Intel Core i5-4300M vs Intel Core i7-5600U Comparison

The Intel Core i7-5600U and Intel Core i5-4300M are both dual-core mobile processors with hyper-threading, but they represent different design philosophies from Intel. The i7-5600U is a low-power Broadwell part, while the i5-4300M is a higher-power Haswell chip. Benchmark data shows a close contest, with the i7-5600U winning six of seven head-to-head tests, though the margin of victory is often narrow.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the data is how consistently the Core i7-5600U edges out the Core i5-4300M across Cinebench tests, while the i5-4300M fights back in Geekbench multicore. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the i7-5600U scores 255 against 253 for the i5-4300M, a delta of just 0.8%. The pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 multicore, where the i7-5600U posts 1065 versus 1056, a 0.9% advantage. The single-core Cinebench results follow the same script: 150 to 149 in R20 (0.7% delta) and 358 to 355 in R23 (0.8% delta).

The i7-5600U’s largest Cinebench win comes in R23 multicore, where it scores 2537 against the i5-4300M’s 2515, again a 0.9% margin. These are all very tight races — the kind of differences that fall within run-to-run variance, but the consistency of the i7-5600U winning every Cinebench test is notable. The biggest single-core victory for the i7-5600U is in Geekbench single-core, where it scores 917 versus 882, a 4% delta. That is the largest margin in either direction across all tests.

The one clear reversal comes in Geekbench multicore, where the i5-4300M scores 1817 against the i7-5600U’s 1750, a 3.7% advantage for the older Haswell chip. This is a significant swing — nearly as large as the i7-5600U’s Geekbench single-core win, but in the opposite direction. Interestingly, the average benchmark scores are nearly identical: the i7-5600U averages 1005, while the i5-4300M averages 1004, a 0.1% difference. The nearest-rival data confirms this closeness, with each chip appearing in the other’s rival list with a delta of 0.1% or -0.1%.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different process nodes and microarchitectures. The i7-5600U is built on Intel’s 14 nm process using the Broadwell-U architecture, while the i5-4300M uses the 22 nm process with the Haswell architecture. This node difference shows up in transistor density: the i7-5600U packs 1,300 million transistors into an 82 mm² die, whereas the i5-4300M has 1,400 million transistors on a larger 118 mm² die. The i7-5600U achieves a smaller die with fewer transistors, despite having a larger L3 cache.

Cache configurations differ as well. Both chips have 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core, but the i7-5600U has 4 MB of shared L3 cache, while the i5-4300M has 3 MB. The i7-5600U’s extra megabyte of L3 is a structural advantage that may contribute to its single-core performance wins. The i5-4300M compensates with a higher boost clock: 3.60 GHz versus 3.20 GHz for the i7-5600U, while both share a 2.60 GHz base clock.

Power and packaging tell a different story. The i7-5600U has a 15 W TDP and uses the Intel BGA 1168 socket, while the i5-4300M has a 37 W TDP and uses Intel Socket G3. The i7-5600U is a soldered, ultra-low-power part, whereas the i5-4300M is a socketed, higher-power mobile chip. Integrated graphics differ too: the i7-5600U carries Intel HD 5500, while the i5-4300M has Intel HD 5000. Memory support is DDR3 for both, but the i7-5600U specifies dual-channel operation with 25.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the i5-4300M’s memory bus and bandwidth are not listed.

The i7-5600U also has a PCIe Gen 2 interface with 12 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-4300M has no PCIe information in the data. The i7-5600U launched on 2015-02-28, while the i5-4300M launched on 2013-08-31, making the i7-5600U roughly a year and a half newer. The i7-5600U is marked as end-of-life production status; the i5-4300M has no production status listed.

Where Each One Wins

The i7-5600U is the clear winner in single-core performance. It leads in every single-core benchmark in the head-to-head set: Cinebench R20 single-core (150 vs 149), Cinebench R23 single-core (358 vs 355), and Geekbench single-core (917 vs 882, a 4% margin). This pattern suggests the Broadwell architecture’s efficiency and the larger 4 MB L3 cache provide a tangible advantage in lightly threaded workloads. The i7-5600U also wins every multicore Cinebench test, though by margins of less than 1%, so its multicore advantage is real but modest.

