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Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U vs Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U: Comparison

8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U vs 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U p-core boost clock compared

They are built to different briefs, and p-core boost clock shows it, 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U 3.4 GHz against 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U 4.1 GHz. There is a split on base power as well, 15 W on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U versus 28 W on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U. Memory type is not the same on both, DDR4, LPDDR3 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U versus DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133 on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U.

Which should you buy, 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U or 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U?

Take the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U for buyers of this laptop generation wanting to understand the genuine 4-core leap this chip represented over 7th Gen. It is not the one for buyers with access to newer generations, considerably more recent U-series chips offer meaningful IPC and efficiency gains. Take the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U for premium ultraportable laptops wanting genuinely stronger integrated graphics at a more accessible price than i7-tier options. It is the wrong buy for buyers needing dedicated gaming or heavy creative graphics capability, a discrete GPU remains necessary for that.

Where the two are identical

Everything else lines up. Total cores, performance cores, efficiency cores, total threads and l3 cache read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 5 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U and 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U differ on p-core base clock?

Yes. P-Core Base Clock reads 1.6 GHz on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U versus 2.4 GHz on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U.

Is the Product Line the same on the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U and 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U?

It is. Both are listed at Core i5, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Brand

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Intel
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Intel
  • Product Line

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Core i5
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Core i5
  • Form Factor

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Laptop
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Laptop
  • Model Number

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    8250U
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    8279U
  • Codename

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Kaby Lake R
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Coffee Lake
  • Release Year

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    2017
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    2019
  • TDP

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    15 W
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    28 W
  • iGPU

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
  • Market Segment

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Laptop
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Laptop
  • Microarchitecture

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Kaby Lake Refresh, 8th Gen Intel Core
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Coffee Lake, 8th Gen Intel Core
  • Socket

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    FCBGA1356
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    FCBGA1528
  • Process Node

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    14 nm
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    14 nm
  • Total Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    4
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    4
  • Performance Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    4
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    4
  • Efficiency Cores

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    0
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    0
  • Total Threads

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    8
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    8
  • SMT Enabled

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Yes
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Yes
  • P-Core Base Clock

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    1.6 GHz
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    2.4 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    3.4 GHz
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    4.1 GHz
  • L3 Cache

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    6 MB
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    6 MB
  • Base Power

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    15 W
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    28 W
  • Memory Type

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    DDR4, LPDDR3
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133
  • Integrated Graphics

    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8250U
    Yes
    Intel 8th Gen Intel Core i5 8279U
    Yes

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose 8250U if you want the higher L3 cache (6 MB vs 6 MB).

    Choose 8279U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

    More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)