Which Intel Pentium Processor is the Best in 2022/23

When considering the performance of processors from one generation to the next, the number of cores and threads, base and turbo clock speeds do not paint an accurate picture of its’ raw performance. You have to get their real world performance numbers in order to truly understand what they bring to the table. Here, we consider which Intel Pentium Processor is the Best in 2022/2023 to help you make an informed buying decision.

You are here because you have decided to go for a laptop or tablet powered by the Intel Pentium processor. At the same time, you are confused with the shear number of Intel Pentium processors currently out there. That’s where we come in.

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Looking for the Best Pentium Mobile Processor

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It has been a while since we last look at our favourite mobile processor, the Pentiums. We compared the Intel Pentium Mobile Processors and how to spot the best CPU for your budget laptop a while ago. But things just moved on so quickly. It is time once again, to take a deep dive into the world of budgets laptops the processors powering them.

Not every budget laptops are equal. In order to maximise your laptops performance on a budget, all you need to know is how well one processor compares to the other. The Pentium class processors are positioned above the Celeron processors making them more powerful than the absolute budget processors but below Intel’s main stream entry level processor, the Intel Core i3.

Still, even within the same Pentium class, there are several generations of processors on offer. Currently, these are the 5000, 6000, 7000 and the 8000 series. Here is a quick run down on the list of processors powering the laptops in the market right now.

• Intel® Pentium® Gold 8505 Processor
• Intel® Pentium® Gold 7505 Processor
• Intel® Pentium® Silver N6000 processor
• Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y Processor
• Intel® Pentium® Silver N5030 processor
• Intel® Pentium® Silver N5000 processor

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Processor	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up
Intel® Pentium® Gold 8505 Processor	5C(1P4E)/6T	3.3GHz/4.4GHz	15W/55W
Intel® Pentium® Gold 7505 Processor	2C/4T	2.0GHz/3.5GHz	15W
Intel® Pentium® Silver N6000 processor	4C/4T	1.1GHz/3.0GHz	4.8W/6W
Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y Processor	2C/4T	1.1GHz/3.4GHz	3.4W/7W
Intel® Pentium® Silver N5030 processor	4C/4T	1.1GHz/3.1GHz	4.8W/6W
Intel® Pentium® Silver N5000 processor	4C/4T	1.1GHz/2.7GHz	4.8W/6W

RELATED: For the ultimate in budget laptop, here is our guide on picking the Best Intel Celeron processor to power your next laptop.

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Intel Pentium Gold 8505

Top on our list in terms of performance is the Intel Pentium Gold 8505 processor. Based on the Alder Lake (12th gen) family, the Pentium Gold 8505 was launched in Q1 of 2022. Using the Intel 7 lithography, the processor comes with a total of 5 cores. Now, before you get excited there, only one of these cores are performance core, the rest are efficient cores. Still, one performance cores and 4 efficient cores are going to trump your typical dual core processor. Plus, it is capable of 6 processing threads, we will take that on a budget laptop anyway.

Then there is the maximum turbo frequency of 4.4GHz for the performance core which is unheard, not for a long time for the Pentium line. Even the efficient cores are capable of a maximum turbo frequency of 3.3GHz. And if that is not enough, the cache memory has been doubled to 8MB Intel Smart Cache. As for system memory, it supports dual memory channels for a maximum of 64GB LPDDR5 memory. To top it off, the embedded graphics is based on the Intel UHD Graphics for 12th gen Intel Processors with 48 Execution Units and capable of supporting up to 4 displays.

When it comes to performance, the Intel Pentium Gold 8505 is leaps and bounds above the previous Intel Pentium Gold 7505 by as much as 70.9% overall performance gain and 44.5% gain in single thread performance. This is definitely the processor to go for when considering a laptop based on Intel Pentium processor.

Processoror	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Gold 8505 Processor	5C(1P/4E)/6T	1.2GHz/4.4GHz	15W/55W	9035	3313

Intel Pentium Gold 7505

Next we have the Intel Pentium Gold 7505 processor from the 7000 series family. Based on the Tiger Lake family, the Pentium Gold 7505 processor was launched in Q4 of 2020. It has 2 cores and support 4 threads with a maximum speed of 3.5GHz. What really helps in the performance department is its huge 4MB Intel Smart Cache and fast 4GT/s bus speed. The processor supports dual memory channels and depending on the type of memory, it can support up to 64GB of RAM. However, note that most laptops will max out at 32GB with the two onboard slots.

HP, Lenovo, Acer and ASUS are some of the manufactures that have adopted the processors. From HP, you get a healthy selection from the HP 14s, HP 17, HP Pavilion 14 to HP Pavilion x360 convertible. While Lenovo, Acer and ASUS each has the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i, Acer 514 and 515 and ASUS VivoBook X415EA respectively. These are some of the best in class laptops with 4GB memory and 128GB SSD storage. Full HD resolution display at 14 or 15.6-inch are common, some even comes with touch support. Then there is the long battery life of up to 10 hours.

