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Intel Core i7-1255U vs Intel Core i5-8250U

Intel Core i7-1255U

► remove from comparison Intel i7-1255U

The Intel Core i7-1255U is a high-end mobile CPU for thin and light laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 2  performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 12 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 1.7 to 4.7 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.2 to 3.5 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 12 MB L3 cache. Compared to the i7-1265U (fastest U-series CPU at launch), the 1255 offers 100 MHz lower clocked CPU cores and only "Essentials" vPro management features. Compared to the P-series (28W) or H-series (45W), the 15W TDP may limit the sustained performance.

Performance

The average 1255U in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 5 5600U, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. Which is nothing to be ashamed of, as of mid 2023.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 28 W, the Spectre x360 13.5 14t-ef000 is among the fastest laptops built around the 1255U that we know of. It can be 20% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Architecture

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200, LPDDR5-5200, and LPDDR4x-4267. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC, and AV1 decode in hardware. The CPU only supports PCIe 4.0 (x8 for a GPU and two x4 for SSDs).

The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers all 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.25 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i7 has a "minimum assured" power consumption of 12 W. Its Base power consumption sits at 15 W and its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption isn't supposed to exceed 55 W. All those values are too high to allow for pasisvely cooled designs.

Last but not the least, Core i7-1255U is built with Intel's fourth-gen 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-8250U

► remove from comparison 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.

show full text
ModelIntel Core i7-1255UIntel Core i5-8250U
CodenameAlder Lake-UKaby Lake Refresh
SeriesIntel Alder Lake-MIntel Kaby Lake Refresh
Series: Kaby Lake Refresh Kaby Lake Refresh
Intel Core i7-1265U compare1.3 - 4.8 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-1255U « 1.2 - 4.7 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i5-1245U compare1.2 - 4.4 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i5-1235U compare0.9 - 4.4 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-1260U compare0.8 - 4.7 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-1250U compare0.8 - 4.7 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i5-1240U compare0.8 - 4.4 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i5-1230U compare0.7 - 4.4 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i3-1215U compare0.9 - 4.4 GHz6 / 8 cores10 MB L3
Intel Pentium 8505 compare0.9 - 4.4 GHz5 / 6 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i3-1210U compare0.7 - 4.4 GHz6 / 8 cores10 MB L3
Intel Pentium 8500 compare0.7 - 4.4 GHz5 / 6 cores8 MB L3
Intel Celeron 7305 compare0.9 - 1.1 GHz5 / 5 cores8 MB L3
Intel Celeron 7300 compare0.7 - 1 GHz5 / 5 cores8 MB L3
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
Clock1200 - 4700 MHz1600 - 3400 MHz
L1 Cache928 KB256 KB
L2 Cache9.5 MB1 MB
L3 Cache12 MB6 MB
Cores / Threads10 / 124 / 8
TDP15 Watt15 Watt
Technology10 nm14 nm
max. Temp.100 °C
SocketBGA1744BGA1356
FeaturesDDR4-3200/LPDDR4x-4266/DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-5200 RAM, PCIe 4, Thr. Dir., DL Boost, GNA, vPro Ess., MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, EIST, TM1, TM2, HT, Turbo, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHADual-Channel DDR4 Memory Controller, HyperThreading, AVX, AVX2, Quick Sync, Virtualization, AES-NI
iGPUIntel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs ( - 1250 MHz)Intel UHD Graphics 620 (300 - 1100 MHz)
Architecturex86x86
Announced
Manufacturerark.intel.com
$297 U.S.

