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Intel Pentium Gold 8500

Intel Pentium Gold 8500: Budget Processor for Everyday Tasks. Full Review

March 2025

Modern entry-level laptops are increasingly impressing with their performance. One such example is the Intel Pentium Gold 8500, which, despite its modest price, offers a 12th-generation (Alder Lake) architecture and a balance between energy efficiency and speed. Let's explore who this chip is suitable for, how it handles tasks, and what compromises must be made.

1. Architecture and Manufacturing Process: Hybrid Approach for Budget Devices

Cores, Threads, and Frequencies

The Pentium Gold 8500 is built on a hybrid Alder Lake architecture, but in a simplified configuration:

- 5 cores: 1 Performance (P-core) with Hyper-Threading support (2 threads) + 4 Energy-efficient (E-core) without multithreading.

- 6 threads: 2 from P-core + 4 from E-core.

- Base frequency: 1.8 GHz (P-core), 1.4 GHz (E-core).

- Max Turbo frequency: up to 4.4 GHz (only P-core).

The hybrid architecture allows for task distribution: P-core handles single-threaded loads (e.g., browser), while E-core manages background processes (updates, music streaming).

Integrated Graphics

The integrated GPU is Intel UHD Graphics for the 12th generation (Xe-LP, 48 EU). This is 33% fewer EUs than in Iris Xe (96 EU), but it is sufficient for basic tasks:

- Supports 4K@60 Hz via HDMI 2.0.

- Decodes AV1 and HEVC video formats.

- Modest gaming: 30-40 FPS in CS:GO on low settings (720p).

2. TDP and Power Consumption: Balance between Power and Battery Life

The processor is rated for a TDP of 15 W, which is typical for ultrabooks and thin laptops. In turbo mode, power consumption can briefly reach 25 W, but budget model cooling systems are rarely designed for sustained loads.

Thermal output:

- During office work, the temperature stays within 45-60°C.

- In stress tests (e.g., rendering), it can heat up to 85°C with throttling (frequency reduction).

3. Performance: Tests in Real Scenarios

Office and Multimedia

- Geekbench 6: 1284 (Single-Core), 2111 (Multi-Core). For comparison, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U scores ~1200/3200. The Pentium is stronger in single-threaded tasks but weaker in multi-threaded ones.

- Microsoft Office, browser (20 tabs): operates without lags.

- Video editing: rendering a 1080p video in DaVinci Resolve takes 2-3 minutes (compared to 1 minute for Core i5-1235U).

Gaming

- Light games: League of Legends (60 FPS on medium), Minecraft (45-50 FPS).

- Heavy projects: Cyberpunk 2077 even on minimum settings gives 15-20 FPS — this is not a gaming processor.

Turbo Boost Mode

The P-core boosts to 4.4 GHz, but only for 10-15 seconds under load. For example, when opening a “heavy” Excel file or launching Photoshop.

4. Use Cases: Who is the Pentium Gold 8500 Designed For?

- Students: working with texts, presentations, online courses.

- Office workers: Excel, email, video conferences.

- Home users: surfing, streaming Netflix, casual gaming.

- Not suitable for: gamers, engineers (CAD), video editors.

Example device: Acer Aspire 3 laptop (Pentium Gold 8500, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD) — price $450-500.

5. Battery Life: Up to 8 Hours in Mixed Mode

With a battery capacity of 50 Wh:

- Video playback: up to 7 hours.

- Working in Chrome: 5-6 hours.

- Energy-saving technologies:

- Intel Speed Shift — instant switching between frequencies.

- C-states — shutting down unused cores.

- Dynamic Tuning — real-time adaptation to load.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 3 7420U (Zen 2, 4 cores/8 threads)

- AMD Pros: better multi-threaded performance (+30% in Cinebench R23), Radeon 610M graphics (slightly better in games).

- Cons: higher price (laptops starting at $550).

Apple M1 (in MacBook Air)

- The M1 outperforms the Pentium Gold by 2-3 times in performance and battery life (up to 15 hours), but MacBook Air starts at $899.

Intel Core i3-1215U

- The i3-1215U (2P+4E, 8 threads) is 20-25% faster in multitasking, but laptops with it are $100-150 more expensive.

