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Intel Core 5 120U vs Intel Core i5-1235U

WINNER
Intel Core 5 120U
51.6Inno Score
VS
Intel Core i5-1235U
46.9Inno Score
59.8Single-core49.8
36.2Multi-core31.4
75.3Efficiencyspec-based75.3
—iGPU50.3
50.3Platformspec-based47.7
9 spec wins — Intel Core 5 120U0 spec wins — Intel Core i5-1235U

InnoReviews verdict

Intel Core 5 120U wins this laptop processor face-off, 51.6 to 46.9, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+10) and multi-core (+5). Intel Core i5-1235U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Intel Core 5 120U

  • Stronger single-core score: 60 vs 50
  • Stronger multi-core score: 36 vs 31
  • 50% higher Max memory: 96 GB vs 64 GB
  • 49% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 9,070 vs 6,100
  • 23% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 2,469 vs 2,000

Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-1235U

No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.

General

General comparison: Intel Core 5 120U versus Intel Core i5-1235U
SpecIntel Core 5 120UIntel Core i5-1235U
Announced20242022
Process10 nm10 nm
Base TDP15 W15 W
Max TDP55 W55 W

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: Intel Core 5 120U versus Intel Core i5-1235U
SpecIntel Core 5 120UIntel Core i5-1235U
Cores1010
Performance cores22
Efficiency cores88
Threads1212
Base clock1.4 GHz+8%1.3 GHz
Boost clock5 GHz+14%4.4 GHz
L3 cache12 MB12 MB

Integrated GPU

Integrated GPU comparison: Intel Core 5 120U versus Intel Core i5-1235U
SpecIntel Core 5 120UIntel Core i5-1235U
iGPUIntel Iris Xe (80 EU)Intel Iris Xe (80 EU)
iGPU clock1,300 MHz1,200 MHz

Memory

Memory comparison: Intel Core 5 120U versus Intel Core i5-1235U
SpecIntel Core 5 120UIntel Core i5-1235U
Memory supportLPDDR5X-5200 / DDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267LPDDR5-5200 / DDR5-4800 / LPDDR4X-4267
Max memory96 GB+50%64 GB

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Intel Core 5 120U versus Intel Core i5-1235U
SpecIntel Core 5 120UIntel Core i5-1235U
Geekbench 6 (single)2,469+23%Bottom 50%2,000Bottom 21%
Geekbench 6 (multi)9,070+49%Bottom 33%6,100Bottom 14%
Cinebench R23 (single)1,757+16%Top 45%1,520Bottom 33%
Cinebench R23 (multi)6,659+7%Bottom 19%6,200Bottom 18%
PassMark14,877+20%Bottom 30%12,415Bottom 23%
3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU)—1,175Bottom 45%

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