Intel Core i5-10200H vs Intel Core i5-8259U Comparison

The Intel Core i5-10200H and Intel Core i5-8259U are two mobile quad-cores separated by roughly two years and, more importantly, by two different design philosophies: a 45-watt performance part against a 28-watt efficiency part. Both chips carry 4 cores and 8 threads on Intel's 14 nm process, and their database averages sit nearly on top of each other, 2154 for the i5-10200H versus 2108 for the i5-8259U. The recorded data shows a narrow but consistent lead for the newer Comet Lake-H processor across nearly every test, with one notable exception in Geekbench multi-core where the older chip flips the result.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results tell one uniform story: the i5-10200H sweeps all six Cinebench tests. In Cinebench R15 multi-core it posts 684 against 667, a 2.5% win, and its single-core score of 96 beats 94 by 2.1%. The pattern tightens slightly in the newer R20 build, where the multi-core gap is 2853 to 2781 (2.6%) and the single-core gap is 402 to 392 (2.6%). Cinebench R23 repeats the trend almost exactly: 6795 versus 6622 in multi-core (2.6%) and 959 versus 934 in single-core (2.7%).

That consistency matters. A 2% swing in one benchmark can be thermal noise or platform differences; the same 2.5-2.7% margin repeated across three Cinebench generations and both thread-scaling scenarios indicates a real, small architectural and frequency advantage rather than measurement variance. The single-core result is the expected consequence of the clock specifications: the i5-10200H boosts to 4.10 GHz while the i5-8259U tops out at 3.80 GHz, both from base clocks of 2.40 GHz and 2.30 GHz respectively.

The one anomaly is Geekbench. In single-core the i5-10200H delivers its largest win of the entire dataset, 1347 versus 1207, an 11.6% margin that dwarfs every other delta recorded here. Yet in Geekbench multi-core the i5-8259U takes its only victory, 4168 to 4096, a 1.7% reversal. Geekbench is the sole test in the set with burst-heavy, latency-sensitive workloads and short runtimes, and the data suggests the i5-8259U can exploit its lower thermal envelope in brief bursts while falling behind in sustained rendering loads. The aggregate picture is 7 wins to 1 in favor of the i5-10200H.

Contextualizing against the wider database, the i5-10200H sits in the 47th percentile of all recorded CPUs with an average score of 2154, statistically tied with the Intel Core i7-5950HQ (2158, -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X (2148, 0.3%), the Intel Core i5-7640X (2167, -0.6%), and the Intel Core i5-9400T (2136, 0.9%). The i5-8259U occupies the 46th percentile at 2108, bracketed by the Intel Core i5-8500T (2110, -0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 2400G (2101, 0.3%), the Intel Xeon E-2224G (2117, -0.4%), and the Intel Core i3-8350K (2096, 0.6%). Both are mid-pack chips by modern standards, and the percentile gap of a single point between them captures how close these two really are.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster overall?

A: The i5-10200H wins 7 of the 8 recorded head-to-head benchmarks. Its average database score of 2154 is 46 points higher than the i5-8259U's 2108, and it leads every Cinebench test by a narrow 2.1-2.7% margin plus a large 11.6% Geekbench single-core win.

Q: Does the i5-8259U win anything?

A: Yes, one test. It takes Geekbench multi-core 4168 to 4096, a 1.7% victory, making it the lone benchmark where the older Coffee Lake-U part finishes ahead.

Q: How do their thermal envelopes differ?

A: The i5-10200H is specified at 45 watts TDP while the i5-8259U is specified at 28 watts. This is the key design split: a performance-class H-series chip versus a thinner, efficiency-focused U-series chip.

Q: Are both processors still in production?

A: No. The i5-10200H is listed as Active, released September 2020. The i5-8259U is listed as End-of-life, released April 2018. The i5-8259U carried a launch MSRP of $320.

Q: Do they have the same core and cache configuration?

A: Yes. Both offer 4 cores, 8 threads, 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 6 MB of L3 cache. The performance gap comes from clocks and platform differences, not from core or cache counts.

Q: Where does each chip rank against all CPUs in the database?

