Intel Core i5-8250U vs Intel Core i5-8365U Comparison

The Intel Core i5-8365U and Intel Core i5-8250U are both 15-watt, four-core, eight-thread mobile processors built on Intel's 14 nm process, but they represent different architectural generations with distinct performance profiles. The newer i5-8365U, based on Whiskey Lake, posts an average benchmark score of 8708 and sits in the 65th percentile of all CPUs, while the older Kaby Lake-R i5-8250U averages 8577 and lands in the 64th percentile. Across 17 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, the i5-8365U wins 15, with the i5-8250U taking only two, but the margins tell a nuanced story about where each chip excels.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The i5-8365U’s biggest advantage emerges in single-threaded workloads. In PassMark’s single-thread test, it scores 2073 against the i5-8250U’s 1886, a decisive 9.9% delta — the largest margin in the entire comparison. This pattern repeats across Cinebench single-core tests, where the i5-8365U leads by 2.9% in R15 (71 vs 69), 2.7% in R20 (299 vs 291), and 2.7% in R23 (713 vs 694). The boost clock difference is the obvious driver: the i5-8365U boosts to 4.10 GHz, while the i5-8250U tops out at 3.40 GHz.

Multi-core results show a consistent but smaller edge for the newer chip. Cinebench R15 multicore sees the i5-8365U at 509 versus 495 (2.8% lead), R20 multicore at 2121 versus 2065 (2.7%), and R23 multicore at 5050 versus 4918 (2.7%). PassMark’s multithread test tells the same story, with the i5-8365U scoring 5976 against 5812, a 2.8% advantage. These margins suggest the i5-8365U’s higher boost clock helps in lightly threaded work but provides only modest gains when all four cores are active under the same 15-watt thermal envelope.

The i5-8365U also sweeps the math and encryption workloads. PassMark integer math shows a 5.4% win (22021 vs 20885), floating-point math a 3.2% win (13110 vs 12706), and extended instructions a 3.1% win (5074 vs 4920). Prime number finding is the largest relative gap after single-thread: the i5-8365U scores 19 versus 18, a 5.6% improvement. Data encryption favors the i5-8365U by 1.4% (2006 vs 1979), and physics simulation by 4.2% (422 vs 405).

The i5-8250U’s two wins are narrow and workload-specific. In PassMark data compression, it edges ahead with 76521 versus 76239, a 0.4% margin. In random string sorting, the scores are effectively tied at 10257 versus 10256, a 0% delta that technically goes to the i5-8250U. These are the only benchmarks where the older chip does not lose, and both are within run-to-run noise territory. The i5-8365U’s 15-2 win count is decisive, but the average delta across all tests is roughly 3%, making this a refinement rather than a generational leap.

Architecture Differences

The two processors share a 14 nm process node and Intel as the foundry, but their microarchitectures differ. The i5-8365U uses the Whiskey Lake architecture (codename Whiskey Lake-U), while the i5-8250U is built on Kaby Lake (codename Kaby Lake-R). Both are 4-core, 8-thread parts with 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, plus 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The memory support is identical on paper — DDR4 with dual-channel on the i5-8365U, though the i5-8250U’s memory bus and bandwidth fields are not specified in the data.

The socket differs: the i5-8365U uses Intel BGA 1528, while the i5-8250U uses Intel BGA 1356. This means the two are not drop-in interchangeable in existing systems. The i5-8365U also lists PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-8250U has no PCIe specification listed. Integrated graphics are nearly identical — UHD Graphics 620 on the i5-8365U versus UHD 620 on the i5-8250U — with no clock or execution unit differences provided.

Production status separates them further. The i5-8365U is marked end-of-life, while the i5-8250U remains active. Release dates reflect the generational gap: the i5-8365U launched on 2019-04-15, the i5-8250U on 2017-08-20. The i5-8365U carries a launch MSRP of $297, while the i5-8250U has no MSRP listed. Both parts have locked multipliers, confirming their mobile, non-overclockable positioning. The die size is only listed for the i5-8250U at 123 mm²; no die size is given for the i5-8365U.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-8365U dominates in every category that matters for general productivity and responsiveness. Its 9.9% lead in PassMark single-thread performance makes it the clear choice for applications that rely on bursty, single-core execution — web browsing, office documents, and lightweight coding tasks where the higher 4.10 GHz boost clock can be sustained. The consistent 2.7% to 2.9% wins across all three Cinebench versions (R15, R20, R23) in both single- and multi-core tests indicate that the Whiskey Lake architecture extracts more work per clock cycle, not just higher frequency.

