Intel Core i5-8250U vs Intel Core i9-13900E Comparison

# Intel Core i9-13900E vs Intel Core i5-8250U

The Intel Core i9-13900E and Intel Core i5-8250U occupy opposite ends of the desktop-to-mobile spectrum, yet both sit near the same overall percentile rank in the global CPU database. The i9-13900E holds a 65th percentile ranking, while the i5-8250U sits at the 64th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are remarkably close as well — 8676 for the i9-13900E versus 8577 for the i5-8250U — a difference of roughly 1.1 percent. This proximity in aggregate metrics, however, masks a sweeping performance gap in nearly every individual workload, driven by a 10-generation architecture split and a 24-core versus 4-core configuration.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher core count?

A: The Intel Core i9-13900E features 24 cores and 32 threads, while the Intel Core i5-8250U offers 4 cores and 8 threads. This sixfold difference in core count is the single largest structural distinction between the two parts.

Q: How large is the performance gap in multi-core workloads?

A: In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the i9-13900E scores 34,244 versus 4,918 for the i5-8250U, a delta of 596.3 percent. The Cinebench R20 multi-core test shows a similar margin at 596.5 percent, with scores of 14,382 and 2,065 respectively.

Q: Does the i5-8250U win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. The head-to-head data lists zero wins for the i5-8250U across all six compared tests. The i9-13900E wins all six, with deltas ranging from 596.3 percent to 605.8 percent.

Q: What are the architecture and process node differences?

A: The i9-13900E is built on Raptor Lake (Raptor Lake-S) using a 10 nm process with a die size of 257 mm². The i5-8250U uses Kaby Lake (Kaby Lake-R) on a 14 nm process with a 123 mm² die. Both are fabricated by Intel.

Q: How do cache hierarchies compare between the two?

A: The i9-13900E has 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The i5-8250U has 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and only 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What memory and socket specifications differ?

A: The i9-13900E supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode with ECC support, and uses Intel Socket 1700. The i5-8250U supports only DDR4, has no ECC capability, and uses Intel BGA 1356. The i9-13900E also features PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes, while the i5-8250U lists no PCIe data.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Core i9-13900E is the superior processor in every measured benchmark. For workloads that demand maximum multi-threaded throughput — rendering, compilation, scientific simulation — the i9-13900E's 24 cores and 32 threads deliver between 596.3 percent and 597.2 percent higher Cinebench scores than the i5-8250U. Single-thread performance is equally dominant, with the i9-13900E leading by 596.5 percent to 605.8 percent across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 single-core tests. The i5-8250U, in contrast, is a 15-watt mobile part designed for ultraportable laptops, and its 4-core, 8-thread configuration places it in a completely different performance class.

Buyers should choose the i9-13900E if they need a desktop processor capable of heavy parallel workloads, particularly given its 65-watt TDP and active production status. The i5-8250U remains an active mobile option for those prioritizing power efficiency and embedded mobility, but benchmark results show it trails the i9-13900E by nearly 600 percent in all head-to-head comparisons. The i5-8250U's single redeeming quality in aggregate terms is its average benchmark score of 8577, which lands just 1.1 percent below the i9-13900E's 8676 — an artifact of the averaging methodology that includes the i9-13900E's lower-scoring PassMark tests, which are not present in the i5-8250U's comparison set. In direct head-to-head testing, there is no contest.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench R15 multi-core test opens the comparison with the i9-13900E scoring 3,451 against the i5-8250U's 495, a 597.2 percent advantage. This ratio holds remarkably consistent across all multi-core tests: Cinebench R20 shows 14,382 versus 2,065 (596.5 percent), and Cinebench R23 shows 34,244 versus 4,918 (596.3 percent). The consistency of these margins suggests the performance gap is structural rather than workload-dependent — the i9-13900E simply has six times the cores, and the scaling is near-linear.

Single-thread results are even more lopsided in percentage terms. Cinebench R15 single-core yields 487 points for the i9-13900E versus 69 for the i5-8250U, a 605.8 percent delta — the largest in the entire comparison. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 2,030 versus 291 (597.6 percent), and Cinebench R23 single-core shows 4,834 versus 694 (596.5 percent). The fact that single-thread performance lags by nearly the same proportion as multi-thread performance is notable: it indicates the i9-13900E's much higher boost clock of 5.20 GHz, versus 3.40 GHz for the i5-8250U, combined with architectural improvements from Kaby Lake to Raptor Lake, yields roughly a sixfold per-core efficiency gain in these tests.

