Intel Core i7-4500U
Intel processor specifications and benchmark scores
Integrated GPUAt a Glance
IntelIntel Core i7-4500U Specifications
Core i7-4500U Core Configuration
Processing cores and threading
The Intel Core i7-4500U features 2 physical cores and 4 threads, which directly impacts multi-threaded performance in CPU benchmarks. More cores allow the processor to handle parallel workloads efficiently, improving performance in video editing, 3D rendering, and multitasking scenarios. Thread count determines how many simultaneous tasks the CPU can process, with higher thread counts benefiting productivity applications and content creation workflows.
i7-4500U Clock Speeds
Base and boost frequencies
Clock speed is a critical factor in Core i7-4500U benchmark performance, measured in GHz. The base clock represents the guaranteed operating frequency, while the boost clock indicates maximum single-core performance under optimal conditions. Higher clock speeds translate to faster single-threaded performance, which is essential for gaming and applications that don't fully utilize multiple cores. The Core i7-4500U by Intel can dynamically adjust its frequency based on workload and thermal headroom.
Intel's Core i7-4500U Cache Hierarchy
L1, L2, L3 cache sizes
Cache memory is ultra-fast storage built directly into the i7-4500U processor die. L1 cache provides the fastest access for frequently used data, while L2 and L3 caches offer progressively larger storage with slightly higher latency. Larger cache sizes significantly improve CPU benchmark scores by reducing memory access times. The Core i7-4500U's cache configuration is optimized for both gaming performance and productivity workloads, minimizing data fetch delays during intensive computations.
Haswell Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The Intel Core i7-4500U is built on Intel's 22 nm manufacturing process, which determines power efficiency and thermal characteristics. Smaller process nodes allow for more transistors in the same space, enabling higher performance per watt. The architecture defines how the processor handles instructions and manages data flow, directly impacting benchmark results across different workload types. Modern CPU architectures like the one in i7-4500U incorporate advanced branch prediction and out-of-order execution for optimal performance.
Haswell Instruction Set Features
Supported CPU instructions and extensions
The Core i7-4500U by Intel supports various instruction set extensions that enable optimized performance for specific workloads. SIMD instructions like SSE and AVX accelerate multimedia, scientific computing, and AI workloads by processing multiple data points simultaneously. Features like AES-NI provide hardware-accelerated encryption, while AVX-512 (if supported) enables advanced vector processing for data centers and high-performance computing. These instruction sets are critical for software compatibility and performance in modern applications.
i7-4500U Power & Thermal
TDP and power specifications
The Intel Core i7-4500U has a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 15W, indicating the cooling solution required for sustained operation. TDP affects both system power consumption and the type of cooler needed. Lower TDP processors are ideal for compact builds and laptops, while higher TDP chips typically offer better sustained performance in demanding CPU benchmarks. Understanding power requirements helps ensure your system can deliver consistent performance without thermal throttling.
Intel BGA 1168 Platform & Socket
Compatibility information
The Core i7-4500U uses the Intel BGA 1168 socket, which determines motherboard compatibility. Choosing the right platform is essential for building a system around this processor. The socket type also influences available features like PCIe lanes, memory support, and upgrade paths. When comparing CPU benchmarks, ensure you're looking at processors compatible with your existing or planned motherboard to make informed purchasing decisions.
Intel BGA 1168 Memory Support
RAM compatibility and speeds
Memory support specifications for the i7-4500U define which RAM types and speeds are compatible. Faster memory can significantly improve CPU benchmark performance, especially in memory-intensive applications and gaming. The memory controller integrated into the Core i7-4500U determines maximum supported speeds and channels. Dual-channel or quad-channel memory configurations can double or quadruple memory bandwidth, providing noticeable performance gains in content creation and scientific workloads.
Intel's Core i7-4500U Integrated Graphics
Built-in GPU specifications
The Intel Core i7-4500U includes integrated graphics, eliminating the need for a dedicated GPU in basic computing scenarios. Integrated graphics are ideal for office productivity, video playback, and light gaming. While not designed for demanding GPU benchmarks, the iGPU in the i7-4500U provides hardware video encoding and decoding capabilities. This makes the processor suitable for compact builds, HTPCs, and systems where power efficiency is prioritized over gaming performance.
