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Intel Core i5-10500T

Intel Core i5-10500T: Low-Power Processor for Office and Home Use

Current as of April 2025

Key Features: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i5-10500T processor, released in 2020, remains a popular choice for budget and energy-efficient builds due to its balance of price and capabilities.

Architecture and Process Technology

- Codename: Comet Lake-S (14 nm).

Despite being based on an older manufacturing process (compared to modern 7 nm and 5 nm chips), the 14 nm architecture provides stability and low heat output.

- Cores and Threads: 6 cores, 12 threads.

Thanks to Hyper-Threading, the processor handles multitasking effectively: office applications, a browser with multiple tabs, and streaming can run without lag.

- Clock Speeds: Base — 2.3 GHz, maximum in turbo mode — 3.8 GHz.

For energy-efficient tasks (for example, a media server), clock speeds automatically lower, reducing power consumption.

- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630.

Supports 4K@60 Hz via HDMI/DisplayPort, but is underwhelming for gaming — suitable for CS:GO or Dota 2 at low settings (30-40 FPS).

- Performance:

- Geekbench 6 Single-Core: 1266 (comparable to Ryzen 5 3600).

- Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: 4517 (close to i7-9700 in multi-threaded tasks).

Key Features:

- Support for Intel Quick Sync for fast video encoding.

- Energy-saving technologies (suitable for mini-PCs and systems with passive cooling).

Compatible Motherboards

Socket and Chipsets

- Socket: LGA 1200.

- Chipsets:

- H410/B460: Budget boards (up to $100). Support DDR4-2666 but do not allow memory overclocking. Example: ASUS Prime H410M-E.

- H470/Z490: Mid-range boards (up to $150). Memory overclocking up to 2933 MHz is available on Z490. Example: MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk.

Selection Considerations:

- There’s no point in using a top-tier Z490 board for i5-10500T since the processor does not support overclocking. It’s better to choose a B460 with good VRM (for example, Gigabyte B460M Aorus Pro).

- Check for M.2 NVMe and USB 3.2 Gen 2 support if you plan to use fast storage devices.

Supported Memory

- Type: DDR4 (DDR5 not supported).

- Maximum Capacity: 128 GB.

- Speeds:

- Up to 2666 MHz on H410/B460.

- Up to 2933 MHz on Z490.

Recommendations:

- For office tasks, 8-16 GB is sufficient (2x4 GB or 2x8 GB).

- For rendering or virtualization — 32 GB (2x16 GB) with a speed of 2666 MHz.

Power Supplies

With a TDP of 35 watts, the processor consumes modest amounts of power, but it is important to consider other components:

- Minimum PSU Power: 300 watts (for systems without a discrete graphics card).

- Recommended Power: 400-500 watts (with headroom for future upgrades).

Examples:

- For a build with a GTX 1650: Corsair CV450 (450 watts, 80 Plus Bronze, $55).

- For passive systems: Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 400W ($60).

Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Low power consumption (ideal for HTPC or office PCs).

- 12 threads for multitasking.

- Integrated graphics for basic tasks.

Cons:

- Outdated 14 nm manufacturing process (higher heat output compared to Ryzen 5000).

- No PCIe 4.0 support.

- Limited overclocking (only through increasing TDP in BIOS).

Use Cases

1. Office and Study: Working with documents, Zoom conferences, light video editing in Premiere Pro.

2. Home Theater: 4K streaming via Plex, HDR content.

3. Budget Gaming: Games at low settings with a discrete graphics card like GTX 1660 Super.

Real Experience:

Users note that with an SSD and 16 GB RAM, the system performs impressively in everyday tasks, but under heavy load across all cores (for example, rendering in Blender), the processor hits TDP limitations.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (6/12, Zen 3, 7 nm, TDP 65 W)

- AMD Pros: Higher IPC, PCIe 4.0 support, powerful integrated Vega 7 graphics.

- AMD Cons: Higher price ($150 compared to $120 for i5-10500T), greater power consumption.

Intel Core i3-12100 (4/8, Alder Lake, 10 nm, TDP 60 W)

- i3 Pros: Newer architecture, higher IPC, DDR5 support.

- i3 Cons: Only 4 cores, which is critical for multi-threaded tasks.

Conclusion: The i5-10500T excels in energy efficiency but lags in absolute performance compared to competitors.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler is adequate, but for quieter operation, consider the DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 ($25).

2. Case: Mini-ITX (Fractal Design Node 304) for a compact build.

3. Storage: SSD is a must (Crucial P3 1 TB, $60).

4. Networking: If Wi-Fi is needed, choose a motherboard with an M.2 E-key (ASRock B460M-ITX/ac).

Final Conclusion: Who is the i5-10500T Suitable For?

This processor is a good choice if:

- You need an affordable PC for office or study.

- Silence and low power consumption are important (for example, for a 24/7 media server).

- The budget is limited, but you require multi-threading.

Price in 2025: New units are still available on the market for $100-120. In comparison: the Ryzen 5 5600G is priced at $150, and the i3-12100 at $110.

Alternative: If you need a more modern platform, consider the Intel Core i5-12400T (Alder Lake, 10 nm), but it is more expensive ($180).

The i5-10500T is a time-tested option for those who value reliability and are not chasing top-tier performance.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2020

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.

i5-10500T

Code Name

Comet 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

2.30 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.

Yes

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom.

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1200

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

35 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.

DDR4-2666

Max Memory Size

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

128 GB

Memory Channels

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

Bus Speed

8 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).

41.6 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® UHD 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.

1.15 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.

4096 x 2160@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.

4096 x 2304@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@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.

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 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

4517

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

894

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4284

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2305

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

10054

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i9-9820X X-series

1351 +6.7%

Core i7-7820HK

1306 +3.2%

Core i5-10500T

1266

EPYC 7232P

1224 -3.3%

Xeon E3-1265L v4

1186 -6.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 7 1700

5076 +12.4%

Xeon E5-2687W

4784 +5.9%

Core i5-10500T

4517

Core i5-7600K

4214 -6.7%

Ryzen 5 4500U

4007 -11.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Platinum 8256

929 +3.9%

Core i3-7300T

914 +2.2%

Core i5-10500T

894

Core i5-8259U

878 -1.8%

Xeon W-11555MRE

864 -3.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2658A v3

4749 +10.9%

Xeon E7-8850 v2

4495 +4.9%

Core i5-10500T

4284

Core i3-10305T

4020 -6.2%

Xeon Gold 5412U

3839 -10.4%

Passmark CPU Single Core

EPYC 8224P

2370 +2.8%

Xeon E3-1535M v6

2339 +1.5%

Core i5-10500T

2305

Xeon E3-1280 v3

2275 -1.3%

Pentium G4620

2245 -2.6%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE

10958 +9%

Xeon E5-2630L v4

10491 +4.3%

Core i5-10500T

10054

Core i5-9600T

9573 -4.8%

Xeon E5-2620

9162 -8.9%