A: The i5-10200H sits in the 47th percentile and the i5-8259U in the 46th percentile, effectively identical standing against the full recorded population.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-10200H is the pick for sustained multi-threaded workloads. Rendering is the clearest case: Cinebench R23 multi-core at 6795 versus 6622 shows it holding its full performance through long runs, which the 45-watt envelope makes possible in a way the 28-watt part cannot match. Video encoding, code compilation, and batch processing fall into the same category: workloads that run minutes rather than seconds favor the H-series chip.

Single-threaded responsiveness also belongs decisively to the i5-10200H. The 11.6% Geekbench single-core margin (1347 versus 1207) is the largest gap in the dataset, and the 2.6-2.7% Cinebench single-core wins confirm the direction. Applications that lean on one fast thread, including many office and content-creation tools, will feel snappier on the newer part, helped by its higher 4.10 GHz boost clock.

The i5-8259U's case is narrower but real. Its only benchmark win, Geekbench multi-core at 4168, plus its 28-watt TDP, position it for short-burst parallel work in thermally constrained machines: thin notebooks where sustained load is rare and the lower power target lets the chip run at or near its 3.80 GHz boost more often than a 45-watt part could in the same chassis. Its Iris Pro Plus 655 integrated graphics, against the plain UHD Graphics of the i5-10200H, also make it the stronger option where integrated graphics matter, a factor worth noting even though this database does not score GPUs directly.

For buyers choosing between systems rather than chips, the deciding variables are chassis class and workload length. Long renders favor the i5-10200H; short bursts and portability favor the i5-8259U.

Specification Differences

The two processors share far more than they differ, but the differences that exist are structural.

The i5-10200H has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz; the i5-8259U runs 2.30 GHz base and 3.80 GHz boost. TDP is 45 watts versus 28 watts. The sockets differ: Intel BGA 1440 for the Comet Lake part, Intel BGA 1526 for the Coffee Lake part, meaning neither chip is interchangeable on a board.

Memory support diverges. The i5-10200H accepts DDR3 and DDR4 with 46.9 GB/s of bandwidth on a dual-channel bus; the i5-8259U accepts DDR4 only with 38.4 GB/s of bandwidth, also dual-channel. That bandwidth gap of 8.5 GB/s can matter for memory-bound workloads.

Integrated graphics differ meaningfully: UHD Graphics on the i5-10200H against Iris Pro Plus 655 on the i5-8259U. PCIe is listed as Gen 3 for the i5-10200H and Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU on the i5-8259U.

Production status is Active for the i5-10200H (part number SRK3X, released 2020-09-16) and End-of-life for the i5-8259U (part number SRCKBSRCUU, released 2018-04-04, launch MSRP $320). The i5-8259U carries a recorded die size of 126 mm²; no die size is recorded for the i5-10200H. Neither chip has ECC support, an unlocked multiplier, or a listed transistor count.

Architecture Differences

Both processors come from Intel's 14 nm node, fabricated at Intel, so process technology does not separate them. The separation is architectural generation and market positioning.

The i5-10200H is a Comet Lake design (codename Comet Lake-H) from Intel's 10th Gen Core series, targeting the performance-mobile H segment. The i5-8259U is a Coffee Lake design (codename Coffee Lake-U) aimed at the thin-and-light U segment. Both are quad-cores with SMT, 8 threads, and identical cache hierarchies: 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, 6 MB shared L3. In effect, the i5-10200H is a refresh of the same core recipe rather than a new architecture, which explains why the benchmark deltas are small: higher clocks from a wider power budget, not a redesigned core.

The platform story reinforces this. The newer chip's support for DDR3 alongside DDR4, higher 46.9 GB/s memory bandwidth, and Active production status make it the forward-looking choice, while the i5-8259U compensates with a lower 28-watt design target and stronger integrated graphics in the Iris Pro Plus 655. For a 14 nm generation-over-generation comparison, the data shows exactly what is expected: modest gains, roughly 2-3% in sustained work and a substantial 11.6% in Geekbench single-core, delivered almost entirely through clock speed and power headroom.