Core i7-4500U Product Information
Release and pricing details
The Intel Core i7-4500U is manufactured by Intel and represents their commitment to delivering competitive CPU performance. Understanding the release date and pricing helps contextualize benchmark comparisons with other processors from the same generation. Launch pricing provides a baseline for evaluating value, though street prices often differ. Whether you're building a new system or upgrading, the Core i7-4500U by Intel offers a specific balance of performance, features, and cost within Intel's product lineup.
Core i7-4500U Benchmark Scores
cinebench_cinebench_r15_multicoreSource
Cinebench R15 multi-core renders a complex 3D scene using all CPU threads simultaneously. This test reveals how Intel Core i7-4500U performs in parallel rendering workloads.
Top 5 Performers
Top 5 PerformersNearby Performers
Nearby Performerscinebench_cinebench_r20_multicoreSource
Cinebench R20 multi-core uses a scene requiring 4x more computational power than R15. This test better reflects modern CPU capabilities for professional rendering on Intel Core i7-4500U. The more demanding workload provides better differentiation between current-generation processors. Content creators and 3D artists use this benchmark to estimate real-world render performance.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
cinebench_cinebench_r20_singlecoreSource
Cinebench R20 single-core tests one thread against a more demanding scene than R15. This reveals the true single-thread rendering capability of Intel Core i7-4500U. The increased complexity provides more accurate performance differentiation between modern CPUs. Single-thread performance remains critical for gaming and applications with serial bottlenecks.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
cinebench_cinebench_r23_multicoreSource
Cinebench R23 multi-core is the current standard for CPU rendering benchmarks with a 10-minute minimum runtime. This extended test reveals sustained performance of Intel Core i7-4500U after thermal limits kick in. The longer duration exposes cooling limitations that shorter benchmarks miss. Professional users rely on R23 scores to predict real-world rendering performance under sustained workloads.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
cinebench_cinebench_r23_singlecoreSource
Cinebench R23 single-core measures sustained single-thread performance over 10 minutes. This reveals how Intel Core i7-4500U maintains boost clocks under continuous load. The extended runtime shows whether thermal throttling affects single-core performance. This score is particularly important for understanding real-world responsiveness beyond initial boost behavior.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
geekbench_multicoreSource
Geekbench multi-core tests Intel Core i7-4500U across real-world workloads including image processing, machine learning, and data compression. All available threads are utilized to measure parallel performance. Higher scores indicate better capability in multitasking and content creation. The cross-platform nature of Geekbench allows direct comparison with systems running different operating systems.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
geekbench_singlecoreSource
Geekbench single-core measures how fast one thread of Intel Core i7-4500U can process tasks like web browsing and document editing. This score correlates with how snappy the system feels during normal use. Many applications still depend primarily on single-thread performance. Gaming performance is also heavily influenced by single-core speed in CPU-limited scenarios.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
About Intel Core i7-4500U
The Intel Core i7-4500U is a mobile processor from the Haswell generation, released on 2013-06-03. It pairs 2 cores with 4 threads and carries a base clock of 1800.00 and a boost clock of 3.00. With a TDP of 15 and an average benchmark score of 862, it sits in the 22nd percentile among all CPUs. The data profile describes a low-power, dual-core part built for slim laptops. Its nearest rivals cluster around the same average score, making the performance margins tight.
How It Compares
The closest rival by average score is the AMD A8-7650K. The i7-4500U’s average of 862 is 0.2% ahead of the AMD part’s 860 average. That is a negligible difference, effectively placing the two processors in the same performance class in aggregate.
The Intel Core i5-3470T averages 865, which puts the i7-4500U 0.3% behind. This is the only nearest rival that leads the i7-4500U in the comparison set. The deficit is small enough that benchmark noise could reverse the order in a given run.
The Intel Celeron J4125 averages 859, and the i7-4500U holds a 0.4% advantage. Despite the Celeron branding, the aggregate scores are almost identical. The i7-4500U is not meaningfully faster than this rival in the average across tests.
The Intel Core i5-5250U averages 857, the lowest average in this group. The i7-4500U is 0.6% ahead of it. This is the largest delta in the nearest-rival set, but it remains minor. The entire comparison is a tightly packed battle around the 860 average-score mark.
