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Intel Core i5-8259U

Intel Core i5-8259U: Moderate Power in a Compact Package. Analyzing the Processor in 2025

Introduction

The Intel Core i5-8259U processor, released in 2018 on the Coffee Lake architecture, maintains niche popularity in budget and business laptops by 2025. Despite being built on the outdated 14nm process, it remains a workhorse for tasks that require a balance between performance and battery life. In this article, we will explore who should consider devices with this chip in 2025 and what pitfalls to be aware of.

1. Architecture and Process Technology: Coffee Lake in the Era of 3nm

CPU Features

The Core i5-8259U is a 4-core processor with 8 threads (Hyper-Threading), a base frequency of 2.3 GHz, and turbo mode up to 3.8 GHz. It has a 6 MB L3 cache. The Coffee Lake architecture is optimized for multi-threaded tasks, such as document rendering, lightweight video editing software (e.g., Adobe Premiere Rush), or multitasking across several applications.

Integrated Graphics Iris Plus 655 is a key advantage. With 128 MB eDRAM and 48 execution units, it outperforms basic solutions like UHD Graphics, handling 4K video, simple games (e.g., Rocket League on low settings), and accelerating programs like Photoshop.

14nm: An Outdated but Proven Technology

In 2025, Intel's 14nm process looks antiquated against the backdrop of AMD's 5-7nm chips and Apple’s 3nm M3. However, this enables a lower manufacturing cost, which reflects in the price of laptops (starting from $600). The downside is increased heat output under load.

2. Power Consumption and TDP: 28 W — Balance or Compromise?

The 28W TDP indicates a focus on thin ultrabooks and versatile laptops. Compared to modern chips (e.g., AMD Ryzen 5 7540U with 15W TDP), the i5-8259U necessitates a more robust cooling system, affecting the thickness of the chassis and noise levels.

Example: In the 2025 Dell Inspiron 15 laptop with this processor, fans activate within 10 minutes of use in Photoshop, while equivalents with the Ryzen 5 7540U stay silent longer.

3. Performance: Real Tasks and Turbo Mode

Office and Multimedia

- Office Work: Running Microsoft 365, 20+ tabs in Chrome, and a Zoom conference — the processor performs without lag thanks to its 8 threads.

- Video Editing: In Adobe Premiere Pro, rendering a 1080p video takes roughly 30% longer than on the Apple M1, but is acceptable for short projects.

- Gaming: The Iris Plus 655 delivers 30-40 FPS in Dota 2 (1920x1080, low settings), but contemporary AAA games (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077) require a discrete graphics card.

Turbo Mode: A Temporary Boost

Under heavy load (e.g., PDF export), the frequency can rise to 3.8 GHz but drops to 2.8-3.2 GHz after 30-60 seconds due to overheating. This is critical for short tasks but less concerning for longer processes.

4. Use Cases: Who Should Consider i5-8259U in 2025?

- Students and Office Workers: Suitable for studying, document tasks, and light creative work (Canva, basic video editing).

- Windows Application Users: Programs optimized for Intel (e.g., some corporate CRMs).

- Budget Hybrids: 2-in-1 laptops with touchscreens, where versatility is prioritized over maximum power.

Not suitable for: Gamers (without a discrete GPU), engineers (CAD, 3D modeling), videographers (4K editing).

5. Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

With a TDP of 28W and the lack of modern energy-saving technologies (like those in Intel's Meteor Lake), laptop battery life depends on battery capacity:

- 40-50 Wh: 5-6 hours of web surfing.

- 60+ Wh: up to 8 hours.

Energy-saving Technologies:

- SpeedShift: Dynamic frequency management.

- Adaptix Thermal Framework: Cooling optimization.

Tip: In Windows settings, choose "Power Saver" mode and limit the frequency to 80% — this can extend battery life by 1-2 hours.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 7520U (Zen 3, 6nm)

- Pros: Better multi-threaded performance (+15%), support for PCIe 4.0.

- Cons: Integrated Radeon 610M graphics are weaker than Iris Plus 655.

Apple M1 (5nm)

- Pros: 2-3 times better energy efficiency, run cooler.

- Cons: Limited compatibility with Windows software.

Intel Core i5-1235U (10nm, 2023)

- Pros: Newer cores, support for DDR5.

- Cons: 20-30% more expensive in comparable laptops.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Affordable laptop prices (starting at $600).

- Good integrated graphics for casual gaming.

- Thunderbolt 3 support for peripherals.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated 14nm process technology.

- High heat output under load.

- No support for Wi-Fi 6E and DDR5.

8. Laptop Selection Recommendations

- Device Type: Ultrabooks (Acer Swift 3), business laptops (Lenovo ThinkPad E15).

- What to Look For:

- Cooling: 2 fans or copper heat pipes.

- Battery: At least 50 Wh.

- Ports: Thunderbolt 3 for docking station connections.

- Avoid: Thin chassis (<15mm) — high risk of throttling.

9. Final Conclusion

The Core i5-8259U in 2025 is a choice for those looking for an inexpensive laptop for basic tasks without overpaying for the latest technologies. Its strengths — stability, Thunderbolt support, and moderate graphics — are relevant for office scenarios. However, if battery life and quiet operation are important to you, consider devices with the AMD Ryzen 5 7520U or Intel Core i5-1235U.

Who it's suitable for:

- Students with a budget up to $800.

- Office employees working with "heavy" Excel spreadsheets.

- Users needing a Windows laptop with Thunderbolt for connecting a 4K monitor.

In the 2025 market, the i5-8259U is a reasonable compromise, but only if you are willing to accept its outdated “hardware.”

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2018

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.

i5-8259U

Code Name

Coffee 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

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1528

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.

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.

1x4 | 2x2 | 1x2+2x1 and 4x1

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.

DDR4-2400 | LPDDR3-2133

Max Memory Size

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

32 GB

Memory Channels

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

Bus Speed

4 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).

37.5 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® Iris® Plus Graphics 655

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.

1.05 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

32 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@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.

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

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.

4.5

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

1222

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4044

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

878

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

3598

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2218

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

7938

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1245 v5

1302 +6.5%

Xeon Gold 5318Y

1264 +3.4%

Core i5-8259U

1222

Ryzen 5 7520U

1183 -3.2%

Core i7-8550U

1153 -5.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2650 v2

4542 +12.3%

Xeon W-2123

4261 +5.4%

Core i5-8259U

4044

Core i3-10100T

3841 -5%

Xeon D-1537

3588 -11.3%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-7300T

914 +4.1%

Core i5-10500T

894 +1.8%

Core i5-8259U

878

Xeon W-11555MRE

864 -1.6%

Xeon Gold 6126

848 -3.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-1065G7

3899 +8.4%

Xeon E5-2620 v4

3746 +4.1%

Core i5-8259U

3598

Xeon E5-2420 v2

3457 -3.9%

Xeon E-2124G

3341 -7.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i7-5775C

2272 +2.4%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X

2244 +1.2%

Core i5-8259U

2218

Core i7-9700TE

2194 -1.1%

Core i7-4770

2163 -2.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen Embedded V1807B

8588 +8.2%

Core i7-10810U

8276 +4.3%

Core i5-8259U

7938

Xeon E5-2650L v2

7586 -4.4%

Xeon E5-2637

7385 -7%