Intel Core i5-8500 vs Intel Core Ultra 3 105UL Comparison

The Intel Core i5-8500 and the Intel Core Ultra 3 105UL occupy opposite ends of the desktop performance spectrum, yet their average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The i5-8500, a 2018 Coffee Lake part, posts an average score of 13,142, while the 2024 Meteor Lake Ultra 3 105UL achieves 13,061, a difference of just 0.6%. This near-parity in overall averages masks a significant divergence in workload-specific strengths, with the older chip dominating specialized data tasks and the newer chip leading in nearly every general-purpose compute category. The data reveals that architectural generation matters less than workload type when choosing between these two.

Where Each One Wins

The Core Ultra 3 105UL is the clear winner for general-purpose computing, taking 14 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks. Its advantages are most pronounced in integer math, where it scores 41,171 against the i5-8500's 26,551, a 35.5% lead. Floating-point math similarly favors the Ultra 3, with a score of 30,750 versus 22,489, a 26.9% margin. Single-threaded performance is also decisively in its favor: the Ultra 3 posts 3,382 in PassMark single-thread versus 2,441 for the i5-8500, a 27.8% advantage. This extends to Cinebench workloads, where the Ultra 3 wins all six tests, including an 8.1% lead in Cinebench R15 single-core (124 vs 114) and a 7.6% lead in R23 multi-core (8,742 vs 8,079). Encryption workloads also favor the Ultra 3, which scores 6,354 versus 3,027, a 52.4% advantage.

The i5-8500's wins are narrow in count but massive in magnitude. It wins data compression with a score of 134,673 versus 93,961, a 43.3% lead. Its most dominant victory is in extended instructions, where it scores 11,480 against 5,634, a 103.8% advantage—more than double the Ultra 3's result. Random string sorting also goes to the i5-8500, with 16,294 versus 11,179, a 45.8% margin. These three wins highlight a pattern: the older Coffee Lake architecture retains a significant edge in specific, often older or specialized instruction paths, while the newer Meteor Lake design excels at broader, more modern workloads. For users running compression-heavy or legacy instruction tasks, the i5-8500 is unexpectedly competitive.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-8500 has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 13,142, compared to the Core Ultra 3 105UL's 13,061. The delta between them is 0.6%, placing them in a statistical tie.

Q: How much faster is the Core Ultra 3 in single-threaded tests?

A: The Core Ultra 3 105UL leads by 27.8% in PassMark single-thread performance, scoring 3,382 versus 2,441 for the i5-8500. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Ultra 3 leads by 7.6%, scoring 1,234 versus 1,140.

Q: Is the i5-8500 better at any compute task?

A: Yes, the i5-8500 wins three benchmarks: data compression (134,673 vs 93,961, a 43.3% lead), extended instructions (11,480 vs 5,634, a 103.8% lead), and random string sorting (16,294 vs 11,179, a 45.8% lead).

Q: What is the difference in core and thread counts?

A: The Core Ultra 3 105UL has 8 cores and 10 threads, while the i5-8500 has 6 cores and 6 threads. The Ultra 3 also features a hybrid architecture with larger per-core caches.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The Core Ultra 3 105UL supports DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, while the i5-8500 supports DDR4 with a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The Ultra 3 offers more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which CPU has the higher boost clock?

A: The Core Ultra 3 105UL has a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, slightly higher than the i5-8500's 4.10 GHz. However, the i5-8500 has a much higher base clock of 3.00 GHz versus 1.50 GHz for the Ultra 3.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench suite shows a consistent pattern of Ultra 3 superiority across all versions. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Ultra 3 scores 881 versus 814, a 7.6% lead. The single-core R15 test shows a similar 8.1% gap (124 vs 114). Moving to R20, the multi-core gap remains at 7.6% (3,671 vs 3,393), while single-core shows 7.7% (518 vs 478). R23 continues the trend: multi-core is 8,742 versus 8,079 (7.6% lead), and single-core is 1,234 versus 1,140 (7.6% lead). These results are remarkably consistent—the Ultra 3 maintains roughly a 7.6-8.1% advantage across every Cinebench iteration, suggesting a fundamental IPC and efficiency gain from the newer architecture rather than a workload-specific quirk.

The PassMark suite reveals a more complex picture. The Ultra 3 wins multi-threaded performance with 10,285 versus 9,532, a 7.3% lead, and physics with 718 versus 628, a 12.5% lead. Its largest PassMark wins are in integer math (41,171 vs 26,551, a 35.5% lead) and floating-point math (30,750 vs 22,489, a 26.9% lead). However, the i5-8500's three wins are startling in their magnitude. The extended instructions benchmark shows the i5-8500 at 11,480 versus 5,634—a 103.8% lead, meaning it more than doubles the Ultra 3's score. Data compression shows a 43.3% lead (134,673 vs 93,961), and random string sorting shows a 45.8% lead (16,294 vs 11,179). These are not marginal victories; they represent fundamental architectural differences in how each CPU handles specific instruction types and data patterns.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ substantially in their core configurations. The i5-8500 offers 6 cores and 6 threads, while the Ultra 3 105UL provides 8 cores and 10 threads—a 33% increase in core count and a 67% increase in thread count. Clock speeds also differ significantly: the i5-8500 has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost of 4.10 GHz, whereas the Ultra 3 has a much lower base of 1.50 GHz but a marginally higher boost of 4.20 GHz. This explains the i5-8500's competitive performance in lightly-threaded legacy tasks despite its older design.

Power and platform specifications are equally divergent. The i5-8500 has a TDP of 65 watts and uses Intel Socket 1151, while the Ultra 3 105UL has a TDP of 15 watts and uses Intel Socket 1851. Memory support differs by generation: the i5-8500 uses DDR4 with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth, while the Ultra 3 uses DDR5 with 89.6 GB/s—more than double the bandwidth. PCIe connectivity also differs, with the i5-8500 offering Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only) versus the Ultra 3's Gen 4 with 8 lanes (CPU only). The production status is another key differentiator: the i5-8500 is end-of-life, while the Ultra 3 is active.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two processors spans multiple generations. The i5-8500 is built on Coffee Lake using Intel's 14 nm process, while the Ultra 3 105UL uses Meteor Lake on a 7 nm process. The newer process enables significant efficiency gains, evident in the TDP difference: 65 watts for the i5-8500 versus 15 watts for the Ultra 3, despite the latter having more cores and threads.

Cache hierarchies differ substantially. The i5-8500 has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The Ultra 3 105UL has larger per-core caches: 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 10 MB of shared L3. The L2 cache is particularly notable—2 MB per core versus 256 KB represents an 8x increase in per-core L2 capacity, which likely contributes to the Ultra 3's strong integer and floating-point performance.

The memory controller and integrated graphics also reflect different eras. The i5-8500 features UHD Graphics 630, while the Ultra 3 105UL features Arc Xe-LPG 48EU. The memory bus is dual-channel for both, but the DDR5 support on the Ultra 3 provides the bandwidth advantage noted earlier. Both CPUs have locked multipliers, and neither supports ECC memory. The Ultra 3's Meteor Lake architecture also represents a fundamental shift in Intel's design philosophy, moving to a tile-based chiplet design as part of the Core Ultra Series 1, whereas the i5-8500 uses a monolithic die. These architectural differences explain the Ultra 3's consistent wins in modern workloads and the i5-8500's surprising dominance in specific legacy instruction paths.