Intel Core i3-8130U vs Intel Core i7-5600U Comparison

Intel Core i7-5600U and Intel Core i3-8130U are both 15-watt mobile processors with 2 cores and 4 threads, but they belong to different eras of Intel’s ultraportable lineup. The i7-5600U is a Broadwell-U part from early 2015, while the i3-8130U is a Kaby Lake-R refresh released in 2018. Benchmark results show a clear generational shift: the newer i3 wins the majority of head-to-head tests, though the older i7 retains a narrow edge in one single-threaded workload. The database records six wins for the i3-8130U and one win for the i7-5600U, making the performance hierarchy straightforward despite their shared core and thread counts.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i3-8130U dominates the multi-threaded and sustained rendering workloads. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i3 scores 301 against the i7’s 255, a 15.3% advantage. That margin repeats across Cinebench R20 multicore (1257 vs 1065), Cinebench R23 multicore (2995 vs 2537), and even the single-core variants of those same tests. The i3 also wins Geekbench multicore, though by a much slimmer margin: 1762 versus 1750, just 0.7% apart. This pattern suggests the i3-8130U is the better choice for video encoding, 3D rendering, and any task that scales across both cores, as its higher boost clock of 3.40 GHz versus 3.20 GHz helps it pull ahead consistently in Cinebench’s CPU-bound scenarios.

The Intel Core i7-5600U’s sole victory comes in Geekbench singlecore, where it scores 917 against the i3’s 898, a 2.1% lead. This is a curious outlier, given that the i3 wins every other single-threaded benchmark in the database, including Cinebench R20 singlecore (177 vs 150) and Cinebench R23 singlecore (422 vs 358), both by 15.3% and 15.2% respectively. The Geekbench result may reflect differences in how the two processors handle memory latency or instruction-level parallelism, but the data shows that the i7-5600U retains a small, specific advantage in this particular synthetic workload. For general productivity, the i3 is the stronger performer, but the i7’s Geekbench singlecore win indicates it is not wholly obsolete in lightly threaded legacy applications.

Architecture Differences

The two processors share a 14 nm process node from Intel, but their underlying architectures diverge significantly. The i7-5600U uses the Broadwell architecture (codename Broadwell-U), while the i3-8130U is built on Kaby Lake (codename Kaby Lake-R). Both have 2 cores and 4 threads, with identical cache hierarchies: 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 4 MB of shared L3. The key architectural differences lie in memory support, integrated graphics, and physical packaging. The i7-5600U supports DDR3 memory with a dual-channel bus and a recorded memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. The i3-8130U supports DDR4 memory, though the database does not list its memory bus configuration or bandwidth, which means direct memory throughput comparisons cannot be made from the available data.

The integrated graphics also differ: the i7-5600U pairs with Intel HD 5500, while the i3-8130U features UHD 620. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so overclocking is not an option for either. The i7-5600U uses the Intel BGA 1168 socket, while the i3-8130U uses Intel BGA 1356, meaning they are not interchangeable in the same motherboard. The i7-5600U has a stated PCIe configuration of Gen 2 with 12 lanes (CPU only), while the i3-8130U’s PCIe details are not recorded. Die size differs notably: the i7-5600U measures 82 mm² with 1,300 million transistors, whereas the i3-8130U has a larger 123 mm² die, though its transistor count is not listed. The i7-5600U is marked as end-of-life production, while the i3-8130U remains active, which may influence long-term availability and platform support.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data reveals a consistent pattern of i3-8130U superiority in Cinebench workloads. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i3 scores 301 versus the i7’s 255, a delta of 15.3%. The same exact percentage appears in Cinebench R20 multicore (1257 vs 1065) and Cinebench R20 singlecore (177 vs 150), indicating a uniform performance gap across these tests. Cinebench R23 multicore shows the i3 at 2995 against the i7’s 2537, again a 15.3% difference. Cinebench R23 singlecore narrows slightly to 15.2%, with the i3 at 422 and the i7 at 358. These results suggest the i3’s higher boost clock of 3.40 GHz provides a consistent advantage over the i7’s 3.20 GHz in both single- and multi-threaded rendering tasks, despite both processors having the same core count and L3 cache size.