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i7-1255U
34.7 pt (58%)
AMD E1-2100
2.32 -93%
...
Intel Core Ultra 7 165U
34.3 -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7735U
34.5 -1%
AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS
34.5 -1%
Intel Core i5-12450H
34.5 -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 5825U
34.5 -1%
AMD Ryzen 5 6600HS
34.5 -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
34.5 -1%
Intel Core i7-1270P
34.6 0%
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100
34.6 0%
Intel Core i7-1255U
34.7
Intel Core Ultra 7 155U
34.7 0%
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U
34.8 0%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
34.8 0%
Intel Core i5-1335U
34.8 0%
Intel Core i5-1245U
34.8 0%
Intel Core i7-1265U
34.9 1%
AMD Ryzen 5 6600H
34.9 1%
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6860Z
35 1%
Intel Core i7-11800H
35 1%
...
AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX
49.8 44%
max:
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
60.1 73%
0%
100%
Restrict / Search: Model: Max. age: years
Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i5-8250U
24.8 pt (41%)
AMD E1-2100
2.32 -91%
...
Intel Core i3-8109U
24.1 -3%
Intel Core i5-6287U
24.3 -2%
Intel Processor N100
24.4 -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
24.4 -2%
Intel Core i7-6567U
24.5 -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
24.6 -1%
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
24.7 0%
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
24.8 0%
Intel Processor N95
24.8 0%
Intel Core i5-8250U
24.8
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
25 1%
Intel Processor N150
25 1%
AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
25 1%
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
25.1 1%
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
25.4 2%
Intel Core i3-1110G4
25.7 4%
Intel Core i3-1005G1
25.7 4%
Intel Processor N97
25.8 4%
Intel Core i5-8259U
25.9 4%
...
AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX
49.8 101%
max:
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
60.1 142%
0%
100%
Restrict / Search: Model: Max. age: years
Cinebench 2024 - Cinebench 2024 CPU Single Core
98.7 Points (55%)
Cinebench 2024 - Cinebench 2024 CPU Multi Core
388 Points (7%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
min: 5269     avg: 7970     median: 8285 (8%)     max: 9628 Points
min: 3022     avg: 3108     median: 3108 (3%)     max: 3194 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
min: 1408     avg: 1627     median: 1647 (69%)     max: 1775 Points
min: 840     avg: 874     median: 873.5 (37%)     max: 907 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
min: 550     avg: 634     median: 638 (69%)     max: 682 Points
min: 332     avg: 349.2     median: 353 (38%)     max: 355 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
min: 2095     avg: 3037     median: 2987 (7%)     max: 3702 Points
min: 846     avg: 1148     median: 1171 (3%)     max: 1325 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 919     avg: 1335     median: 1387 (9%)     max: 1577 Points
min: 320     avg: 570     median: 562 (4%)     max: 730 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 161     avg: 230     median: 237.5 (66%)     max: 251 Points
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
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
min: 3632     avg: 3991     median: 3991 (6%)     max: 4350 Points
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multi Thread 4 runs
min: 24126     avg: 33263     median: 36557 (21%)     max: 37365 MIPS
min: 11546     avg: 15262     median: 15365.5 (9%)     max: 17405 MIPS
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
min: 5059     avg: 5303     median: 5256 (62%)     max: 5529 MIPS
min: 3641     avg: 3726     median: 3706 (44%)     max: 3925 MIPS
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
min: 29.5     avg: 32.8     median: 32 (11%)     max: 37.7 fps
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: 6.31     avg: 9     median: 9.6 (17%)     max: 10.1 fps
min: 3.02     avg: 4.2     median: 4.3 (8%)     max: 4.78 fps
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
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
min: 2.9     avg: 3.5     median: 3.5 (9%)     max: 4 GB/s
Blender - Blender 3.3 Classroom CPU *
min: 683     avg: 792     median: 728 (9%)     max: 1156 Seconds
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
min: 372     avg: 428.7     median: 408 (3%)     max: 601 Seconds
min: 813     avg: 948     median: 899.5 (6%)     max: 1209 Seconds
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
min: 0.4688     avg: 0.5     median: 0.5 (11%)     max: 0.558 sec
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: 8097     avg: 13705     median: 14505 (36%)     max: 16890 Points
min: 3233     avg: 6318     median: 6276 (15%)     max: 8014 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
62348 Points (51%)
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
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
min: 34294     avg: 49389     median: 50347.5 (42%)     max: 52066 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
min: 7134     avg: 9823     median: 10079 (25%)     max: 12522 Points
min: 3002     avg: 5863     median: 5774 (15%)     max: 7695 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
min: 11482     avg: 16766     median: 17512 (31%)     max: 20193 Points
min: 4495     avg: 8511     median: 8453 (15%)     max: 10727 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