The i5-4300M wins only one test, but it is a substantial one: Geekbench multicore, where it scores 1817 against 1750, a 3.7% lead. This is the largest delta in either direction, and it indicates that in certain multicore workloads, the i5-4300M’s higher boost clock (3.60 GHz) can overcome the i7-5600U’s cache and node advantages. The i5-4300M’s higher TDP (37 W vs 15 W) likely allows it to sustain boost clocks more aggressively under sustained multicore loads, which would explain its Geekbench multicore win.

For end users, the split is straightforward. If the workload is single-threaded — such as web browsing, office productivity, or older games that rely on one or two cores — the i7-5600U offers a modest but consistent edge, with the Geekbench single-core 4% delta being the most pronounced. If the workload is heavily multithreaded and the system can handle the i5-4300M’s higher power draw, the Geekbench multicore result suggests the i5-4300M may be the better choice, despite losing all Cinebench multicore tests. The Cinebench multicore results, however, favor the i7-5600U, so the choice depends on which benchmark suite better represents the target application.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-5600U has an average benchmark score of 1005, while the Intel Core i5-4300M has an average of 1004, a 0.1% difference.

Q: What is the biggest single-test margin between the two?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench single-core, where the i7-5600U scores 917 versus 882 for the i5-4300M, a 4% delta.

Q: Does the i5-4300M win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the i5-4300M wins Geekbench multicore with a score of 1817 against the i7-5600U’s 1750, a 3.7% margin.

Q: How do the cache sizes compare?

A: The i7-5600U has 4 MB of shared L3 cache, while the i5-4300M has 3 MB of shared L3 cache. Both have 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core.

Q: What are the process nodes for each chip?

A: The i7-5600U is built on a 14 nm process, while the i5-4300M uses a 22 nm process.

Q: Which chip has a higher boost clock?

A: The i5-4300M has a boost clock of 3.60 GHz, while the i7-5600U has a boost clock of 3.20 GHz. Both have a base clock of 2.60 GHz.

The Verdict

The data points to a near-tie in overall performance, with the i7-5600U holding a razor-thin 0.1% average score advantage (1005 vs 1004). The i7-5600U is the better choice for single-core workloads, as evidenced by its wins in every single-core test, particularly the 4% Geekbench single-core margin. It also wins all four Cinebench multicore tests, albeit by less than 1% each time. Users who prioritize Cinebench-style rendering or single-threaded applications should pick the i7-5600U.

The i5-4300M is the pick only if Geekbench multicore is the primary benchmark of interest, where it leads by 3.7%. Its higher boost clock and 37 W TDP suggest it can push harder in sustained multicore scenarios, but the data only shows one such win. The i7-5600U’s lower TDP (15 W vs 37 W), newer architecture, larger L3 cache, and higher single-core scores make it the more versatile processor overall. The i5-4300M’s higher power envelope may be justified in systems that need the extra Geekbench multicore performance, but the i7-5600U’s consistency across the broader benchmark suite gives it the edge for most users.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i7-5600U | Intel Core i5-4300M |

|----------------|---------------------|---------------------|

| Base Clock | 2.60 GHz | 2.60 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.20 GHz | 3.60 GHz |

| TDP | 15 W | 37 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1168 | Intel Socket G3 |

| Architecture | Broadwell | Haswell |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 22 nm |

| Transistors | 1,300 million | 1,400 million |

| Die Size | 82 mm² | 118 mm² |

| L3 Cache | 4 MB (shared) | 3 MB (shared) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | Not specified |

| PCIe | Gen 2, 12 Lanes (CPU only) | Not specified |

| Integrated Graphics | Intel HD 5500 | Intel HD 5000 |

| Release Date | 2015-02-28 | 2013-08-31 |

| Launch MSRP | $393 | Not specified |