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Intel Pentium Gold 5405U

Intel Pentium Gold 5405U

Intel Pentium Gold 5405U: A Budget Processor for Everyday Tasks in 2025

Introduction

The Intel Pentium Gold 5405U processor, released in 2019, remains a popular choice for budget laptops. Despite its age, it continues to be used in entry-level ultrabooks and devices for basic tasks. In this article, we will analyze its architecture, performance, use cases, and relevance in 2025.

Architecture and Process Technology

Whiskey Lake Features

The Pentium Gold 5405U belongs to the Whiskey Lake family, built on a 14-nm process technology. It is one of the last generations of Intel before the transition to 10-nm standards, optimized for energy efficiency.

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores, 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Frequencies: Base frequency is 2.3 GHz. There is no Turbo mode, which limits peak performance.

- Cache: L3 — 2 MB (less than Core i3/i5).

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 610 with a base frequency of 300 MHz and a maximum of 950 MHz. It supports 4K output via HDMI 1.4 but is not suitable for intensive workloads.

Architecture Evolution

Whiskey Lake brought improvements in power management and support for Wi-Fi 6 (in some models), but these features are limited in the Pentium Gold 5405U. Compared to previous generations (Kaby Lake-R), the changes are minimal, with a slight enhancement in energy efficiency and stability.

Power Consumption and TDP

With a TDP of 15 W, the processor is ideal for thin laptops with passive or compact active cooling. In real-world scenarios, power consumption varies:

- Idle: 2-3 W.

- Office Tasks: 5-10 W.

- Peak Load: up to 15 W.

Energy-saving technologies include:

- Speed Shift: Dynamic frequency adjustment for quick transitions between states.

- C-States: Power consumption management during idle states.

Performance in Real-World Tasks

Office Work and Multimedia

- Documents, Browsing: Easily handles 10-15 tabs in Chrome, as well as office applications (Word, Excel).

- Videos: Streams 4K content (YouTube, Netflix) without lag, thanks to VP9 and H.265 decoding.

- Editing: Only suitable for basic editing in Shotcut or Filmora (rendering will take 2-3 times longer than on a Core i5).

Gaming

The Intel UHD 610 is a weak point. Examples of gaming performance (at low settings, 720p):

- CS:GO: 25–30 FPS.

- Minecraft: 30–40 FPS (without shaders).

- Stardew Valley, Terraria: 60 FPS.

For modern titles (Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite), this processor is unsuitable.

Turbo Mode

The lack of Turbo Boost is a key downside. Under load, the frequency does not increase, limiting performance during short bursts of tasks (such as opening heavy files).

Use Cases

The Pentium Gold 5405U is suitable for:

1. Students — for note-taking, online courses, and Zoom conferences.

2. Office Workers — handling documents, email, and CRM systems.

3. Casual Users — social media and video watching.

Not Suitable For:

- Gamers.

- Designers, programmers, video engineers.

Battery Life

Laptops with this processor provide 6-10 hours of operation with a battery capacity of 40-50 Wh. For example:

- Video Playback: Up to 8 hours.

- Office Work: 6-7 hours.

Energy savings are provided by:

- Adaptive screen brightness.

- "Power Saving" mode in Windows.

- Disabling background processes.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Athlon Silver 3050U

- Pros: 2 cores/2 threads, Vega 2 graphics.

- Cons: No Hyper-Threading, poorer multitasking capabilities.

- Conclusion: Pentium Gold wins due to 4 threads.

Apple M1 (in base MacBook Air)

- Pros of Apple: 3-4 times higher performance, 18 hours of battery life.

- Cons: Starting price of $999.

- Conclusion: Pentium Gold is relevant only with a budget of up to $500.

Intel Core i3-1115G4 (Tiger Lake)

- Pros: 2 cores/4 threads, frequency up to 4.1 GHz, Iris Xe graphics.

- Cons: Laptops cost more ($600+).

- Conclusion: For those who need extra power.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low price of laptops ($300–500).

- Energy efficiency.

- Sufficient for basic tasks.

Weaknesses:

- No Turbo Boost.

- Weak iGPU.

- Outdated 14-nm process technology.

Laptop Selection Recommendations

1. Type of Device: Ultrabooks (Acer Aspire 5, Lenovo IdeaPad 3).

2. RAM: Minimum of 8 GB DDR4.

3. Storage: SSD required (256 GB and above).

4. Display: Full HD for comfortable work.

5. Additional: Check ports (USB-C, HDMI), weight (up to 1.5 kg).

Avoid:

- Laptops with HDD and 4 GB of RAM.

- Devices without warranty.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Pentium Gold 5405U in 2025 is a choice for those who need an affordable laptop for study, document work, and browsing. Its advantages include low price, long battery life, and adequate performance for everyday tasks. However, for gaming, editing, or professional applications, it is advisable to consider models with Core i3/i5 or AMD Ryzen 3/5.

Suitable for:

- Students.

- Office workers.

- Users who value portability and budget.

If your needs do not exceed basic tasks, the Pentium Gold 5405U will be a reliable companion without overspending.

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Basic

Label Name
Intel
Platform
Laptop
Launch Date
January 2019
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.
5405U
Code Name
Whiskey 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).
2
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
4
Performance-cores
2
Performance-core Base Frequency
2.3 GHz
L1 Cache
128K per core
L2 Cache
512K per core
L3 Cache
2MB shared
Unlocked Multiplier
No
CPU Socket
?
The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.
BGA-1528
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
5 W
Max. Operating Temperature
?
Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.
100 °C
PCIe Version
?
PCI Express is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard used for connecting high-speed components, replacing older standards such as AGP, PCI, and PCI-X. It has gone through multiple revisions and improvements since its initial release. PCIe 1.0 was first introduced in 2002, and in order to meet the growing demand for higher bandwidth, subsequent versions have been released over time.
2.0
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.
x86-64

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
Max Memory Size
?
Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.
64GB
Memory Channels
?
The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.
2
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 Support
No

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.
True
GPU Base Frequency
200 MHz
GPU Max Dynamic Frequency
950 MHz
Execution Units
?
The Execution Unit is the foundational building block of Intel’s graphics architecture. Execution Units are compute processors optimized for simultaneous Multi-Threading for high throughput compute power.
12
Max Resolution
4096x2304 - 30 Hz
Graphics Performance
0.06 TFLOPS

Miscellaneous

Extended Instruction Set
SSE4.1, SSE4.2
PCIe Lanes
12

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23
Single Core Score
1405
Cinebench R23
Multi Core Score
1965
Geekbench 5
Single Core Score
472
Geekbench 5
Multi Core Score
961

Compared to Other CPU

Cinebench R23 Single Core
Core Ultra 7 265U
1856 +32.1%
M2 Pro
1690 +20.3%
Pentium Gold 5405U
1405
Core i7-1060G7
1094 -22.1%
Celeron N5095
599 -57.4%
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
Core i9-10920X
15767 +702.4%
M1 Max
12629 +542.7%
Core i7-5960X
9720 +394.7%
Core i5-8365U
3567 +81.5%
Pentium Gold 5405U
1965
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Xeon E7-8890 v3
505 +7%
Core i3-3220T
490 +3.8%
Pentium Gold 5405U
472
Xeon E5-2648L
453 -4%
Celeron 3867U
436 -7.6%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
3020e
1111 +15.6%
Core i3-6100H
1059 +10.2%
Pentium Gold 5405U
961
Core i3-2100T
875 -8.9%
3015e
804 -16.3%