Intel Core 5 120U vs Intel Core i5-8250U
59.8Single-core31.5
36.2Multi-core24
75.3Efficiencyspec-based66.4
—iGPU25.8
50.3Platformspec-based35
12 spec wins — Intel Core 5 120U2 spec wins — Intel Core i5-8250U
InnoReviews verdict
Intel Core 5 120U wins this laptop processor face-off, 51.6 to 34.1, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+28) and multi-core (+12). Intel Core i5-8250U 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 32
- Stronger multi-core score: 36 vs 24
- 200% higher Max memory: 96 GB vs 32 GB
- 158% higher PassMark: 14,877 vs 5,777
- 150% higher cores: 10 vs 4
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-8250U
- 100% higher Performance cores: 4 vs 2
- 14% higher Base clock: 1.6 GHz vs 1.4 GHz
General
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2024 | 2017 |
| Process | 10 nm+29% | 14 nm |
| Base TDP | 15 W | 15 W |
| Max TDP | 55 W+120% | 25 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 10+150% | 4 |
| Performance cores | 2 | 4+100% |
| Efficiency cores | 8 | 0 |
| Threads | 12+50% | 8 |
| Base clock | 1.4 GHz | 1.6 GHz+14% |
| Boost clock | 5 GHz+47% | 3.4 GHz |
| L3 cache | 12 MB+100% | 6 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Intel Iris Xe (80 EU) | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| iGPU clock | 1,300 MHz | 1,100 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-5200 / DDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267 | DDR4-2400 / LPDDR3-2133 |
| Max memory | 96 GB+200% | 32 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,469Bottom 50% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 9,070Bottom 33% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 1,757+101%Top 45% | 874Bottom 6% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 6,659+114%Bottom 19% | 3,108Bottom 7% |
| PassMark | 14,877+158%Bottom 30% | 5,777Bottom 7% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 389Bottom 8% |
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