Home / Intel Core i5 / Intel Core i5-6300HQ: Performance and Specs

Intel Core i5-6300HQ

Intel Core i5-6300HQ in 2025: Is It Worth Considering an Outdated Processor?

Despite the Intel Core i5-6300HQ being released nearly a decade ago, some laptops based on it can still be found on the second-hand market or in budget new devices. Let us explore who might benefit from this chip in 2025, what tasks it can handle, and what to pay attention to when purchasing.

1. Architecture and Manufacturing Process: The Basis of Stability

The Intel Core i5-6300HQ, released in 2015, is based on the Skylake microarchitecture (6th generation Intel Core) and is manufactured using a 14nm process. This was a step forward compared to the previous Broadwell generation, especially regarding energy efficiency and graphics.

- Cores and Threads: 4 physical cores and 4 threads. Hyper-Threading is absent, which limits multitasking by modern standards.

- Clock Speeds: Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz (on one core). Under full load on all cores, the frequency stabilizes around 2.8–3.0 GHz.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 530 with 24 execution units and a frequency of up to 950 MHz. It was a decent iGPU for its time, capable of handling HD video and less demanding games.

Architectural Features:

- Support for DDR4-2133 MHz and DDR3L-1600 MHz (depending on the laptop model).

- Intel Speed Shift technology for rapid switching between power-saving states.

- Support for DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.4 for the iGPU.

2. Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Power and Heat

The processor has a TDP of 45W. This is a classic indicator for high-performance mobile CPUs. By 2025, such values are considered high: modern chips (e.g., Intel Core 12th generation or AMD Ryzen 6000) have a TDP of 15–28W for similar performance.

What does this mean for the user?

- Laptops with the i5-6300HQ require an effective cooling system. Typically, these are gaming or workstation models with massive heatsinks and fans.

- In idle mode, the processor reduces power consumption to 5–10W thanks to SpeedStep technology.

3. Performance: What Can the Processor Handle in 2025?

Geekbench 6 scores:

- Single-Core: 984 points.

- Multi-Core: 2703 points.

For comparison: a modern budget Intel Core i3-1215U (2022) scores 1800/4800 points, while the Apple M1 (2020) scores 2300/8300.

Real-World Scenarios:

- Office Work: Running a browser with 10–15 tabs, Word, and Excel — the processor manages, but there may be stuttering when running Zoom simultaneously.

- Multimedia: Playing 4K video (via iGPU), basic photo editing in Lightroom — it works, but rendering in Premiere Pro will take 3–4 times longer than on new CPUs.

- Gaming: Only old or less demanding games on integrated graphics (CS:GO at low settings — 40–50 FPS in HD). With a discrete graphics card like the NVIDIA GTX 1050 (commonly found in partner laptops), launching Fortnite or GTA V at medium settings in Full HD is possible.

Turbo Boost: This mode temporarily increases performance, but under prolonged loads (e.g., rendering), frequency drops due to overheating.

4. Use Cases: Who Is the i5-6300HQ Suitable For?

- Students: For study (working with documents, online courses).

- Office Workers: If simultaneous operation with heavy applications is not required.

- Budget Gamers: Only in combination with a discrete graphics card.

- Second-Hand Market Enthusiasts: As a temporary solution for $200–300.

Not Suitable For:

- Modern gaming streaming.

- 4K video editing.

- Running neural network models.

5. Battery Life: The Price for Power

Laptops with a TDP of 45W seldom boast outstanding battery life. Even with a 60 Wh battery, web browsing time is no more than 4–5 hours.

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency scaling.

- C-States: Disabling unused cores.

- OS Settings: In Windows 11/Linux, you can activate the "Power Saving" mode, reducing performance for extended runtime.

6. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD FX-8800P (2015): 4 cores/8 threads, Radeon R7 GPU. Weaker in Single-Core (Geekbench ~700), but better in multi-threading.

- Intel Core i7-6700HQ: A more powerful counterpart with Hyper-Threading (8 threads).

- Apple A12 Bionic (2018): In modern MacBooks with Apple Silicon, performance is significantly higher with a TDP of 5–7W.

Conclusion: In 2025, the i5-6300HQ lags behind even budget newcomers but surpasses Atom/Celeron solutions.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Reliability and proven architecture.

- Sufficient performance for basic tasks.

- Support for modern software (Windows 11, Linux).

Weaknesses:

- No Hyper-Threading.

- High power consumption.

- Outdated graphics.

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you decide to buy a device with the i5-6300HQ in 2025:

1. Type of Device: Gaming laptop or workstation with discrete graphics. Avoid ultrabooks — cooling will not suffice.

2. Upgrades: An SSD (minimum 256GB) and 8-16GB of RAM are essential.

3. Cooling: Ensure that fans do not produce any unusual noises.

4. Price: New laptops with this CPU are no longer being produced, but leftover units during sales may cost $300–400.

9. Final Thoughts

The Intel Core i5-6300HQ in 2025 is a choice for those who need an inexpensive laptop for basic tasks: document work, video viewing, light gaming. Its key advantages are stability and availability in the second-hand market. However, for modern demanding applications, it is already quite inadequate.

Alternative: If your budget allows $500–600, it’s better to look into new devices powered by Intel Core i3-1215U or AMD Ryzen 5 5500U — they provide better performance, battery life, and support for modern standards (Wi-Fi 6, USB-C with Power Delivery).

Thus, the i5-6300HQ is a "workhorse" from the past that can still serve a purpose, but don't expect miracles from it.

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.

i5-6300HQ

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

2.30 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.

3.20 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.

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1440

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

45 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.

DDR4-2133 | LPDDR3-1866 | DDR3L-1600

Max Memory Size

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

64 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).

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® HD Graphics 530

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.

950 MHz

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.

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.

6 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.

4.4

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

984

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2703

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

813

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2592

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1792

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4697

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Athlon Gold 3150G

1080 +9.8%

Core i3-9100HL

1037 +5.4%

Core i5-6300HQ

984

Xeon E5-2630 v3

935 -5%

Core i5-5350U

888 -9.8%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i5-4590

3143 +16.3%

Xeon E5-1603 v3

2958 +9.4%

Core i5-6300HQ

2703

Core i3-4370

2454 -9.2%

Xeon E3-1265L v2

2208 -18.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Platinum 8454H

851 +4.7%

Core i3-10110Y

831 +2.2%

Core i5-6300HQ

813

Xeon Gold 5220

799 -1.7%

Xeon E3-1220 v3

780 -4.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-8265U

2830 +9.2%

EPYC Embedded 3101

2709 +4.5%

Core i5-6300HQ

2592

FX-8120

2446 -5.6%

Pentium Gold G5620

2290 -11.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-3720QM

1869 +4.3%

Xeon E5-1607 v3

1817 +1.4%

Core i5-6300HQ

1792

Core i7-5600U

1767 -1.4%

Core i5-5257U

1746 -2.6%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2418L

5380 +14.5%

FX-8320E

5086 +8.3%

Core i5-6300HQ

4697

Core i5-3550S

4475 -4.7%

Core i5-3350P

4268 -9.1%