Intel Pentium Silver N5030 vs Intel Pentium Silver N6005

Intel Pentium Silver N5030

The Intel Pentium Silver N5030 is a quad-core SoC primarily for inexpensive notebooks and was announced late 2019. It runs at 1.1-3.1 GHz (Single Core Burst) and is based on the Gemini Lake platform. The 5030 is the refresh of the older Pentium 5000 and offers a 400 MHz higher Boost clock. Similar to the Apollo Lake predecessor, the chip is manufactured in a 14 nm process with FinFETs but offers slightly improved processor cores, double the amount of L2 cache, a smaller package, a better GPU architecture and a partly integrated WiFi support. Besides four CPU cores, the chip also includes a DirectX 12 capable GPU as well as a DDR4/LPDDR4 memory controller (dual-channel, up to 2400 MHz). The SoC is not replaceable as it is directly soldered to the mainboard.

Architecture

The processor architecture is still called Goldmont Plus. Compared to the older Goldmont cores in Apollo Lake, they feature an increased level 2 cache (to 4 MB). That means the per-clock-performance should be a bit better, but not near the Core CPUs like Kaby Lake Y.

Performance

The average N5030 in our database proves unable to beat the AMD 3020e, an entry-level dual-core CPU of similar power efficiency, in multi-thread performance, rendering the Pentium a poor option for anything but the most basic day-to-day activities, as of late 2022.

GPU Performance

The UHD Graphics 605 (Gemini Lake) is based on Intel's Gen9 architecture, which supports DirectX 12 and is also used for the Kaby Lake / Skylake / Apollo Lake graphics adapters (like HD Graphics 520). Equipped with 18 EUs and a clock of up to 750 MHz, the performance should be roughly on par with the older HD Graphics 5300 and HD Graphics 505 (Apollo Lake).

The chip also includes an advanced video engine with hardware support for the playback of VP9 and H.265 material (8-bit color-depth).

Power consumption

Like most N-class Intel chips, the Pentium has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 6 W. This is low and thus good enough for passively cooled tablets, laptops, mini-PCs and handhelds.

The Intel Pentium N5030 is built with one of the old 14 nm Intel processes making for poor, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Pentium Silver N6005

The Intel Pentium Silver N6005 is a quad-core SoC of the Jasper Lake series that is primarily intended for inexpensive and small desktop and was announced in early 2021. The four Tremont CPU cores clock between 2 and 3.3 GHz (single core Burst) and offer no HyperThreading (SMT). The N6005 uses 1.5 MB L2 and 4 MB L3 cache. The chip is manufactured in 10nm at Intel (most likely in the same process as Ice Lake).

CPU Architecture

The processor architecture is called Tremont and a complete redesign compared to the old Golmont Plus cores in the predecessor. According to Intel, the single thread performance of a core could be improved by 30% on average (10 - 80% in all tests of SPECint and SPECfp).

Features

In addition to the quad-core CPU block, the SoC integrates a 32 EU Intel UHD Graphics GPU clocked from 450 - 900 MHz and a LPDDR4(x) dual channel memory controller (up to 16 GB and 2933 MHz). The chip now also partly integrates Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), 8 PCIe 3.0 lanes, 14 USB 2.0 / 3.2 ports and two SATA 6.0 ports. The package got bigger and measures 35 x 24 mm (compared to 25 x 24 mm for the N5030 e.g.). The SoC is directly soldered to the mainboard (BGA) and can't be easily replaced.

Performance

The average N6005 in our database is in the same league as the Core i3-1110G4, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is enough to enjoy Web browsing and watch videos online without noticeable slowdowns, as of mid 2023 - which is what most consumers want.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 15 W, the Intel NUC11ATKPE is among the fastest systems built around the N6005 that we know of. It can be about 50% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Power Consumption

Similar to the predecessor, Intel specifies the TDP with 10 Watts (versus the 6 W of the mobile N6000). The chip can therefore be cooled passively in theory, but SKUs with fans are possible as well.