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Intel Core i3-5157U

Intel Core i3-5157U in 2025: Is it worth buying a laptop with this processor?

Analysis for Practical Users

Architecture and Process Technology: What's Inside?

The Intel Core i3-5157U processor, released in 2015, belongs to the Broadwell generation and is manufactured using a 14nm process technology. Despite its age, its architecture deserves attention:

- 2 cores and 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Base frequency of 2.5 GHz, with no turbo mode (fixed frequency).

- Intel Iris Graphics 6100 — integrated graphics with 48 execution units and a frequency of up to 1000 MHz.

- L3 cache of 3 MB, which is sufficient for two cores even by the standards of 2025.

Broadwell Features:

- Improved energy efficiency compared to Haswell (the previous generation).

- Support for AVX2 instructions, which accelerates multimedia processing.

- The integrated Iris 6100 graphics chip surpassed the HD graphics of its time, but by 2025, its capabilities will only be enough for basic tasks.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

The processor's TDP is 28 W, which is higher than that of modern ultrabook CPUs (e.g., Intel Core i3-N305 — 15 W). This means:

- Laptops with the i3-5157U require active cooling, but not as robust as gaming models.

- In idle mode, power consumption drops to 5-7 W thanks to Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology.

Practical Advice:

If you are buying a used laptop with this CPU, check the condition of the cooler — wear on thermal paste and dust in the heatsink can lead to overheating.

Performance: What Can the Processor Do in 2025?

Geekbench 6 test results (728/1519) show that the i3-5157U lags behind even budget modern chips. For example, the Intel Core i3-1215U (2022) scores 1500/3500.

Real-world Tasks:

- Office Work: Google Docs, Excel, Zoom — runs smoothly, but with 10+ tabs in Chrome, there may be slowdowns.

- Multimedia: Viewing 4K video (with hardware acceleration), basic editing in Shotcut or DaVinci Resolve (only simple projects).

- Gaming: The Iris 6100 can handle games from the 2010s at low settings (e.g., CS:GO — 30-40 FPS at 720p). Modern titles like Fortnite or Apex Legends will be unavailable.

Turbo Mode:

The absence of a turbo mode limits peak performance. Under load on both cores, the frequency does not increase, which is critical for multitasking.

Usage Scenarios: Who Should Consider the i3-5157U in 2025?

This processor is suitable for those who:

1. Are looking for a budget laptop (new devices with this CPU are no longer produced, but leftovers on the market can be found for $250–$350).

2. Work with office applications, a browser, and light software.

3. Need a portable device for studying or traveling (such laptops typically weigh 1.3–1.7 kg).

Unsuitable for:

- Gamers, video editors, and engineers using CAD.

- Users who prioritize battery "life" (autonomy rarely exceeds 5-6 hours).

Battery Life: How Long Will the Laptop Last?

Modern processors (e.g., Apple M1) exhibit 2-3 times better runtime, but the i3-5157U has its advantages:

- Power-saving technologies: SpeedStep (dynamic frequency management), C-States (shutting down unused cores).

- Battery capacity dependence: A typical laptop from 2015-2017 has a 40-50 Wh battery. By 2025, its capacity might have decreased to 70% of the original, which reduces usage time to 3-4 hours with active use.

Advice: When purchasing, check the battery condition using utilities like BatteryInfoView.

Comparison with Competitors: What to Choose Instead of the i3-5157U?

Even among budget models of 2025, there are more advantageous options:

1. AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (4 cores/8 threads, Zen 2, 15 W): 30% faster in multi-threaded tasks, laptop prices start at $400.

2. Apple MacBook Air M1 (2020): Supports macOS, battery life of 12–15 hours, performance is 3 times higher (used — from $500).

3. Intel Core i3-N305 (8 cores/8 threads, 15 W): Perfect for multitasking, new devices — from $450.

Conclusion: The i3-5157U is relevant only if you have a strict budget of up to $300.

Pros and Cons: Final Assessment

Strengths:

- Low price on the second-hand market.

- Sufficient performance for basic tasks.

- Support for hardware decoding of 4K.

Weaknesses:

- Only 2 cores — multitasking is limited.

- Outdated 14nm process technology.

- Low battery life by modern standards.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you decide to buy a device with the i3-5157U, pay attention to:

1. Device Type: Ultrabook or compact laptop (e.g., Dell Inspiron 13 5000 series).

2. Additional Parameters:

- RAM should be at least 8 GB (better 16 GB for browsing).

- Presence of SSD (HDD will slow down the system).

- Screen — IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920×1080.

3. Warranty: New leftover units may be sold with a 1-year warranty.

Examples of 2025 models in a similar segment:

- Acer Aspire 3 (Intel N100): $350, 8 GB/256 GB, 10 hours of battery life.

- Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (AMD Ryzen 3 7320U): $450, 12 GB/512 GB.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i3-5157U?

This processor is suitable for:

- Students who need a cheap laptop for notes and Netflix.

- Older users who do not require high performance.

- A temporary solution until a more modern device can be purchased.

Key Benefits:

- Minimal investment.

- Reliability (if the laptop is in good working condition).

- Compactness and portability.

However, remember that even budget newcomers of 2025 offer better performance and battery life. Purchase the i3-5157U only if other options are unavailable.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

March 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.

i3-5157U

Code Name

Broadwell

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

2.50 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.

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

3 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1168

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.

105°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.

2.0

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.

4x1 | 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.

DDR3L 1333/1600 | LPDDR3 1600/1866

Max Memory Size

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

16 GB

Memory Channels

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

Bus Speed

5 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).

25.6 GB/s

GPU Specifications

GPU Name

Intel® Iris® Graphics 6100

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.

1.00 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

16 GB

DirectX Support

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

11.2/12

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.

2560x1600@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.

3840x2160@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

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.

3 MB

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.

4.3

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

728

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1519

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

468

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

939

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1392

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2593

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

EPYC 7251

858 +17.9%

Core i5-4210U

797 +9.5%

Core i3-5157U

728

Xeon E7-4809 v4

671 -7.8%

Core i5-3570

637 -12.5%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5630

1838 +21%

Athlon X4 970

1676 +10.3%

Core i3-5157U

1519

Core m3-6Y30

1364 -10.2%

Core i7-2635QM

1190 -21.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i5-2500T

498 +6.4%

Athlon X4 740

485 +3.6%

Core i3-5157U

468

A6-9500E

448 -4.3%

Xeon E5607

426 -9%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

FX-4320

1102 +17.4%

Pentium 1403 V2

1042 +11%

Core i3-5157U

939

A6-9500

861 -8.3%

A8-3530MX

791 -15.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

A8-7600

1452 +4.3%

Xeon D-2187NT

1425 +2.4%

Core i3-5157U

1392

Core i5-2520M

1355 -2.7%

Xeon X5650

1299 -6.7%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-3380M

2938 +13.3%

Xeon E5-2603 v2

2751 +6.1%

Core i3-5157U

2593

Core i3-3245

2363 -8.9%

Xeon E3-1220L v2

2234 -13.8%