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Intel Core i5-5350U

Intel Core i5-5350U: Review of the Ultraportable Processor from 2015 and its Relevance in 2025

Introduction

The Intel Core i5-5350U processor, released in 2015, became one of the key solutions for ultrabooks and thin laptops. Despite its age, devices with this CPU are still found on the secondary market or as budget new models (for example, in the entry-level segment). In 2025, its capabilities seem modest, but for certain tasks, it remains functional. Let's explore who should pay attention to it and who should opt for more modern alternatives.

Architecture and Process Technology: Broadwell on 14 nm

Cores, Threads, and Frequencies

The Core i5-5350U is based on the Broadwell microarchitecture (5th generation Intel Core). This is an evolution of Haswell with energy efficiency optimization. The process technology is 14 nm, which was advanced for 2015.

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

- Base frequency: 1.8 GHz.

- Turbo Boost: up to 2.9 GHz for one core.

- L3 cache: 3 MB.

Integrated Graphics (iGPU)

The built-in GPU is the Intel HD Graphics 6000 (48 EU). It supports:

- 4K output via DisplayPort;

- Quick Sync Video technology (video encoding acceleration) and Clear Video (image quality enhancement);

- DirectX 11.2 and OpenGL 4.3.

Practical Example: In 2015, this iGPU allowed comfortable work with graphic editors like Photoshop or viewing videos in 4K, but it was weak for gaming.

Power Consumption and TDP: 15W for Thin Devices

A TDP of 15W is a classic indicator for ultrabooks. This means:

- Low heat generation: the laptop does not require a massive cooling system.

- Compatibility with compact cases: the thickness of devices starts from 15 mm.

- A balance between performance and battery life.

Tip: In 2025, even budget laptops (e.g., Acer Aspire 3 or Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3) with a TDP of 15W feature more modern processors (Intel 12th Gen or AMD Ryzen 5000U), but the i5-5350U is still suitable for basic tasks.

Performance: Modest, but Sufficient for Basic Needs

Office Work and Multimedia

- Geekbench 6: 888 (Single-Core), 1724 (Multi-Core).

- Real Tasks:

- Browsing websites with 10+ tabs.

- Working in Microsoft Office, Google Docs.

- Streaming video (YouTube, Netflix) in Full HD.

- Light editing in Shotcut or DaVinci Resolve (with delays during rendering).

Gaming

The Intel HD 6000 in 2025 is minimalist:

- CS:GO: 30-40 FPS on low settings at 720p.

- Minecraft: 40-50 FPS (without shaders).

- Modern AAA titles (Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring) will not run.

Turbo Boost Mode: Under load on one core, the frequency rises to 2.9 GHz, which speeds up the system response. However, in multi-threaded tasks (e.g., rendering), the Turbo mode does not help due to the limited number of cores.

Use Cases: Who is the i5-5350U Relevant for in 2025?

1. Students and Office Workers:

- Text typing, presentations, online courses.

- Compatibility with cloud services (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365).

2. "Digital Minimalist" Users:

- Social networks, messengers, movie watching.

3. Secondary Market:

- Budget laptops under $300 (new models with this CPU are no longer produced, but stock can still be found).

Warning: Do not choose the i5-5350U for tasks related to AI, 3D modeling, or streaming.

Battery Life: How the Processor Affects Runtime

The average battery life of a laptop with the i5-5350U is 6-8 hours under:

- 50% screen brightness;

- Working in browser and office applications.

Power-saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency adjustment depending on load.

- C-states: Switching cores to low-power mode during idle.

- Passive cooling: In some models (e.g., Dell XPS 13 2015), the fan shuts down during light tasks.

Tip: In 2025, even budget laptops with AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (Zen 2, 6W) or Intel N-series (Gracemont) processors offer better battery life (10+ hours).

Comparison with Competitors: Outdated but Not Useless

AMD 2015: A10-8700P

- Pros: Better graphics (Radeon R6).

- Cons: Higher TDP (15-25W), worse single-thread performance.

Apple 2015: MacBook Air with Intel Core i5-5250U

- Similar performance, but macOS is better optimized.

Modern Alternatives (2025):

- AMD Ryzen 3 7420U (Zen 2): +40% in multi-threading speed, Radeon GPU with HDMI 2.1 support.

- Intel Core i3-1215U (12th Gen): 6 cores, 8 threads, 3 times higher performance in multitasking.

- Apple M1: 3-4 times faster in any scenario, battery life up to 18 hours.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low cost of devices (new ones start from $250, though rarely available).

- Sufficient performance for basic tasks.

- Compactness and lightness of laptops.

Weaknesses:

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

- Maximum 16 GB DDR3L-1600 MHz (modern laptops use DDR5).

- Outdated graphics.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

1. Type of Device:

- Ultrabook: For example, older models like HP Spectre x360 or Lenovo Yoga.

- Budget Laptop: ASUS VivoBook 15.

2. What to Look for in 2025:

- SSD instead of HDD: Essential!

- 8+ GB RAM: Chrome will consume 4 GB in an hour.

- Display: IPS panel with a resolution of 1920×1080.

3. What to Avoid:

- Laptops without SSDs.

- Devices with damaged batteries (check charge cycles).

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-5350U in 2025 is suitable for:

- Those who need a very cheap new laptop for study or text work.

- Users who do not plan to run "heavy" applications.

Key Benefits:

- Low price.

- Proven reliability (the architecture from 2015 has been thoroughly tested).

Alternative: If your budget allows for $400-500, opt for laptops with Ryzen 5 5500U or Intel Core i5-1235U—they will last longer and won't disappoint in performance.

If you are looking for a device "for a year" for simple tasks, the i5-5350U could be a temporary solution. But remember: technology does not stand still, and even budget modern CPUs offer much more capability.

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.

i5-5350U

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

1.80 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.

2.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

2.90 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 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® HD Graphics 6000

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

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

888

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1724

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

590

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1291

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1662

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2591

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-6300HQ

984 +10.8%

Xeon E5-2630 v3

935 +5.3%

Core i5-5350U

888

Xeon E5-2650 v4

833 -6.2%

Pentium G4520

767 -13.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E7-8880 v2

2064 +19.7%

Xeon E5-2690 v2

1875 +8.8%

Core i5-5350U

1724

Atom x7211E

1549 -10.2%

Opteron 6168

1418 -17.7%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

EPYC 7742

638 +8.1%

Core i3-2120

613 +3.9%

Core i5-5350U

590

Pentium G860

570 -3.4%

Core i7-980

553 -6.3%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Athlon X4 850

1438 +11.4%

A8-7670K

1365 +5.7%

Core i5-5350U

1291

Atom x7211E

1211 -6.2%

3020e

1111 -13.9%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Pentium G2120

1714 +3.1%

Celeron G1850

1692 +1.8%

Core i5-5350U

1662

Core i3-4130T

1628 -2%

Core i7-3687U

1595 -4%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i5-2500T

2929 +13%

Core i5-5300U

2730 +5.4%

Core i5-5350U

2591

Phenom II X4 850

2361 -8.9%

Celeron G3930

2233 -13.8%