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Intel Core i5-8250U

Intel i5-8250U

The Intel Core i5-8250U is a power efficient quad-core SoC for notebooks and Ultrabooks based on the Kaby Lake Refresh generation and was announced in August 2017. Contrary to its direct predecessor the Core i5-7200U, which were still dual-cores, the i7-8250U is equipped with four cores but at a lower base frequency of 1.6 GHz. The Turbo Boost can go up to 3,4 GHz and therefore also offer good short term single core speeds. The GPU is now named Intel UHD Graphics 620 but otherwise identical to the Intel HD Graphics 620. The integrated memory controller supports DDR4-2400 / LPDDR3-2133 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

According to Intel, the new quad core models are up to 40% faster than their dual core predecessors. Due to the reduced TDP and the same 14nm+ process, the long term performance and throttling behavior will be interesting and depending on the laptop design. Therefore, the older 35 Watt quad-core models should be faster in applications that demand longer CPU loads.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 (Intel Gen 9.5) is untouched from the 8th Gen Kaby Lake chips. With fast dual-channel memory it can reach the performance of a dedicated GeForce 920M.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby lake now also supports H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors announced in January should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is 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. Depending on the usage scenario, the TDP can vary between 7.5 (cTDP Down) and 25 Watts.

CodenameKaby Lake Refresh
SeriesIntel Kaby Lake Refresh

Series: Kaby Lake Refresh Kaby Lake Refresh

Intel Core i7-8650U compare1.9 - 4.2 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i7-8550U compare1.8 - 4 GHz4 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8350U compare1.7 - 3.6 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i5-8250U « 1.6 - 3.4 GHz4 / 8 cores6 MB L3
Intel Core i3-8130U compare2.2 - 3.4 GHz2 / 4 cores4 MB L3
Intel Pentium Gold 4417U compare2.3 GHz2 / 4 cores2 MB L3
Clock Rate1600 - 3400 MHz
Level 1 Cache256 KB
Level 2 Cache1 MB
Level 3 Cache6 MB
Number of Cores / Threads4 / 8
Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power)15 Watt
Manufacturing Technology14 nm
SocketBGA1356
FeaturesDual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NI
GPUIntel UHD Graphics 620 (300 - 1100 MHz)
64 Bit64 Bit support
Architecturex86
Starting Price$297 U.S.
Announcement Date08/21/2017

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU
24.8 pt (41%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
min: 3022     avg: 3108     median: 3108 (3%)     max: 3194 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
min: 840     avg: 874     median: 873.5 (37%)     max: 907 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
min: 332     avg: 349.2     median: 353 (39%)     max: 355 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
min: 846     avg: 1148     median: 1171 (3%)     max: 1325 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 320     avg: 570     median: 562 (4%)     max: 730 Points
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Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 81     avg: 141.1     median: 143 (40%)     max: 147 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 3.15     avg: 6     median: 5.9 (8%)     max: 7.76 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 0.91     avg: 1.6     median: 1.6 (39%)     max: 1.79 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
min: 5349     avg: 5631     median: 5533 (33%)     max: 8356 points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
min: 14148     avg: 18261     median: 17987 (13%)     max: 22097 points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
min: 11245     avg: 23585     median: 23873 (15%)     max: 28932 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
min: 5163     avg: 6972     median: 7174 (9%)     max: 8153 Points
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
min: 243.3     avg: 308.6     median: 306.2 (4%)     max: 402.1 s
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
min: 7.394     avg: 8.9     median: 8.1 (2%)     max: 13.75 s
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multi Thread 4 runs
min: 11546     avg: 15262     median: 15365.5 (9%)     max: 17405 MIPS
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
min: 3641     avg: 3726     median: 3706 (44%)     max: 3925 MIPS
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
min: 124.6     avg: 139.3     median: 137.5 (32%)     max: 157.6 fps
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - HWBOT x265 4k Preset
min: 3.02     avg: 4.2     median: 4.3 (8%)     max: 4.78 fps
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TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
min: 0.336     avg: 0.4     median: 0.4 (12%)     max: 0.415 GB/s
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
min: 0.58     avg: 0.6     median: 0.7 (12%)     max: 0.714 GB/s
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
min: 813     avg: 948     median: 899.5 (6%)     max: 1209 Seconds
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
min: 0.818     avg: 0.8     median: 0.8 (18%)     max: 0.843 sec
3DMark 06 - CPU - 3DMark 06 - CPU
min: 4775     avg: 6370     median: 6348 (14%)     max: 7575 Points
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
min: 10.9     avg: 11.7     median: 11.1 (2%)     max: 15.77 s
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
min: 24.9     avg: 26.3     median: 25.2 (1%)     max: 34.28 s
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
min: 601     avg: 631     median: 613 (3%)     max: 783 s
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. CPU no Physx
min: 15198     avg: 20933     median: 21899 (17%)     max: 24736 Points
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
min: 3233     avg: 6318     median: 6276 (16%)     max: 8014 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
min: 24077     avg: 44593     median: 45968.5 (37%)     max: 50962 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
min: 24155     avg: 44127     median: 45251 (37%)     max: 50910 Points