7. Pros and Cons of Pentium Gold 8500

Strengths:

- Low laptop prices (starting from $400).

- Support for modern standards (Wi-Fi 6, USB 3.2 Gen 2).

- Sufficient power for everyday tasks.

Weaknesses:

- Weak multi-threaded performance.

- No support for Thunderbolt 4.

- Limited future-proofing (e.g., for Windows 12 with AI features).

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

- Type of device: ultrabook (e.g., Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3) or budget laptop (HP 15).

- Minimum specifications:

- 8 GB RAM (16 GB preferred for multitasking).

- 256 GB SSD (not HDD!).

- IPS screen with a resolution of 1920×1080.

- Additional options:

- Anti-glare coating.

- Weight up to 1.5 kg for portability.

9. Final Conclusion

Intel Pentium Gold 8500 is a great choice for those looking for an affordable laptop for studying, document work, and web surfing. Its key advantages include:

- Energy efficiency and moderate heat generation.

- Support for modern interfaces.

- Sufficient performance for basic tasks.

Who should buy it:

- Users with a budget of up to $500.

- Those who do not plan to run "heavy" applications.

- Those who value battery life and portability.

If you need more power for the future or work with graphics, consider Core i5 or Ryzen 5. But for everyday tasks, the Pentium Gold 8500 performs reliably.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2022

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.

8500

Code Name

Alder 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.

Performance-cores

Efficient-cores

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

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

4.40 GHz

Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum E-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

3.30 GHz

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

CPU Socket

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

FCBGA1781

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.

Intel 7

Processor Base Power

The time-averaged power dissipation that the processor is validated to not exceed during manufacturing while executing an Intel-specified high complexity workload at Base Frequency and at the junction temperature as specified in the Datasheet for the SKU segment and configuration.

9 W

Maximum Turbo Power

The maximum sustained (>1s) power dissipation of the processor as limited by current and/or temperature controls. Instantaneous power may exceed Maximum Turbo Power for short durations (<=10ms). Note: Maximum Turbo Power is configurable by system vendor and can be system specific.

29 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

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.

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

Microprocessor PCIe Revision

Gen 4

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.

Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s

Max Memory Size

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

64 GB

Memory Channels

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

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 for 12th Gen Intel® Processors

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.

800 MHz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

12.1

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.

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 @ 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.

7680 x 4320 @ 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 @ 120Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP 1.4b | DP 1.4a | HDMI 2.1

Miscellaneous

Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) on CPU

A new set of embedded processor technologies designed to accelerate AI deep learning use cases. It extends Intel AVX-512 with a new Vector Neural Network Instruction (VNNI) that significantly increases deep learning inference performance over previous generations.

Yes

Intel Image Processing Unit

6.0

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

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.

8 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 High Definition Audio

Yes

Intel Volume Management Device (VMD)

Intel® Volume Management Device (VMD) provides a common, robust method of hot plug and LED management for NVMe-based solid state drives.

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 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 QuickAssist Software Acceleration

Yes

Intel Control-Flow Enforcement Technology

CET - Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) helps protect against the misuse of legitimate code snippets through return-oriented programming (ROP) control-flow hijacking attacks.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

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.

4.6

OpenCL Support

OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for heterogeneous parallel programming.

3.0

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

1284

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2111

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1035

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2108

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1245 v6

1370 +6.7%

Xeon Platinum 8180

1327 +3.3%

Pentium Gold 8500

1284

EPYC 7302P

1248 -2.8%

Xeon 6710E

1205 -6.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Opteron 6278

2575 +22%

Celeron G6900TE

2359 +11.7%

Pentium Gold 8500

2111

Core i7-2760QM

1945 -7.9%

Core i3-4130T

1768 -16.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i9-8950HK

1076 +4%

Core i9-7920X X-series

1061 +2.5%

Pentium Gold 8500

1035

Core i5-8400H

1015 -1.9%

Xeon E3-1515M v5

994 -4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

EPYC 7443P

2430 +15.3%

Xeon E-2278G

2278 +8.1%

Pentium Gold 8500

2108

Ryzen 3 5125C

1970 -6.5%

Core i3-8121U

1845 -12.5%