Intro:
Intel is a well-known brand. The majority of laptops, whether it be a gaming laptop, a notebook, or an Ultrabook, they house Intel processors. Intel has been leading the processor market for quite some time now. Recently AMD has joined the race, causing Intel some challenge. Before AMD came to rise, Intel had a monopoly on the processors market. The majority of the brands also use Intel processors such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, Sony, Toshiba, etc.
Intel also designs processors for workstations. Intel has a diverse lineup of the processor. You may all remember Pentium processors, which were also designed by Intel. Fast forward a few years; now we have Core processors. These core processors are further divided into three classes. Corei3, Corei5, and Corei7.
Out of them, there are two processors that are widely used in numerous laptops: the Corei7 5500U and the Corei3 5200U. The mid-range laptops use the Corei5 5200U, while some high tier laptops house the Corei7 5500U processor. Asides a price difference, both processors have many variations.
If you’re in the market to purchase a new laptop, you may end up choosing laptops that are likely to contain these two processors. The laptop with the i5 5200U is a cheaper laptop that falls in the midrange, while the laptop with the i7 5500U is a bit more expensive laptop that falls in the high tier range. Both these laptops are Broadwell U processors, which means they are not very powerful. These processors are the midpoint between efficiency and power. Thus results in a smooth laptop experience paired with excellent battery timing.
Laptops with the Core i5 5200U are:
- Asus X555LJ
- Lenovo 80E5
- Dell Inspiron 3543
- Dell Inspiron 3558
- Dell Inspiron 5558
- HP Pavilion Notebook
- Acer Aspire E5-573G
Laptops with the Corei7 5500U are:
- Dell Inspiron 5548
- HP Pavilion 15 Notebook PC
- Lenovo 80E5
- Dell Inspiron 7548
- Asus X555LJ
- Lenovo 80K6
- Dell Inspiron 5558
Let’s discuss the differences between both processors.
Intel Corei7 5500U vs. Corei5 5200U:
The i5 5200U and the i7 5500U both are dual core processors with four threads each, but they operate on different clock speeds. The i5 5200U has a base clock speed of 2.2 GHz, with a turbo clock speed of 2.7 GHz. On the other hand, the i7 5500U has a base clock speed of 2.4 GHz and a turbo clock speed of 3.0 GHz. This small difference in clock speeds is not very noticeable in everyday use. When browsing the web, using office tools, or watching videos, both processors work the same. Even when playing less demanding games, both processors function the same. The i7 5500U is 5-15% faster than the i5 5200U, but this difference can’t be noticed by a human in daily usage.
Moving on, the i7 5500U has 4 MB of cache memory while the i5 5200U has 3 MB of memory. This 15% more memory for the i5 5500U also does not translate into drastically faster performance. The performance gap in real time scenario between both i5 5200U and i7 5500U processors is negligible. They both have a rated TDP of 15 Watt.
The i7 5500U and both i5 5200U support the DDR3 memory and can have a maximum ram of 16 GB. Let’s talk about the graphics. Both of the processors house the same Intel HD 5500 integrated GPU, but with different graphics frequency. The i7 5500U GPU runs between 300 and 950 MHz, while the i5 5200U GPU runs between 300 and 900 MHz. This difference in graphics frequency does not translate into much difference in real time games. Both these processors were tested with a few games. The i7 5500U produced 32fps in Dirt 3 and 31fps in Bioshock infinite. On the other hand, the i5 5200U produced 30fps in Dirt 3 and 29fps in Bioshock infinite.
That’s the only difference between both processors. The price factor also makes a difference. The price changes with time, but the Corei7 5500U is about $100 more expensive than the Corei5 5200U. When you take into account the price and the minute performance difference, the clear and evident choice is the Corei5 5200U. You can save $100 by choosing the laptop with i5 5200U, as it is almost equal to i7 5500U in all terms.
We also ran some benchmarks to analyze the performance difference between the two processors. First, we ran the Cinebench CPU test and analyzed the difference between multi core performance and single core performance. The i5 5200U resulted in 2.83 points in a multi core test and 1.19 points in a single core test. On the other hand, the i7 5500U resulted in 3.24 points in the multi core test and 1.42 points in the single core test. Next, we ran the Cinebench GPU test to analyze the difference between GPU performance. The i7 5500U resulted in 32.27 points, and the i5 5200U resulted in 30.21 points.
The gap between results is minuscule, which means that a regular user won’t notice the difference between the two laptops using these processors. Both laptops using the i7 5500U and i5 5200U will deliver an almost identical laptop experience.
Verdict:
The slight performance increase of i7 5500U as compared to i5 5200U is not worth the extra $100. Save money and go with a laptop that uses the i5 5200U processor as the whole laptop will be cheaper. In conclusion, both processors perform well on their own laptops.
