Intel Core i5-6350HQ

The Intel Core i5-6350HQ is a mobile Skylake-H processor with four physical cores and four threads, base clock of 2.30 GHz and boost clock of 3.20 GHz. It lands at the 28th percentile of all CPUs in the database, placing it in the lower-middle tier of overall performance. The average benchmark score across all tests is 1046, which places it statistically in a dead heat with a cluster of desktop and mobile rivals, all of which fall within 0.1% of its score. This is a 45-watt part built on Intel's 14 nm process, with 6 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR3 and DDR4.

How It Compares

The AMD PRO A10-8770 matches the i5-6350HQ exactly, with an average score of 1046 and a delta of 0%. This means the two processors effectively trade blows in aggregate workloads, despite coming from different architectures and market segments. The data indicates no measurable performance gap between them in the benchmark suite used.

The Intel Core i7-4558U sits a hair behind at 1045, a 0.1% deficit relative to the i5-6350HQ. This is a negligible difference, well within run-to-run variance for most benchmarks. The i7-4558U is a low-power dual-core part, so its parity with a quad-core i5 says more about the i5-6350HQ's modest clock speeds than about any superiority in the rival.

The AMD Athlon X4 950 leads the i5-6350HQ by a tiny 0.1%, scoring 1047. This delta is statistically meaningless, but it does show that the i5-6350HQ is not ahead of every competitor in its immediate ranking. The Athlon X4 950 is a desktop chip, yet the mobile i5 holds its own within a single point of average score.

The AMD PRO A10-9700 also scores 1045, a 0.1% gap against the i5-6350HQ. Like the other rivals, this is a rounding error in performance terms. The data shows a four-way tie at the 1045–1047 average score range, meaning the i5-6350HQ's position is defined by parity rather than any decisive advantage or disadvantage.

Power and Thermals

The i5-6350HQ has a TDP of 45 watts, which classifies it as a mainstream mobile processor rather than an ultra-low-power part. This TDP figure indicates that a capable air cooler or a standard laptop thermal solution is sufficient; the chip does not demand exotic cooling. The 45-watt envelope allows for sustained multi-core loads without immediate thermal throttling, assuming the chassis provides adequate airflow.

For a mobile Skylake-H part, the 45-watt TDP sits in the mid-range of notebook processors. It is not a low-power U-series chip, so it will generate more heat under load, but it also avoids the cooling requirements of a full 45-watt-plus HX-class desktop replacement. The integrated Iris Pro 580 graphics adds to the thermal load, but the package is still rated for standard laptop designs. Users should expect a laptop with this chip to run warm under extended rendering sessions, but not to require a thick heatsink or liquid cooling.

Who Should Consider It

For gaming, the i5-6350HQ's four cores and four threads, combined with the Iris Pro 580 integrated graphics, provide a baseline capable of running older or less demanding titles at playable settings. Benchmark results show a single-core score of 214 in Cinebench R20 and 510 in R23, which are adequate for games that rely on one or two threads, but the lack of Hyper-Threading means modern titles that scale beyond four threads will show weakness. The 45-watt TDP suggests it is suited to a mainstream gaming laptop from its era, but not to esports-level performance.

For content creation, the multi-core scores are modest. Cinebench R23 multi-core of 3616 and R20 multi-core of 1518 indicate that video encoding or 3D rendering is possible but slow by modern standards. The i5-6350HQ will handle light photo editing or occasional video export, but users with regular rendering workloads would find the performance limiting. The 6 MB L3 cache helps keep data local, but the four-thread ceiling caps parallel throughput.

For office and productivity work, this processor is more than sufficient. Single-core scores of 51 in R15, 214 in R20, and 510 in R23 comfortably handle web browsing, document editing, spreadsheets, and email. The dual-channel memory support at 34.1 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for these tasks, and the 45-watt TDP means a laptop can run these workloads for hours without thermal issues. Users who never push beyond office apps will rarely notice the 28th percentile ranking.

FAQ

Q: How does the i5-6350HQ compare to the AMD PRO A10-8770?

A: The two processors have identical average benchmark scores of 1046, with a delta of 0%. They are performance equals in the aggregate.

Q: What is the TDP of this processor?

A: The TDP is 45 watts, which is standard for a mainstream mobile processor and implies a conventional laptop cooling solution is adequate.

Q: Does this CPU support ECC memory?

A: No, ECC memory is not supported. The processor supports dual-channel DDR3 and DDR4 memory.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the i5-6350HQ?

A: The launch MSRP is $306, listed in the product data.

Q: What integrated graphics does this chip include?

A: It includes Intel Iris Pro 580, which is a higher-tier integrated GPU for the Skylake generation.

Q: How much L3 cache does the i5-6350HQ have?

A: It has 6 MB of shared L3 cache across all four cores.

Benchmark Performance

The Cinebench R15 multi-core score is 364, which is the lowest of the three multi-core tests relative to the R20 and R23 results. The R20 multi-core score of 1518 is roughly 4.2 times higher than R15, reflecting the different scaling of the two benchmark versions. The R23 multi-core score of 3616 is about 2.4 times higher than R20, showing the expected generational uplift in the test's workload.

Single-core scores follow a similar trajectory: 51 in R15, 214 in R20, and 510 in R23. The R20 single-core score is 4.2 times the R15 score, and R23 is 2.4 times R20, matching the multi-core scaling ratios. This consistency suggests the processor maintains a stable clock behavior across all test versions, with no unusual throttling or boost anomalies.

Against the nearest rivals, the i5-6350HQ's deltaPct values are all within ±0.1%. The AMD PRO A10-8770 is exactly equal at 0%, the Intel Core i7-4558U and AMD PRO A10-9700 are both 0.1% behind, and the AMD Athlon X4 950 is 0.1% ahead. These differences are far smaller than the typical margin of error in benchmarking, meaning the i5-6350HQ is effectively tied with all four rivals in average score.

The average benchmark score of 1046 places the i5-6350HQ at the 28th percentile of all CPUs in the database. This percentile is a global ranking, not a comparison within its own generation or market segment. The data indicates that while it is competitive with its immediate rivals, it sits below the majority of processors tested, including many desktop parts and newer mobile chips.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The single-thread scores of 51 in R15, 214 in R20, and 510 in R23 show a processor that is adequate for lightly threaded tasks but not exceptional. The boost clock of 3.20 GHz is the primary driver of these results, and the data suggests the chip reaches this boost reliably in single-core workloads. The base clock of 2.30 GHz is notably lower, meaning multi-core loads that exceed the boost window will see performance drop to that lower frequency.

The multi-thread scores are 364 in R15, 1518 in R20, and 3616 in R23. The ratio of multi-core to single-core performance is 7.1 for R15 (364/51), 7.1 for R20 (1518/214), and 7.1 for R23 (3616/510). This perfect consistency indicates that scaling from one to four threads is linear, with no hyper-threading overhead or core-to-core communication penalties. The lack of hyper-threading means the four physical cores each contribute equally, but the chip cannot handle more than four concurrent threads.

For real workloads, this split means the i5-6350HQ excels at tasks that use one or two cores, such as web browsing or word processing, where the 3.20 GHz boost clock keeps responsiveness high. In multi-threaded tasks like video encoding, the linear scaling helps, but the four-thread ceiling limits peak throughput compared to processors with eight threads. The 45-watt TDP allows sustained multi-core operation, but the boost clock will drop to base under heavy all-core loads, reducing the effective multi-thread performance below what the R23 score might suggest in a short burst.