Intel Core i5-6200U vs Intel Pentium Gold 4417U

Intel Core i5-6200U

The Intel Core i5-6200U is an ULV (ultra low voltage) dual-core SoC based on the Skylake architecture and has been launched in September 2015. The CPU can be found in ultrabooks as well as normal notebooks. In addition to two CPU cores with Hyper-Threading clocked at 2.3 - 2.8 GHz (2 cores: max. 2.7 GHz), the chip also integrates an HD Graphics 520 GPU and a dual-channel DDR4-2133/DDR3L-1600 memory controller. The SoC is manufactured using a 14 nm process with FinFET transistors.

Architecture

Skylake replaces both Haswell and Broadwell and brings the same microarchitecture in every TDP class from 4.5 to 45 W. The extensive improvements of the Skylake design include increased out-of-order buffers, optimized prefetching and branch prediction as well as additional performance gains through Hyper-Threading. Overall, however, performance per clock has been increased by only 5 to 10 percent (compared to Haswell) respectively under 5 percent (compard to Broadwell), which is quite modest for a new architecture ("Tock").

Performance

According to the specified clock rates and the improved architecture, the Core i5-6200U should perform just slightly below the former Core i7-5500U (Broadwell, 15 W). Thus, the CPU has sufficient power for office and multimedia purposes as well as more demanding applications and multitasking.

Graphics

The integrated graphics unit called HD Graphics 520 represents the "GT2" version of the Skylake GPU (Intel Gen. 9). The 24 Execution Units, also called EUs, are clocked at 300 - 1000 MHz and offer a performance somewhere in range of a dedicated GeForce 820M. Games of 2015 can thus be played smoothly in low settings. For more information about performance and features, check our page for the HD Graphics 520.

Power Consumption

Specified at a TDP of 15 W (including CPU, GPU and memory controller), the CPU is best suited for small notebooks and ultrabooks (11-inches and above). Optionally, the TDP can be lowered to 7.5 watts (cTDP down), reducing both heat dissipation and performance and allowing even more compact designs.

Intel Pentium Gold 4417U

The Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4417U is a power efficient dual-core SoC for entry level laptops based on the Kaby Lake Refresh generation (not Coffee Lake). It was announced in February 2019 and integrates two "big" cores (similar to the Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs) clocked at 2.3 GHz (fixed, no Turbo Boost). The integrated graphics card is named Intel HD Graphics 610 and offers 12 EUs clocked at 300 - 950 MHz. The integrated memory controller supports slower memory speeds than the faster i3 and i5 models (DDR4-2133 / LPDDR3-1866 / DDR3L-1600) and dual channel memory.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

With a fixed clock speed of 2.3 GHz, the dual core CPU is clearly slower than models with Turbo Boost and high clock speeds for single thread performance. The multi thread performance however is also limited due to the two cores. The faster Core i5-8250U offers four processor cores and  fast Turbo Boost speeds therefore offers a much better performance. Still, the Pentium 4417U offers enough performance for daily tasks and non demanding applications.

Power Consumption

The chip is most likely manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors (14nm+), the same as the 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. Intel still specifies the TDP with 15 Watts, which is typical for ULV chips. According to Intel it can be configured to 12.5 Watt at 800 MHz (cTDP-down) with a clearly reduced performance.