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Intel Core i7-5650U

Intel Core i7-5650U: Overview of an Ultra-Mobile Processor for Everyday Tasks

Analysis of capabilities, use cases, and relevance in 2025

Architecture and Process Technology: Broadwell on 14 nm

The Intel Core i7-5650U processor, released in 2015, belongs to the Broadwell generation and is built on a 14-nanometer process technology. This was an important advancement for Intel in chip miniaturization, allowing for improved energy efficiency without sacrificing performance.

Key Specifications:

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores, 4 threads (Hyper-Threading).

- Clock Speeds: Base — 2.2 GHz, maximum in turbo mode — 3.2 GHz.

- Cache: L3 — 4 MB (shared for both cores).

- iGPU: Intel HD Graphics 6000 with 48 execution units and a frequency of up to 1000 MHz.

The Broadwell architecture is optimized for mobile devices. While the integrated HD Graphics 6000 does not compare to modern Iris Xe or AMD Radeon Vega, it was capable at the time of running light games and handling 4K video. Support for DirectX 11.2 and Quick Sync enabled decoding of H.264/HEVC video formats.

Power Consumption and TDP: 15 W for Thin Laptops

The processor's TDP (Thermal Design Power) is 15 W. This is a standard figure for ultrabooks that balances performance and battery life.

- Heat Dissipation: Cooling systems in laptops with this CPU are usually passive or use low-power fans. Under prolonged loads (e.g., rendering), throttling is possible.

- Device Design: The processor has been used in compact laptops with thicknesses of up to 15 mm (Dell XPS 13 2015, Lenovo ThinkPad X250).

Performance: Speed for Office Use, but Not for Gaming

According to Geekbench 6 results (Single Core — 973, Multi Core — 1838), the i7-5650U remains relevant for basic tasks in 2025 but falls behind modern counterparts.

Real-World Scenarios:

1. Office Work:

- Microsoft Office, browser with 10+ tabs, Zoom — the processor handles these without lag.

- Running virtual machines (e.g., lightweight Linux) is possible, but limited due to the 2-core setup.

2. Multimedia:

- Streaming 4K video (YouTube, local files) — hardware decoding via Quick Sync.

- Photo editing in Lightroom — manageable for small projects, but export times are lengthy.

3. Gaming:

- CS:GO — 720p, low settings, ~40-50 FPS.

- Fortnite — 720p, minimum settings, ~25-30 FPS (with frequent drops).

Turbo Boost: This mode automatically increases the frequency to 3.2 GHz under load on 1-2 cores. For example, when opening a heavy Excel file or launching a browser. However, in multi-threaded tasks (like video conversion), turbo lasts only briefly due to overheating.

Use Cases: Who is it Relevant for in 2025?

- Students: Working with documents, online courses, Netflix.

- Office Workers: Email, documents, video conferences.

- Travelers: Compact gadgets with a battery life of 6-8 hours.

Not Suitable For:

- Professional video editing (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve).

- Modern gaming (Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring).

- Heavy computations (neural networks, 3D modeling).

Battery Life: How the Processor Saves Charge

With a TDP of 15 W and support for technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamically adjusts frequency according to load.

- C-States: Disables unused cores during idle periods.

Examples of Running Time:

- Web surfing: 7-8 hours (with a 50 Wh battery).

- Video playback: 6 hours (4K HDR).

- Maximum load: 2-3 hours.

By 2025, even budget laptops (e.g., Acer Swift 3) come equipped with 60+ Wh batteries, which compensates for the age of the processor.

Comparison with Competitors: AMD, Apple, and Previous Generations of Intel

1. AMD A10-8700P (2015):

- 4 cores, TDP 15 W, Radeon R6 Graphics.

- Better for multi-threaded tasks but worse in single-threaded (Geekbench 6 Single — ~700).

2. Intel Core i5-1135G7 (2020):

- 4 cores, 8 threads, Iris Xe Graphics.

- Geekbench 6 Single — 1500+, Multi — 4500+. Laptop prices start at $600.

3. Apple M1 (2020):

- Single-threaded performance — 2300+, Multi — 8000+.

- Current MacBook Air with M1 in 2025 starts at $799.

Conclusion: The i7-5650U lags behind modern CPUs but retains a niche for budget Windows devices.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low power consumption.

- Sufficient performance for everyday tasks.

- Support for virtualization (VT-x, VT-d).

Weaknesses:

- Only 2 cores — multitasking is limited.

- Outdated graphics (HD 6000).

- Lack of support for PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt 4.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

Types of Devices:

- Ultrabooks: Dell XPS 13 (2015-2016), HP Spectre x360.

- Business Laptops: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s.

What to Look For:

1. RAM: At least 8 GB (preferably 16 GB for multitasking).

2. Storage: SSD (SATA or NVMe) is a must.

3. Display: Full HD (1920×1080) for comfortable work.

4. Battery: From 50 Wh.

Prices in 2025: New laptops with i7-5650U are no longer available, but refurbished models (e.g., Dell Refurbished) cost $200-300. In comparison, new devices with Intel Core i3-1215U start at $450.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i7-5650U in 2025 is a choice for those seeking a budget laptop for basic tasks. It is suitable for:

- Users who need a portable PC for document work and internet usage.

- Individuals buying a second device for travel.

- Organizations upgrading their technology fleet with minimal costs.

Key Benefits: Low price, compactness, and adequate performance for simple scenarios. However, for future upgrades or professional tasks, it's better to consider models with Intel 12th generation processors, AMD Ryzen 5000/7000, or Apple M1/M2.

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.

i7-5650U

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

2.20 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.

3.10 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.10 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 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.

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

973

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1838

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

761

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1649

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1905

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

3017

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Athlon 240GE

1074 +10.4%

Core i5-6267U

1024 +5.2%

Core i7-5650U

973

Xeon E5-2628 v3

921 -5.3%

Core i5-4430S

877 -9.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5620

2172 +18.2%

Core i5-5287U

1989 +8.2%

Core i7-5650U

1838

Core i3-6157U

1676 -8.8%

Ryzen 3 2200U

1521 -17.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E5-4655 v4

799 +5%

Athlon 320GE

780 +2.5%

Core i7-5650U

761

Core i5-2500

741 -2.6%

Xeon D-2187NT

727 -4.5%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i3-7101TE

1930 +17%

Core i3-6300

1775 +7.6%

Core i7-5650U

1649

A10-5700

1558 -5.5%

A10-9700

1474 -10.6%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Athlon 220GE

1961 +2.9%

Xeon E3-1225 v2

1937 +1.7%

Core i7-5650U

1905

Core i5-10210Y

1876 -1.5%

Xeon Gold 5320

1826 -4.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Celeron N5100

3306 +9.6%

Core i5-2400S

3156 +4.6%

Core i7-5650U

3017

Core i7-5550U

2864 -5.1%

Core i5-3320M

2661 -11.8%