For compute-heavy workloads like integer math, floating-point math, and extended instruction sets, the i5-8365U’s 3.1% to 5.4% margins make it the better fit for developers, analysts, and anyone running local simulations or data processing. The 5.6% lead in prime number finding and 4.2% lead in physics further solidify this position. The i5-8365U’s wins in encryption (1.4%) also make it marginally better for VPN traffic or disk encryption scenarios.

The i5-8250U’s wins are narrow and arguably inconsequential. Its 0.4% edge in data compression (76521 vs 76239) and 0% tie in random string sorting (10257 vs 10256) suggest that these tasks are bound by memory or cache behavior rather than core architecture, and the differences are within measurement variance. For a user whose primary workload is compressing large files, the i5-8250U performs essentially identically to the i5-8365U. However, the i5-8250U’s lower boost clock (3.40 GHz vs 4.10 GHz) means it will feel slower in interactive, latency-sensitive tasks even if aggregate throughput is similar.

The 15-watt TDP on both parts means thermal constraints are equal, but the i5-8365U delivers higher performance within that envelope. For battery life, the data does not include power draw figures, but the architecture refinement suggests better efficiency per unit of work. The i5-8250U’s active production status and older socket (BGA 1356) may make it more available in budget-oriented laptops, but the benchmark data gives the i5-8365U the clear performance edge.

Specification Differences

Only a handful of specifications differ between the two parts, and they are worth enumerating precisely:

• Boost Clock: The i5-8365U boosts to 4.10 GHz; the i5-8250U to 3.40 GHz.
• Socket: The i5-8365U uses Intel BGA 1528; the i5-8250U uses Intel BGA 1356.
• Architecture: The i5-8365U is Whiskey Lake (Whiskey Lake-U); the i5-8250U is Kaby Lake (Kaby Lake-R).
• Generation: The i5-8365U is listed as Core i5 (Whiskey Lake); the i5-8250U as Core i5 (Kaby Lake-U Refresh).
• Die Size: The i5-8250U is 123 mm²; no die size is listed for the i5-8365U.
• Memory Bus: The i5-8365U is dual-channel; the i5-8250U has no memory bus listed.
• Memory Bandwidth: The i5-8365U is 38.4 GB/s; the i5-8250U has no bandwidth listed.
• PCIe: The i5-8365U is Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only); the i5-8250U has no PCIe listed.
• Production Status: The i5-8365U is end-of-life; the i5-8250U is active.
• Release Date: The i5-8365U launched 2019-04-15; the i5-8250U launched 2017-08-20.
• Launch MSRP: The i5-8365U is $297; the i5-8250U has none.
• Part Number: The i5-8365U is SRF9Z; the i5-8250U is SR3LA.
• Integrated Graphics Naming: The i5-8365U lists UHD Graphics 620; the i5-8250U lists UHD 620.

Base clock, cores, threads, TDP, cache hierarchy, process node, foundry, memory type, ECC support, and unlocked multiplier status are identical between the two.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher single-thread performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-8365U wins all single-thread benchmarks, with a 9.9% lead in PassMark single-thread (2073 vs 1886) and 2.7% to 2.9% leads across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 single-core tests.

Q: Are the two processors on the same socket?

A: No. The i5-8365U uses Intel BGA 1528, while the i5-8250U uses Intel BGA 1356, so they are not interchangeable in the same motherboard.

Q: How do they compare in multi-core workloads?

A: The i5-8365U leads by 2.7% to 2.8% across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multicore tests, scoring 5050 vs 4918 in R23, and by 2.8% in PassMark multithread (5976 vs 5812).

Q: In what benchmark does the i5-8250U win?

A: The i5-8250U wins PassMark data compression (76521 vs 76239, a 0.4% margin) and random string sorting (10257 vs 10256, a 0% delta). Both wins are marginal.

Q: What is the production status of each chip?

A: The i5-8365U is end-of-life, while the i5-8250U is listed as active production.

Q: Do both CPUs have the same cache and core configuration?

A: Yes. Both have 4 cores, 8 threads, 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 6 MB shared L3 cache. The base clock is also identical at 1600 MHz for both.