CPU Comparison
Intel Core i5-8265U vs Intel Core i3-8145U
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core i5-8265U is a 4-core, 8-thread low-power mobile processor from the Whiskey Lake family, designed for thin-and-light laptops prioritizing battery life.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Good for daily office tasks and web apps.
Adequate for a single Word or Excel window, but modern heavy web applications will saturate the 4 threads quickly.
Gaming
Only capable of very light or old games.
Not capable of modern gaming. UHD 620 can only handle very old or lightweight 2D games.
Virtualization
Can run light VMs but limited by RAM and power.
4 threads and 4MB cache make virtualization practically impossible for anything beyond a tiny Linux container.
Efficiency
Excellent efficiency for all-day battery life.
The 10nm process provided good idle battery life for 2018-era laptops, though sustained loads drain the battery quickly due to the low core count.
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- Not suitable for AI workloads
- No AI hardware.
- 2 cores are insufficient for any modern AI workload.
Content Creation
Gaming
- Integrated graphics too weak for modern gaming
- Good for indie games
- No dedicated gaming features
- UHD 620 is not a gaming GPU.
- 2 cores cannot feed modern game engines.
- Playable only in legacy eSports titles at lowest settings.
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Excellent power efficiency
- 4 cores and 8 threads
- Good burst performance
- Wide OEM adoption
Cons
- Soldered to motherboard
- Weak integrated graphics
- Only PCIe 3.0
- End-of-life
Pros
- Hardware security fixes out of the box
- 10nm power efficiency for its era
- High 3.9 GHz single-core boost
- Configurable TDP for different chassis sizes
Cons
- Only 2 cores and 4 threads
- Very high $281 launch price for a dual-core
- Lacks LPDDR4 support
- UHD 620 graphics are obsolete
- Completely outclassed by modern ARM chips
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core i5-8265U
- AMD Ryzen 5 3500URival
Thin-and-Light Mobile
- Intel Core i7-8565URival
Thin-and-Light Mobile
- AMD Ryzen 7 3700URival
Thin-and-Light Mobile
- Intel Core i5-8250URival
Thin-and-Light Mobile
- AMD Ryzen 5 2500URival
Thin-and-Light Mobile
Slightly faster with better efficiency.
Compare head-to-headModern dual-core with vastly better single-core speed.
Compare head-to-head- AMD Ryzen 5 5500UAlt
Hex-core mobile chip with much better performance.
Massive IPC and iGPU upgrade with modern features.
Compare head-to-head
Intel Core i3-8145U
- AMD Ryzen 3 2200URival
Budget Mobile
- AMD Ryzen 3 3200URival
Budget Mobile
- Intel Core i3-8130URival
Previous Gen Mobile
- Intel Pentium Gold 5405URival
Entry Mobile
- Apple A12X BionicRival
Premium Tablet
A 4-core Whiskey Lake chip that provides drastically better multitasking.
Compare head-to-headThe Ice Lake successor offers better graphics and LPDDR4X support.
Compare head-to-head- Alt
For modern lightweight laptops, ARM architecture provides exponentially better performance and battery life.
Compare head-to-head - Intel N100Alt
For embedded or ultra-budget replacements, the N100 offers 4 modern cores.
Our Verdict on Each
A reliable and efficient mobile CPU that brought 4 cores to thin-and-light laptops, still serviceable for basic tasks today.
Best for: Buying a cheap used laptop for basic tasks
Read the full reviewHistorically significant for being Intel's first 10nm mobile i3 with hardware security fixes, but its 2-core layout and high $281 launch price make it entirely obsolete for modern computing.
Best for: Only if repairing an existing laptop that uses this specific chip and the board is not compatible with newer generations.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Intel Core i5-8265U or Intel Core i3-8145U?
Based on our editorial ratings, the Intel Core i5-8265U comes out ahead with a score of 7.5/10. That said, the best choice depends on your workload — check the spec and performance breakdown above for gaming, productivity and efficiency differences.
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Core i5-8265U or Intel Core i3-8145U?
For gaming, the Intel Core i5-8265U leads with a gaming performance score of 20/100 among Intel Core i5-8265U and Intel Core i3-8145U.
Do Intel Core i5-8265U and Intel Core i3-8145U use the same socket?
No. They use different sockets (Intel Core i5-8265U: Intel BGA 1528, Intel Core i3-8145U: BGA 1528), so each needs a compatible motherboard.
Which has more cores?
The Intel Core i5-8265U has the most cores. Core counts: Intel Core i5-8265U (4 cores), Intel Core i3-8145U (2 cores).