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Intel Core i7-5500U

Intel Core i7-5500U Broadwell: Is It Worth Buying in 2025? A Review of the Laptop Processor

Introduction

The Intel Core i7-5500U processor, released in 2015, is part of the fifth generation of Broadwell architecture. Despite its venerable age, laptops equipped with this CPU can still be found for sale—mainly in the budget segment (new devices can be found in the range of $300–$400). But is it still relevant in 2025? Let's explore who this model is suitable for and in what scenarios it outperforms modern counterparts.

Architecture and Manufacturing Process: What's Inside?

Cores, Threads, and Cache

The Core i7-5500U is a dual-core processor with Hyper-Threading support (4 threads). The base frequency is 2.4 GHz, and turbo mode boosts the cores up to 3.0 GHz. The L3 cache is 4 MB, which seems modest by 2025 standards (modern mobile CPUs typically have 8–12 MB). The manufacturing process is 14 nm, which, by 2025, is outdated: contemporary Intel and AMD chips use 5–7 nm, while Apple has moved to 3 nm.

Integrated Graphics

The integrated GPU is Intel HD Graphics 5500 (24 EUs, frequencies 300–950 MHz). It supports DirectX 11.2 and OpenGL 4.3, allowing only older games to run on low settings (for example, CS:GO at 720p with 30–40 FPS). It is sufficient for basic tasks—such as video playback and working with graphic editors—but rendering or editing 4K will be painfully slow.

Power Consumption and TDP: A Balance Between Power and Battery Life

The processor's TDP is 15 W. This is a typical figure for ultrabooks that are designed for extended battery life. However, even budget models in 2025 (for example, those based on the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U with 15 W TDP) demonstrate twice the performance at similar power consumption.

Energy-saving features:

- Intel SpeedStep technology—dynamically reduces frequency under low load.

- C7 "deep sleep" mode—minimizes energy consumption during idle time.

- Power management through Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework drivers.

Performance: What Can the Core i7-5500U Do in 2025?

Office Tasks and Web Browsing

The CPU can handle document work, browsing (5–10 tabs), and video calls, but with caveats:

- Running heavy web applications (Figma, Google Sheets with large tables) will cause stuttering.

- Simultaneous work with Zoom + browser + messenger will require closing "extra" programs.

Geekbench 6:

- Single-Core: 875 (for comparison: Ryzen 5 7520U — 1800, Apple M1 — 2300).

- Multi-Core: 1673 (Ryzen 5 7520U — 5500, M1 — 7500).

Multimedia

- Video conversion in HandBrake (1080p → 720p): ~25–30 minutes compared to 5–7 minutes for Ryzen 5 7520U.

- 4K video playback: possible, but with re-encoding via iGPU—the battery drains faster.

Gaming

The HD Graphics 5500 integrated graphics are a weak point. Game examples (at low settings):

- Dota 2: 25–35 FPS (720p).

- GTA V: 20–25 FPS (720p).

- Fortnite: not recommended—there will be lags even at minimum settings.

Turbo mode: The maximum frequency of 3.0 GHz is only achieved on one core and only briefly (1–2 minutes). When temperatures reach 70–80°C, the system reduces frequencies back to the base 2.4 GHz.

Usage Scenarios: Who Is This Processor Suitable For?

1. Students — for lectures, text work, and presentations.

2. Office employees — if tasks do not require multitasking.

3. Casual users — social media, YouTube, online shopping.

Not suitable for:

- Gamers — even cloud services like Xbox Cloud require video decoding, which the HD 5500 struggles with.

- Designers and editors — inadequate power for Photoshop, Premiere Pro.

- Programmers — code compilation will take 3–4 times longer than on modern CPUs.

Battery Life: How Long Will the Battery Last?

With a battery capacity of 50 Wh (typical for ultrabooks from 2015–2017):

- Web browsing: 6–7 hours.

- Video playback (1080p): 5–6 hours.

- Maximum load: 1.5–2 hours.

Tip: Replacing the standard HDD with an SSD (if not already installed) will extend battery life by 15–20% by reducing power consumption of the storage device.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD A10-9600P (2016)

- Pros: More powerful Radeon R5 graphics (supports DirectX 12).

- Cons: Higher TDP (15 W vs. 35 W), worse driver optimization.

Apple M1 (2020)

- Performance is 3–4 times higher at similar TDP.

- Supports modern codecs and neural network accelerators.

Intel Core i3-1215U (2022)

- 6 cores (2P + 4E), 8 threads, 9 W TDP.

- Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: 4800.

Conclusion: The Core i7-5500U lags behind even budget models from 2022–2023.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Low price of laptops (from $300).

- Sufficient for basic tasks.

- Compact and lightweight ultrabook designs.

Cons:

- Outdated architecture.

- Lacks support for AVX2, AI accelerators.

- Weak GPU.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you still decide to buy a device with the Core i7-5500U in 2025:

1. Type of device: Ultrabook with a screen size of 13–14 inches (e.g., Dell Latitude 5480).

2. Must have: SSD of 256+ GB, 8+ GB RAM.

3. Bonus: An IPS display (avoid TN).

Caution: Laptops with this CPU are often sold with refurbished components. Check battery cycles (for example, via HWMonitor utility).

Final Conclusion

The Core i7-5500U in 2025 is a choice for those who need a cheap laptop "just in case." It can handle office tasks and web browsing, but don't expect smooth performance in modern applications. If your budget allows for $500–$600, it's better to get a device with a Ryzen 5 7520U or Intel Core i3-N305—they will last longer and perform better.

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.

i7-5500U

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

2.40 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.

3.00 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.00 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

4 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.

950 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.

4 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

875

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1673

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

663

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1351

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1648

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2779

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon W-2104

966 +10.4%

Core i3-6100TE

916 +4.7%

Core i7-5500U

875

Core i5-6442EQ

815 -6.9%

Core i3-6100U

747 -14.6%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-2600S

1981 +18.4%

Core i5-7200U

1827 +9.2%

Core i7-5500U

1673

Xeon E5-2673 v3

1516 -9.4%

A10-9700E

1354 -19.1%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon D-1540

706 +6.5%

Core i7-3520M

683 +3%

Core i7-5500U

663

Athlon 300U

642 -3.2%

Athlon Silver 3050e

616 -7.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i7-1185GRE

1485 +9.9%

A10-7890K

1411 +4.4%

Core i7-5500U

1351

Athlon X4 760K

1256 -7%

Core i5-2520M

1172 -13.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i5-4278U

1710 +3.8%

Ryzen 3 2200U

1688 +2.4%

Core i7-5500U

1648

Xeon E5-2620

1619 -1.8%

Core i7-1370PRE

1583 -3.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Pentium Silver J5005

3080 +10.8%

A8 PRO-7600B

2943 +5.9%

Core i7-5500U

2779

Athlon PRO 3045B

2618 -5.8%

Celeron G6900TE

2373 -14.6%