CPU Comparison
Intel Core i5-8279U
Xeon E-2276M
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: Intel Core i5-8279U vs Intel Xeon E-2276M
The Intel Xeon E-2276M and Intel Core i5-8279U are both 14nm Coffee Lake parts aimed at different mobile segments, yet their benchmark results tell a surprisingly split story. The Xeon, a six-core workstation part, dominates in Geekbench tests, while the Core i5, a four-core ultrabook chip, sweeps the entire Cinebench suite. The data shows a clear dichotomy: the i5-8279U leads in Cinebench across the board, while the Xeon E-2276M counters with decisive wins in Geekbench.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The Core i5-8279U’s performance in Cinebench is remarkably consistent, winning all six tests by nearly identical margins. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5 scores 634 against the Xeon’s 544, a 14.2% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows a similar gap: 89 vs 76, a 14.6% lead for the i5. This pattern holds in Cinebench R20, where the i5 posts 2643 multi-core and 372 single-core, versus the Xeon’s 2268 and 320, with deltas of 14.2% and 14% respectively. The most recent Cinebench R23 results continue the trend: the i5 scores 6294 multi-core and 888 single-core, while the Xeon manages 5400 and 762, again a 14.2% difference in both cases.
The story flips entirely in Geekbench. The Xeon E-2276M scores 5159 in multi-core, a massive 37.1% jump over the i5’s 3764. The single-core advantage is smaller but still substantial: 1440 vs 1209, a 19.1% lead for the Xeon. This split is unusual, typically a processor that wins one suite tends to win others, but here the two chips appear to excel under different workload conditions. The Xeon secures 2 wins out of 8 head-to-head benchmarks, while the i5 takes 6, but the magnitude of the Xeon’s Geekbench victories (37.1% and 19.1%) more than offsets the consistent 14% margins the i5 achieves in Cinebench.
When placed against their nearest rivals, both chips sit at the 44th percentile of all CPUs. The Xeon E-2276M’s average benchmark score is 1996, nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-7920HQ (1992) and AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (1992), with a delta of just 0.2%. It also edges the Intel Xeon E3-1285L v4 (1991) by 0.3% and trails the Intel Core i5-8400T (2001) by 0.3%. The Core i5-8279U’s average score of 1987 puts it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1756B (1986) and within 0.2% of both the Intel Xeon E3-1585L v5 (1989) and the Xeon E3-1285L v4 (1991). The two processors are effectively peers in overall average score, separated by only 9 points, yet their benchmark profiles could hardly be more different.
Architecture Differences
Both processors share the Coffee Lake architecture and are built on Intel’s 14nm process, but they diverge sharply in configuration. The Xeon E-2276M is a six-core, twelve-thread part with a base clock of 2.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, housed in an Intel BGA 1440 socket. The Core i5-8279U is a four-core, eight-thread chip with a 2.40 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost, using the Intel BGA 1526 socket. The Xeon carries 12 MB of shared L3 cache, double the i5’s 6 MB, though both have identical 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core. The die sizes differ notably: the Xeon measures 154 mm², while the i5 is smaller at 126 mm², and the i5’s transistor count is listed at 2,300 million.
Memory support also separates the two. The Xeon supports ECC memory and delivers 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth, while the i5 lacks ECC and tops out at 34.1 GB/s. Both use dual-channel DDR4 and offer Gen 3 PCIe with 16 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics differ as well: the Xeon includes UHD Graphics P630, while the i5 features the higher-tier Iris Pro Plus 655. The Xeon targets the server/workstation segment with a 45W TDP, whereas the i5 is a mobile part rated at 28W. The Xeon launched in May 2019 with a launch MSRP of $450, while the i5 arrived in April 2019 with a launch MSRP of $320. Both are end-of-life products with locked multipliers.
Where Each One Wins
The benchmark split points to distinct use-case strengths. The Core i5-8279U is the clear winner in Cinebench, which is a rendering workload that stresses both multi-core and single-core performance. Its 14%+ advantage across every Cinebench version, R15, R20, and R23, suggests that for 3D rendering, video encoding, or other CPU-intensive creative tasks, the i5 delivers consistently better throughput despite having fewer cores. The i5’s higher single-core Cinebench scores (89 vs 76 in R15, 372 vs 320 in R20, 888 vs 762 in R23) indicate it has a meaningful clock-for-clock efficiency edge that benefits lightly threaded workloads.
The Xeon E-2276M’s wins come exclusively in Geekbench, and they are substantial. The 37.1% multi-core lead in Geekbench is the largest margin in the entire comparison, suggesting that Geekbench’s workload pattern, which includes encryption, compression, and memory-bound tasks, plays to the Xeon’s six-core advantage and larger 12 MB L3 cache. The 19.1% single-core Geekbench lead is also significant, indicating the Xeon’s higher 4.70 GHz boost clock pays off in Geekbench’s single-threaded tests even though it loses in Cinebench single-core. For general system responsiveness, office productivity, and everyday multitasking as measured by Geekbench, the Xeon appears the stronger choice.
The average scores tell the broader story: both chips land at the 44th percentile, and their nearest rivals cluster tightly. The Xeon E-2276M’s average of 1996 is essentially tied with the Core i7-7920HQ and Ryzen 5 1500X, while the i5-8279U’s 1987 matches the Ryzen Embedded V1756B. Neither chip is a clear overall winner; instead, the right choice depends entirely on whether the workload resembles Cinebench (favoring the i5) or Geekbench (favoring the Xeon).
FAQ
Q: Which processor wins more head-to-head benchmarks?
A: The Intel Core i5-8279U wins 6 out of 8 head-to-head tests, all of them being Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core and single-core runs. The Intel Xeon E-2276M wins the remaining 2 tests, both in Geekbench.
Q: How large is the Xeon’s biggest benchmark win?
A: The Xeon E-2276M leads by 37.1% in Geekbench multi-core, scoring 5159 versus the i5-8279U’s 3764. This is the largest delta in the entire comparison.
Q: What is the i5-8279U’s best result?
A: The i5-8279U posts its highest score in Cinebench R23 multi-core with 6294, which is 14.2% ahead of the Xeon’s 5400 in the same test.
Q: Do both processors have the same percentile ranking?
A: Yes, both the Intel Xeon E-2276M and the Intel Core i5-8279U rank at the 44th percentile of all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores differ by only 9 points (1996 vs 1987).
Q: Which chip supports ECC memory?
A: Only the Intel Xeon E-2276M supports ECC memory. The Core i5-8279U does not offer ECC support.
Q: How do the core counts and cache sizes compare?
A: The Xeon E-2276M has 6 cores and 12 threads with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The i5-8279U has 4 cores and 8 threads with 6 MB of shared L3 cache. Both have identical L1 and L2 cache per core.
Specification Differences
| Specification | Intel Xeon E-2276M | Intel Core i5-8279U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Base Clock | 2.80 GHz | 2.40 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 4.70 GHz | 4.10 GHz |
| TDP | 45 W | 28 W |
| Socket | Intel BGA 1440 | Intel BGA 1526 |
| Codename | Coffee Lake-H | Coffee Lake-U |
| Generation | Xeon E (Coffee Lake) | Core i5 (Coffee Lake-U) |
| Die Size | 154 mm² | 126 mm² |
| Transistors | Not specified | 2,300 million |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Memory Bandwidth | 42.7 GB/s | 34.1 GB/s |
| ECC Memory | Yes | No |
| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics P630 | Iris Pro Plus 655 |
| Market Segment | Server/Workstation | Mobile |
| Launch MSRP | $450 | $320 |