Home / Intel Core i5 / Intel Core i5-5200U: Performance and Specs

Intel Core i5-5200U

Intel Core i5-5200U: Review of an Outdated Yet Relevant Processor for Basic Tasks

(Relevant as of April 2025)

Despite being released in 2015, the Intel Core i5-5200U still appears in used laptops and budget entry-level models. In 2025, its capabilities seem modest, but it remains a viable solution for certain use cases. Let's explore who might benefit from this CPU, its strengths and weaknesses, and whether it’s worth considering in the era of 3nm chips and neural network accelerators.

Architecture and Technical Specifications

From 14nm to Today

The Core i5-5200U belongs to the Broadwell generation (5th generation Intel Core). It is Intel's first 14nm manufacturing process, which helped reduce power consumption and improve component integration. Key parameters include:

- 2 cores / 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading;

- Base frequency: 2.2 GHz, Turbo Boost: up to 2.7 GHz;

- L3 Cache: 3 MB;

- Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 (24 EUs, 300–900 MHz);

- Memory Support: DDR3L-1600, LPDDR3-1600.

The Broadwell architecture focused on optimizing energy efficiency, which made the chip popular in ultrabooks. The integrated HD 5500 graphics in 2025 is only suitable for basic image output and simple 2D tasks, though it outperformed AMD A8/A10 series counterparts in DirectX 11 tests in its time.

Power Consumption and Thermal Design Power (TDP)

Economical Instead of Powerful

A key feature of the i5-5200U is its 15W TDP. This allows for the creation of laptops that can operate:

- Without active cooling (e.g., thin convertible tablets);

- With battery life of 8–10 hours (with a 40–50 Wh capacity).

However, the low TDP limits performance: under full load on both cores, the frequency drops to 2.4–2.5 GHz due to overheating. In compact designs, throttling can occur after just 10–15 minutes of video rendering.

Performance in Real-World Tasks

Speed vs. Multitasking

Geekbench 6 (2025):

- Single-Core: 778;

- Multi-Core: 1491.

These results are comparable to modern budget processors like the Intel Celeron N5100 (Geekbench 6 Single-Core ~800) but are weaker than the Apple A14 Bionic (1600+ in single-threaded mode).

Practical Scenarios:

- Office Work: Comfortable for using Word, Excel, and a browser with 5–7 tabs, but lags when running Zoom + Slack;

- Multimedia: Can handle 4K video playback on YouTube (with hardware decoding), but video editing in DaVinci Resolve is not feasible even at 1080p;

- Gaming: Only suitable for older games (Half-Life 2, CS:GO on low settings ~30 FPS), and modern titles struggle to achieve more than 15–20 FPS at 720p.

Turbo Boost: The frequency spike to 2.7 GHz aids in short tasks (opening applications, photo processing in Lightroom), but under prolonged load, the speed decreases by 10–15%.

Use Cases: Who is Suitable for the i5-5200U in 2025?

1. Students and Schoolchildren: For study purposes (Google Docs, presentations, online courses).

2. Office Workers: Document management, email, CRM systems.

3. Minimalist Users: Web surfing, Netflix viewing, messaging.

Not Recommended For:

- Gamers — even cloud gaming (GeForce NOW) requires stable internet, which may not always be available;

- Designers and Video Editors — there isn't enough power for Adobe Premiere or Blender;

- Enthusiasts — lack of AVX2 and PCIe 3.0 support limits upgrades.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

Modern laptops with the i5-5200U (if any are still available) typically come with 40–50 Wh batteries. Under typical load:

- 6–8 hours: Working in Chrome, office applications, Wi-Fi;

- 4–5 hours: Zoom conferences + multitasking.

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency adjustment;

- C-states: Turning off unused cores;

- Batch Processing: Background tasks are shifted to idle periods.

Tip: Replace HDD with SSD (if not already done) — this can reduce power consumption by 30–40%.

Comparison with Competitors

Outdated but Still Alive

Pros vs. i5-5200U:

- AMD A10-9600P: Better graphics (Radeon R5)

- Apple M1 (2020): 4 times higher performance

- Intel Core i3-1215U (2023): Supports DDR5, PCIe 4.0

Cons:

- AMD A10-9600P: Higher TDP (15 W vs 15 W), weaker in single-thread tasks

- Apple M1 (2020): Higher price (laptops from $800)

- Intel Core i3-1215U (2023): New devices starting at $500

Conclusion: In 2025, the i5-5200U competes only with budget ARM processors (MediaTek, Qualcomm) in the sub-$300 segment.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

- Low power consumption;

- Sufficient for basic tasks;

- Compatibility with Windows 10/11 and Linux.

Weaknesses:

- Only 2 cores — limited multitasking;

- No support for USB 3.1 Gen 2, Thunderbolt;

- Maximum 16 GB RAM (officially).

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you are considering a device with the i5-5200U in 2025:

1. Type of Device: Ultrabook or compact laptop (e.g., Dell Latitude 5480).

2. Essential Specifications:

- SSD 256+ GB — An HDD will slow the system down;

- 8+ GB RAM — for Windows 11;

- IPS Display — even in budget models.

3. Price: New devices with similar performance (e.g., based on Intel N100) cost $300–400. Used laptops with the i5-5200U should not exceed $150.

Important: Check the battery condition — after 10 years, its capacity might have dropped by 50–70%.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-5200U in 2025 is a choice for those who need a:

- Budget laptop for simple tasks;

- Backup device for travel;

- Experimental platform for Linux.

Key Benefits: Low price (in the used market), serviceability, and proven reliability. However, for a comfortable experience with modern applications, it's better to consider Intel’s 12th generation processors or AMD Ryzen 3 7300U — they offer 2–3 times higher performance with similar battery life.

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.

i5-5200U

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

2.20 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.

2.70 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

2.70 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

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

15 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 1333/1600

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® HD Graphics 5500

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.

900 MHz

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

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

778

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1491

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

660

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1346

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1498

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2499

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-6200U

896 +15.2%

Xeon E7-8880 v3

849 +9.1%

Core i5-5200U

778

Celeron G5905

724 -6.9%

Core M-5Y71

667 -14.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Athlon 320GE

1776 +19.1%

Athlon Gold 3150U

1631 +9.4%

Core i5-5200U

1491

Core i3-6006U

1325 -11.1%

Athlon X4 860K

1158 -22.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i5-6267U

704 +6.7%

Pentium G3440

681 +3.2%

Core i5-5200U

660

Ryzen 5 3500C

639 -3.2%

Celeron G1840

614 -7%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

A10-6700

1474 +9.5%

Pentium G4400

1404 +4.3%

Core i5-5200U

1346

Pentium G4500T

1246 -7.4%

Ryzen Embedded R1305G

1161 -13.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

A10-5800B

1573 +5%

Core i7-3612QM

1539 +2.7%

Core i5-5200U

1498

A4-7300

1482 -1.1%

Xeon Silver 4109T

1445 -3.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core m3-8100Y

2874 +15%

Xeon E5607

2686 +7.5%

Core i5-5200U

2499

Core i7-3517UE

2320 -7.2%

Pentium G4400TE

2190 -12.4%