min: 1124     avg: 5246     median: 5994 (25%)     max: 7649 Points
min: 1956     avg: 2709     median: 2663 (11%)     max: 3723 Points
Geekbench 6.4 - Geekbench 6.4 Single-Core
min: 2313     avg: 2319     median: 2319 (58%)     max: 2325 Points
Geekbench 6.4 - Geekbench 6.4 Multi-Core
min: 7914     avg: 8273     median: 8273 (32%)     max: 8632 Points
Geekbench 6.0 - Geekbench 6.0 Single-Core
min: 1760     avg: 1994     median: 1993.5 (63%)     max: 2227 Points
Geekbench 6.0 - Geekbench 6.0 Multi-Core
min: 4534     avg: 6663     median: 6662.5 (27%)     max: 8791 Points
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.5 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 1560     avg: 1645     median: 1661.5 (65%)     max: 1712 Points
min: 882     avg: 914     median: 925 (36%)     max: 936 Points
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.5 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 4463     avg: 7335     median: 7947.5 (14%)     max: 8821 Points
min: 2265     avg: 3162     median: 3427 (6%)     max: 3516 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 1523     avg: 1608     median: 1612 (7%)     max: 1684 Points
min: 923     avg: 927     median: 927 (4%)     max: 931 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 4557     avg: 6901     median: 6905 (22%)     max: 8452 Points
min: 3105     avg: 3298     median: 3298 (10%)     max: 3491 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 3453     avg: 4116     median: 4095 (41%)     max: 4330 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 11269     avg: 12833     median: 12751 (13%)     max: 14228 Points
Geekbench 4.0 - Geekbench 4.0 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 3924     avg: 4076     median: 4029 (45%)     max: 4243 Points
Geekbench 4.0 - Geekbench 4.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 10751     avg: 12210     median: 12131 (16%)     max: 13486 Points
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Multi-Core
min: 10893     avg: 12606     median: 12742 (23%)     max: 13553 Points
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 32 Bit Single-Core
min: 3148     avg: 3302     median: 3242 (42%)     max: 3503 Points
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 14363     avg: 14408     median: 14407.5 (23%)     max: 14452 Points
Geekbench 3 - Geekbench 3 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 3759     avg: 3829     median: 3828.5 (57%)     max: 3898 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
min: 476.2     avg: 584     median: 572.5 (1%)     max: 727 ms
min: 986     avg: 1221     median: 1259 (1%)     max: 1532 ms
Sunspider - Sunspider 1.0 Total Score *
97.3 ms (1%)
min: 74.8     avg: 107.9     median: 91 (1%)     max: 265.6 ms
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
min: 75963     avg: 82625     median: 82948 (61%)     max: 88687 Points
min: 22772     avg: 30123     median: 29871 (22%)     max: 35817 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
min: 183.4     avg: 230.4     median: 232 (64%)     max: 249 Points
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
min: 200     avg: 272.9     median: 275 (49%)     max: 366 Points
min: 163     avg: 169.5     median: 167.5 (30%)     max: 180 Points
PCMark for Android - PCM f. Android Storage 2.0 score
9895 Points (4%)
PCMark for Android - PCM f. Android Work Score 3.0
11617 Points (42%)
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
min: 1329     avg: 1465     median: 1475 (55%)     max: 1575 Points
768 Points (29%)
CrXPRT 2 - CrXPRT2 Performance Score
173 Points (96%)
Power Consumption - Prime95 Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 24.3     avg: 42.3     median: 42.2 (7%)     max: 51.2 Watt
min: 25.9     avg: 27.9     median: 28.3 (5%)     max: 29.3 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 27.8     avg: 54.9     median: 54.5 (10%)     max: 75.9 Watt
min: 27.7     avg: 29.5     median: 29.8 (5%)     max: 30.8 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 4.09     avg: 6.9     median: 6.2 (4%)     max: 12.5 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption 150cd 1min *
min: 3.55     avg: 9     median: 6.3 (7%)     max: 30.7 Watt
Power Consumption - Power Efficiency - Cinebench R15 Multi external Monitor
min: 18.7     avg: 25     median: 24.8 (18%)     max: 33.1 Points per Watt
min: 16.8     avg: 18.1     median: 18.4 (14%)     max: 18.8 Points per Watt

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i7-1255U → 100% n=25

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i5-8250U → 53% n=25

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
red legend - Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

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v1.33
log 07. 08:19:50

#0 ran 0s before starting gpusingle class +0s ... 0s

#1 checking url part for id 14074 +0s ... 0s

#2 checking url part for id 9206 +0s ... 0s

#3 redirected to Ajax server, took 1754547590s time from redirect:0 +0s ... 0s

#4 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Thu, 07 Aug 2025 05:18:16 +0200 +0s ... 0s

#5 composed specs +0.006s ... 0.006s

#6 did output specs +0s ... 0.006s

#7 getting avg benchmarks for device 14074 +0.004s ... 0.01s

#8 got single benchmarks 14074 +0.024s ... 0.034s

#9 getting avg benchmarks for device 9206 +0.004s ... 0.038s

#10 got single benchmarks 9206 +0.108s ... 0.146s

#11 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s ... 0.146s

#12 min, max, avg, median took s +0.066s ... 0.213s

#13 return log +0.002s ... 0.215s

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)