Geekbench results tell a different story. In Geekbench multicore, the i3 wins narrowly with 1762 versus 1750, a mere 0.7% margin. This is far smaller than the Cinebench deltas, hinting that Geekbench’s workload mix does not favor the i3’s clock advantage as strongly. In Geekbench singlecore, the i7-5600U flips the result, scoring 917 against the i3’s 898, a 2.1% win for the older processor. This is the only benchmark where the i7 outperforms the i3, and it stands in contrast to the Cinebench singlecore results where the i3 leads by over 15%. The discrepancy likely stems from Geekbench’s inclusion of memory bandwidth and encryption tests, where the i7’s DDR3 configuration with recorded 25.6 GB/s bandwidth may perform differently than the i3’s DDR4 setup, though the i3’s bandwidth is not listed for direct comparison.

Across all seven head-to-head benchmarks, the i3-8130U wins six, with the i7-5600U taking only Geekbench singlecore. The average benchmark score in the database places the i7-5600U at 1005 and the i3-8130U at 994, a difference of just 1.1% in favor of the older chip, but this aggregate includes only the tests where both have scores and does not reflect the i3’s dominance in Cinebench. The percentile rankings are identical: both processors sit at the 27th percentile of all CPUs in the database, meaning they are statistically equivalent in overall standing despite their differing individual benchmark outcomes.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i3-8130U has a boost clock of 3.40 GHz, while the Intel Core i7-5600U boosts to 3.20 GHz. The i3’s higher boost clock contributes to its wins in most benchmarks.

Q: Do both processors have the same number of cores and threads?

A: Yes, both the i7-5600U and the i3-8130U have 2 cores and 4 threads, with identical L1 and L2 cache sizes (64 KB and 256 KB per core) and 4 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the two in any benchmark?

A: The largest recorded difference is 15.3%, seen in Cinebench R15 multicore, R20 multicore, R20 singlecore, and R23 multicore, all favoring the i3-8130U. The i3 wins these tests by the same margin.

Q: Does the i7-5600U win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the i7-5600U wins Geekbench singlecore with a score of 917 versus 898 for the i3-8130U, a 2.1% advantage. This is the only head-to-head benchmark where the older processor prevails.

Q: How do the integrated graphics compare?

A: The i7-5600U uses Intel HD 5500, while the i3-8130U uses UHD 620. The database does not include graphics benchmark scores, so no direct performance comparison is possible from the recorded data.

Q: What memory types do the two processors support?

A: The i7-5600U supports DDR3 memory with a dual-channel bus and 25.6 GB/s bandwidth. The i3-8130U supports DDR4 memory, but its memory bus configuration and bandwidth are not listed in the database.

The Verdict

The data points decisively toward the Intel Core i3-8130U for most workloads. It wins six of seven head-to-head benchmarks, including all four Cinebench tests where it leads by 15.3% or 15.2%, and it also takes Geekbench multicore, albeit by only 0.7%. For users running rendering, encoding, or other CPU-intensive tasks, the i3-8130U is the clear choice, as its higher boost clock of 3.40 GHz delivers consistent gains over the i7-5600U’s 3.20 GHz across both single- and multi-threaded Cinebench scenarios. The i3’s active production status also means it remains available for new systems, while the i7-5600U is end-of-life.

The Intel Core i7-5600U retains relevance only in a narrow niche. Its Geekbench singlecore win at 917 versus 898, a 2.1% margin, suggests it may handle certain legacy single-threaded applications slightly better, possibly due to its DDR3 memory configuration with known 25.6 GB/s bandwidth. However, this single victory is outweighed by the i3’s dominance elsewhere. The i7-5600U also carries a launch MSRP of $393, though no pricing data exists for the i3-8130U in the database, so a direct cost comparison is not possible. Given that both processors sit at the 27th percentile of all CPUs and have nearly identical average benchmark scores (1005 for the i7, 994 for the i3), the i3-8130U is the better recommendation for anyone choosing between these two 15-watt dual-core parts, as it wins the vast majority of recorded tests and remains in active production.