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Intel Core i5-9500

Intel Core i5-9500: Is it Worth Buying in 2025?

An up-to-date review of the processor for budget PCs and media systems

1. Key Features: Architecture and Performance

Architecture and Manufacturing Process

The Intel Core i5-9500, released in 2019, is based on the Coffee Lake microarchitecture (14 nm). Although by 2025, the 14-nm technology is considered outdated (modern Intel and AMD processors use 5–7 nm), this chip remains relevant for basic tasks. It is equipped with 6 physical cores without support for Hyper-Threading, which limits multi-threaded performance but ensures stable operation in single-threaded applications.

Key Features

- L3 Cache: 9 MB — sufficient for caching data in games and applications.

- TDP 65W: Low power consumption makes it easier to choose cooling systems.

- Integrated Graphics UHD 630: Suitable for office tasks and playback of 4K video.

Performance

According to Geekbench 6 (2025):

- Single-Thread Test: 1472 points — a level close to the Ryzen 5 5500 (≈1500).

- Multi-Thread Test: 4994 points — weaker than Ryzen 5 3600 (≈6000) due to the lack of SMT.

Practical example: in Lightroom and Photoshop, the processor handles basic retouching but "lags" when rendering 4K video in Premiere Pro.

2. Compatible Motherboards

Socket and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1151 socket (Coffee Lake). Supported chipsets include:

- H310, B360, H370 — budget boards without overclocking.

- Z390 — for overclocking (but the i5-9500 has a locked multiplier).

Selection Considerations

- BIOS Update: 2018–2019 boards may require an update to work with the i5-9500.

- Prices in 2025: New boards are rare. For example, ASUS Prime B360M-A — $90–120 (stock leftovers).

Tip: Look for boards with M.2 NVMe and USB 3.1 Gen2 for modern peripherals.

3. Supported Memory Types

DDR4-2666 MHz

The maximum memory frequency depends on the chipset:

- On H310/B360 — up to 2666 MHz.

- On Z390 — modules with XMP profiles can be installed (but CPU overclocking is not available).

Limitations:

- No support for DDR5 — critical for new games and professional tasks in 2025.

- Recommended volume: 16 GB (2×8 GB) for comfortable operation.

Example: In combination with DDR4-2666, Cyberpunk 2077 (Low settings, 1080p) delivers 45–50 FPS on an RTX 3050.

4. Power Supply Recommendations

Power Calculation

- CPU TDP: 65W.

- System with graphics card: For example, NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super (TDP 125W) + 2 SSDs + 4 fans.

- Recommended PSU: 450–550W (80+ Bronze or higher).

Model Examples:

- Corsair CX550 (550W) — $60–70.

- Be Quiet! System Power 10 (450W) — $50.

Important: Don’t skimp on the PSU — unstable power will shorten component lifespan.

5. Pros and Cons of the Intel Core i5-9500

Pros:

- Low power consumption.

- 6 cores for light multitasking.

- Integrated graphics for office PCs.

Cons:

- No Hyper-Threading.

- Outdated 14-nm manufacturing process.

- Limited memory frequency.

6. Use Cases

Gaming:

- On integrated graphics: CS2 (720p, Low) — 40–50 FPS.

- With a discrete graphics card (RTX 3060): Hogwarts Legacy (1080p, Medium) — 60 FPS.

Work Tasks:

- Excel, Word, and a browser with 10+ tabs — no lag.

- Video editing in DaVinci Resolve: rendering 1080p in 15–20 minutes (compared to 8–10 minutes with Ryzen 5 5600).

Multimedia:

- Streaming 4K HDR via Plex.

- Support for 3 monitors via DisplayPort/HDMI.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (6 cores/12 threads):

- Price: $130 (new, 2025).

- Pros: SMT, PCIe 4.0.

- Cons: Requires a separate graphics card.

Intel Core i3-12100F (4 cores/8 threads):

- Price: $110.

- Pros: Higher IPC, DDR4-3200.

- Cons: Fewer cores.

Conclusion: The i5-9500 falls short in multi-threading but wins in market prices (around $80–100 for used).

8. Assembly Tips

- Case: Micro-ATX (e.g., Fractal Design Focus G Mini) — compactness and good ventilation.

- Cooling: The stock cooler is sufficient, but for quiet operation, choose the DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 ($25).

- Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD (Crucial P3 — $50) + 2 TB HDD for archiving.

Novice mistake: Installing DDR4-3200 on an H310 board — memory will run at 2666 MHz.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i5-9500 in 2025?

This processor is worth considering for:

- Budget Users: Building a PC for $300–400 for office and media center use.

- Owners of Old Systems: Upgrading from a Core i3-8100 without replacing the motherboard.

- Enthusiasts: A temporary solution before purchasing a modern platform (LGA 1700/AM5).

Alternative: If the budget allows, it’s better to get a Ryzen 5 5600G ($150) with support for PCIe 4.0 and stronger graphics.

The Intel Core i5-9500 — not a top performer, but a reliable option for less demanding tasks. In 2025, it finds new life in budget builds and systems where stability is more important than maximum performance.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 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.

i5-9500

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

3.00 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.

4.40 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.40 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.

L3 Cache

9 MB

CPU Socket

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

FCLGA1151

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

65 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.

1.10 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 2304@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.

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.

9 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

1472

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

4994

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1125

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4661

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2646

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

10219

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 5 5625U

1578 +7.2%

Pentium Gold G7400T

1529 +3.9%

Core i5-9500

1472

Core i5-10400

1422 -3.4%

EPYC 7262

1375 -6.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-1315U

5617 +12.5%

Core i7-10750H

5378 +7.7%

Core i5-9500

4994

Core i7-10700TE

4675 -6.4%

Xeon E3-1230 v6

4434 -11.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon W-2295

1188 +5.6%

Core i7-1065G7

1156 +2.8%

Core i5-9500

1125

Xeon W-3235

1108 -1.5%

Ryzen 5 4600HS

1085 -3.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i5-9600K

5113 +9.7%

Xeon D-1541

4908 +5.3%

Core i5-9500

4661

Core i5-10505

4417 -5.2%

Xeon E-2286G

4207 -9.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

EPYC 7343

2718 +2.7%

Xeon E-2136

2683 +1.4%

Core i5-9500

2646

Xeon W-2155

2599 -1.8%

Core i3-9300

2561 -3.2%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-2628L v4

11079 +8.4%

Core i7-9750HF

10611 +3.8%

Core i5-9500

10219

Xeon E-2174G

9741 -4.7%

Xeon D-1557

9285 -9.1%