Performance wise, the Pentium Gold 7505 offers a significant gain when compared to the Intel Pentium Silver N6000 below with a huge 64% performance gain. When compared to the Pentium Silver N5000 processor, it’s a whole other level with 2x the performance at 104% gain.

Processor	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Gold 7505 Processor	2C/4T	2.0GHz/3.5GHz	15W	5286	2293

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Intel Pentium Silver N6000

Next, we have second most powerful Intel Pentium processor in our line-up, the Pentium Silver N6000. Don’t let the Silver label fool you as it is still faster than the energy efficient Gold label, Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y below, chosen by Microsoft to power their Surface Go 3 tablets. This however is only true in average CPU rating. The Pentium Gold 6500Y has the upper hand in single thread performance. But as we all know, there is a premium to pay with Microsoft products and the extra may not justify that slight gain in performance. We can safely say that on average, the N6000 is 3.2% faster than the Pentium Gold 6500Y below and is 20.8% faster than the Pentium Silver N5000 processor.

The Pentium Silver N6000 is a quad core processor that supports 4 hyper threads launched later in Q1 of 2021 from the Jasper Lake family. It runs at a base frequency of 1.1GHz and maxes out at 3.3GHz at a push. It also enjoys 4MB of L3 Cache memory and runs very efficiently, sipping away at 6W TDP. There is however a maximum supported memory size of 16GB over 2 memory channels so for those of you hoping to max out their laptop with more memory in the future, you have been warned.

Processor	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Silver N6000 processor	4C/4T	1.1GHz/3.0GHz	4.8W/6W	3123	1399

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Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y

This next processor is exclusive to Microsoft’s 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 tablet. You won’t get the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor anywhere else. Also launched in Q1 of 2021, the same time as Pentium Silver N6000 above, the processor has 2 cores that supports 4 hyper threads with a base speed of 1.1GHz and a turbo speed of 3.4GHz. It also features 4MB of Intel Smart Cache. So how is this unit different to the N6000 above, you ask.

The unit has a TDP of 5W with a configurable up and down TDP of 7W and 3.5W accordingly. This makes it super efficient and cool. It TDP down, the processor can even power down to a base frequency of 600MHz. Choosing this processor means there is an inherent supported memory limit of 16GB but most users wouldn’t bother upgrading their Surface Go 3 tablet which already comes with 8GB RAM unlike some of the Pentium laptops that starts with 4GB of RAM. In the performance department, we see a big 17% gain when compared to Pentium Silver N5000 processor.

Processor	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y Processor	2C/4T	1.1GHz/3.4GHz	3.4W/7W	3026	1812

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Intel Pentium Silver N5030

After the two 6000 series processors, we have two more from the 5000 series. Starting with Intel Pentium Silver N5030 processor from Gemini Lake, the quad core four thread mobile processor has a base frequency of 1.1GHz and a turbo frequency of 3.10GHz. It features a spacious 4MB cache and a low TDP of 6W. The single biggest limitation of the 5000 series in our book is the maximum supported memory size of 8MB. While most laptop in this class would come with 4MB RAM memory only. Upgrading to 8MB would be relatively cheap but that is all you will get. For you money, you get a small gain in performance compared to N5000 below at 2.5% on average CPU mark and 11.5% on single thread scores. Any performance gain is better than nothing.

Processor	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Silver N5030 processor	4C/4T	1.1GHz/3.1GHz	4.8W/6W	2650	1273

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Intel Pentium Silver N5000

Finally, this is the absolute baseline we would go. Don’t go picking up a laptop from the 4000 series of earlier. The Pentium Silver N5000 is only marginally slower than the N5030 above so if the price is right, we say take it. For general use, this will already be miles better than even the Intel Celeron 6305 processor. With the savings, you can think about upgrading its memory right off the cuff to enable you to open more tabs or handle bigger files.

Processor	Core/Thread	Base/Turbo	TDP Down/Up	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Silver N5000 processor	4C/4T	1.1GHz/2.7GHz	4.8W/6W	2585	1142

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Pentium Performance Comparison

Here is how the processors place in terms of performance based on Average CPU Mark scores submitted by real work users.

Processor	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel® Pentium® Gold 8505 Processor	9035	3313
Intel® Pentium® Gold 7505 Processor	5286	2293
Intel® Pentium® Silver N6000 processor	3123	1399
Intel® Pentium® Gold 6500Y Processor	3026	1812
Intel® Pentium® Silver N5030 processor	2650	1273
Intel® Pentium® Silver N5000 processor	2585	1142

Source: www.cpubenchmark.net

See graph below to better understand the performance gains from one Pentium processor to the next.

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Final Thoughts

Be armed with the right information, and you are assured of a sound decision. This applies to buying an affordable laptop powered by Intel Pentium processor. It may say Pentium Gold or Silver but no two processors are the same. Choose a laptop with the right Pentium processor and you get up to more than twice the performance. Who wouldn’t want that? So, before you reach for your wallet, take sometime to consider the processor at the heart of your future laptop. See how, spending a bit more might get your more performance and weigh that up. We strongly recommend laptops with the new Intel Pentium Gold 8505 Processor.

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