Power and Thermals
With a TDP of 15, the Core i7-4500U belongs to the ultra-low-power mobile tier. Intel built it on a 22 nm process with 1,300 million transistors in a 118 mm² die, which helps keep heat output modest. The Haswell-ULT codename reinforces the power-conscious positioning of this processor.
A 15 TDP part does not require the heavy cooling hardware associated with high-performance desktop chips. Compact laptop cooling solutions are sufficient for this CPU. The operating window between the 1800.00 base clock and the 3.00 boost clock suggests short bursts of responsiveness rather than sustained all-core throughput. Under heavy load, the limiting factor will be the 2-core/4-thread architecture combined with the low-power envelope, not thermal dissipation. This makes the i7-4500U suitable for thin, quiet systems where battery life and low heat matter more than peak performance.
Platform and Compatibility
The Core i7-4500U uses the Intel BGA 1168 socket. The BGA package indicates a soldered mobile processor, so the upgrade path is system-level rather than CPU-level. Users cannot simply drop in a faster processor; they would need to replace the motherboard or the entire notebook.
Memory support is DDR3, with no ECC support included. The integrated graphics solution is Intel HD 4400, which handles display output without a discrete graphics card. The processor has a locked multiplier, so overclocking is not an option. The part number is SR16Z.
The cache hierarchy consists of 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 4 MB shared L3. The architecture is Haswell, and the processor was released on 2013-06-03. The data does not include a PCIe specification, so this analysis cannot comment on expansion bandwidth. For compatibility, buyers should look for systems built around the BGA 1168 socket with DDR3 memory support.
Who Should Consider It
Gamers should not expect high-end performance from this chip. The Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics, combined with 2 cores and 4 threads, limits the i7-4500U to older or less demanding games. Its 22nd percentile ranking reinforces the idea that this is not a gaming-oriented processor.
Content creation is also not a primary use case. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 2125, while the Geekbench multi-core score is 1562. Those figures indicate modest parallel throughput for rendering, video work, and other creation workloads. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 892 points to the same conclusion: this is a dual-core part, not a multi-threaded workhorse.
Office and productivity workloads are a better fit. The single-core Geekbench score of 818 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 300 are enough for documents, spreadsheets, web browsing, and media playback. The Cinebench R20 single-core score of 126 also shows modest but usable single-thread performance. With a 15 TDP, the i7-4500U is attractive for battery-conscious ultraportables used for everyday tasks. A quiet, low-power notebook for office work is exactly the intended environment for this processor.
Benchmark Performance
Across the benchmark suite, the i7-4500U produces results consistent with a low-power dual-core chip. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 214. In Cinebench R20, the multi-core score is 892 and the single-core score is 126. Cinebench R23 yields a multi-core score of 2125 and a single-core score of 300. Geekbench reports 1562 multi-core and 818 single-core. The average benchmark score is 862.
The nearest-rival comparisons show how tightly grouped this processor is. Against the AMD A8-7650K, the i7-4500U is 0.2% ahead, with the AMD part averaging 860. Against the Intel Core i5-3470T, the i7-4500U is 0.3% behind, with the rival averaging 865. Against the Intel Celeron J4125, the i7-4500U is 0.4% ahead, with that chip averaging 859. Against the Intel Core i5-5250U, the i7-4500U is 0.6% ahead, with that part averaging 857.
These deltas are all small. The 0.2% and 0.3% margins around the AMD A8-7650K and Intel Core i5-3470T are especially minor, meaning the i7-4500U is effectively interchangeable with those rivals in average performance. The 0.4% and 0.6% gaps over the Celeron J4125 and Core i5-5250U are similarly small. No nearest rival offers a decisive aggregate advantage.
The 22nd percentile ranking places the i7-4500U in the lower portion of the overall CPU field. The average benchmark score of 862 serves as the anchor for all these comparisons, and the benchmark data consistently portrays a processor designed for low-power mobile use rather than demanding workloads. The mix of Cinebench and Geekbench results confirms that the i7-4500U can handle everyday tasks but lags far behind higher-end parts in both single-core and multi-core performance.
The AMD Equivalent of Core i7-4500U
Looking for a similar processor from AMD? The AMD Ryzen 7 1700 offers comparable performance and features in the AMD lineup.
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