The i5-8250U does have a broader benchmark suite in the fact pack, including PassMark tests where it scores 76,521 in data compression, 1,979 in data encryption, 4,920 in extended instructions, 18 in find prime numbers, 12,706 in floating point math, 20,885 in integer math, 5,812 in multithread, 405 in physics, 10,257 in random string sorting, and 1,886 in single-thread. However, none of these PassMark results appear in the head-to-head comparison, which is limited to the six Cinebench tests listed above — all won by the i9-13900E.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts differ by a factor of six: 24 cores and 32 threads for the i9-13900E, versus 4 cores and 8 threads for the i5-8250U. Base clocks are 1800 MHz for the i9-13900E and 1600 MHz for the i5-8250U, but boost clocks diverge sharply at 5.20 GHz versus 3.40 GHz. Thermal design power is another major differentiator: the i9-13900E is rated at 65 watts, while the i5-8250U consumes just 15 watts — a 4.3x ratio that explains the mobile part's lower sustained performance ceiling.

Socket compatibility is entirely different: the i9-13900E uses Intel Socket 1700 for desktop boards, while the i5-8250U uses Intel BGA 1356, which is soldered to mobile motherboards. The i9-13900E supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode with ECC enabled, whereas the i5-8250U only supports DDR4 with no ECC. PCIe capability is present on the i9-13900E at Gen 5 with 16 lanes, but no PCIe data is listed for the i5-8250U. Integrated graphics differ as well: UHD Graphics 770 on the i9-13900E versus UHD 620 on the i5-8250U. The i9-13900E has a part number of SRMG2 and a release date of January 3, 2023; the i5-8250U has part number SR3LA and was released on August 20, 2017. Neither processor has a listed launch MSRP, and both are multiplier-unlocked.

Architecture Differences

The i9-13900E is built on the Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-S die, which is a 10 nm Intel process with a die size of 257 mm². The i5-8250U uses the Kaby Lake architecture, specifically Kaby Lake-R, on a 14 nm process with a die size of 123 mm². This 4 nm process shrink and the generational leap from Kaby Lake to Raptor Lake account for substantial improvements in instructions-per-clock and power efficiency, even before considering the core count disparity.

Cache organization reflects the architectural divergence. The i9-13900E allocates 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 2 MB of L2 per core, with a shared 36 MB L3 pool. The i5-8250U provides 64 KB L1 per core and 256 KB L2 per core, with a shared 6 MB L3. The i9-13900E's L3 cache is six times larger in total, matching the core count ratio, but its per-core L2 is eight times larger — an indicator of deeper buffering for the newer architecture.

The market segments are polar opposites: the i9-13900E is a desktop part, while the i5-8250U is designed for mobile. The i9-13900E belongs to the Core 13th Gen series with a generation label of "Core i9 (Raptor Lake)", whereas the i5-8250U has no series designation but carries a generation label of "Core i5 (Kaby Lake-U Refresh)". Both processors are listed as active in production and are manufactured by Intel. The i9-13900E's ECC memory support and PCIe Gen 5 connectivity position it for workstation-class tasks, while the i5-8250U's 15-watt TDP and BGA socket target thin-and-light laptops with no upgrade path. The nearest rivals for the i9-13900E — the Intel Core i7-8565U at 8665 (0.1 percent delta), Intel Core i5-8365U at 8708 (-0.4 percent), AMD EPYC 7601 at 8619 (0.7 percent), and Intel Core i7-10510U at 8580 (1.1 percent) — are all mobile or older server parts, which is telling: the i9-13900E's average score of 8676 places it in the same aggregate range as chips with far fewer cores but higher per-thread clocks. The i5-8250U's rivals similarly cluster around 8577, with the Intel Core i7-10510U at 8580 (0 percent), Intel Core i5-8265U at 8568 (0.1 percent), AMD EPYC 7601 at 8619 (-0.5 percent), and Intel Pentium Gold G7400 at 8515 (0.7 percent). This overlap in average scores, despite the 596 percent head-to-head deltas, underscores how different benchmark weighting can obscure true performance differences between desktop and mobile parts.