CPU Comparison
Intel Core i5-5200U vs Core i7-5500U
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core i5-5200U is a dual-core, four-thread mobile processor from the Broadwell-U family, built on Intel's 14nm process for thin-and-light ultrabooks requiring balanced performance and power efficiency.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Sufficient for basic document editing and email but struggles with heavy spreadsheet workloads or multitasking.
Handles basic office tasks but struggles with heavy multitasking.
Gaming
The HD 5500 integrated graphics can barely manage older or lightweight titles at low resolution and settings.
Only capable of running very old or lightweight 2D games.
Virtualization
Not suitable for virtualization due to limited cores and memory bandwidth.
Not recommended for VMs due to dual-core limitation.
Efficiency
The 14nm process was efficient for its era, though modern 10nm and 7nm chips far surpass it.
Good efficiency for 2015, but poor compared to modern chips.
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- No dedicated AI acceleration hardware
- Dual-core design makes AI inference impractical
- Not suitable for any machine learning workloads
- No AI hardware
- Dual-core limits any CPU-based AI inference
Content Creation
Gaming
- HD 5500 with 24 EUs is insufficient for modern gaming
- Older titles like CS:GO and Minecraft run at playable frame rates at 720p low
- No support for modern graphics APIs beyond DirectX 11.2
- Shared memory architecture reduces GPU performance
- Integrated HD 5500 is very weak
- Only suitable for 2D or old indie games
- No dedicated video memory
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Low 15W TDP ideal for thin laptops
- Configurable TDP down to 7.5W for fanless designs
- First 14nm consumer processor generation
- Intel HD 5500 better than Haswell's HD 4400
- Hyper-Threading provides 4 logical threads
Cons
- Only 2 physical cores limit multi-threaded performance
- DDR3 memory support is outdated
- PCIe Gen 2 lanes are slow by modern standards
- No dedicated AI or hardware security features
- End-of-life with no security updates or support
- Integrated graphics inadequate for modern workloads
Pros
- Excellent battery life for its era
- Low 15W TDP
- Good for basic office tasks
- Enabled thin-and-light designs
Cons
- Only 2 cores
- DDR3 memory only
- Weak integrated graphics
- Soldered to motherboard
- Struggles with modern web multitasking
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core i5-5200U
- AMD A8-7410Rival
Mobile Budget
- AMD A10-8700PRival
Mobile Budget
- Intel Core i3-5010URival
Mobile Ultrabook
- Intel Pentium 3805URival
Mobile Budget
- AMD FX-7500Rival
Mobile Mainstream
- Intel Core i5-6200UAlt
Skylake successor with DDR4 support, better GPU, and improved architecture.
- Intel Core i5-7200UAlt
Kaby Lake refresh with higher clocks and better efficiency.
- AMD Ryzen 3 3200UAlt
Modern dual-core with much better integrated graphics and DDR4 support.
10nm Ice Lake with significantly better GPU and modern features.
Compare head-to-head- AMD Ryzen 5 3500UAlt
Four real cores with Vega graphics offering vastly superior performance.
Core i7-5500U
- AMD A8-7100Rival
Mobile APU
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-5200URival
Mobile Thin & Light
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i7-4500URival
Mobile Thin & Light
- Intel Core i7-6500UAlt
Skylake successor with DDR4 support.
- AMD Ryzen 3 3200UAlt
Newer dual-core with better graphics and modern platform.
Modern 10nm alternative with vastly superior performance.
Compare head-to-head- Alt
Incredible leap in efficiency and speed over Broadwell-U.
Compare head-to-head - Intel Core i5-8250UAlt
8th gen quad-core alternative that outperforms it heavily.
Our Verdict on Each
The i5-5200U was a solid ultrabook chip in 2015 but is now thoroughly outdated for modern workloads, offering only basic computing capability by today's standards.
Best for: Purchasing a used ultrabook under $100 for basic web browsing and document editing
Read the full reviewA highly efficient dual-core processor for 2015 ultrabooks that provided excellent battery life, though it struggles significantly with modern multitasking.
Best for: Buying a very cheap used laptop for basic web browsing or typing.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Core i5-5200U or Core i7-5500U?
For gaming, the Core i7-5500U leads with a gaming performance score of 20/100 among Intel Core i5-5200U and Core i7-5500U.
Do Intel Core i5-5200U and Core i7-5500U use the same socket?
Yes — all of these CPUs use the Intel BGA 1168 socket, so they share compatible motherboards.
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Core i5-5200U posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Core i5-5200U (2,550). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.