

1034 +10.7%

Core i5-4570R

982 +5.1%

Core i7-6560U

934

Core i3-4150T

885 -5.2%

Ryzen 7 3780U Microsoft Surface Edition

827 -11.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-7300T

2413 +22.1%

Xeon E5-1607 v3

2158 +9.2%

Core i7-6560U

1976

Core i3-4350

1827 -7.5%

Core i5-6200U

1656 -16.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Atom x7211E

756 +4.6%

Xeon W-1290TE

739 +2.2%

Core i7-6560U

723

Core i3-6100TE

698 -3.5%

Xeon Silver 4110

679 -6.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i3-10110U

1921 +17.1%

Xeon X5492

1764 +7.5%

Core i7-6560U

1641

Pentium Gold G5600T

1556 -5.2%

PRO A8-9600

1469 -10.5%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E5-4627 v3

1749 +3.4%

Celeron G3900

1712 +1.2%

Core i7-6560U

1691

Xeon E5-2650 v3

1653 -2.2%

Core i5-7Y57

1623 -4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Pentium Gold G6505T

3698 +10.7%

A10-7890K

3514 +5.1%

Core i7-6560U

3342

A8-7670K

3184 -4.7%

Core i7-5600U

3030 -9.3%