Intel Pentium Silver N6000 vs Intel Core i5-1135G7 vs Intel Celeron N5095

Intel Pentium Silver N6000

The Intel Pentium Silver N6000 is a quad-core SoC of the Jasper Lake series that is primarily intended for inexpensive notebooks and was announced in early 2021. The four Tremont CPU cores clock between 1.1 and 3.3 GHz (single core Burst) and offer no HyperThreading (SMT). The N6000 uses 1.5 MB L2 and 4 MB L3 cache. The chip is manufactured on the first-gen 10 nm Intel process, the same process as Ice Lake.

Architecture

The processor architecture is called Tremont and a complete redesign compared to the old Golmont Plus cores in the predecessor. According to Intel, the single thread performance of a core could be improved by 30% on average (10 - 80% in all tests of SPECint and SPECfp).

Features

In addition to the four CPU cores, the SoC integrates a 32 EU Intel UHD Graphics GPU clocked from 350 - 850 MHz and a dual-channel DDR4 / quad-channel LPDDR4x memory controller (up to 16 GB and 2933 MHz). The chip now also partly integrates Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), 8 PCIe 3.0 lanes, 14 USB 2.0/ 3.2 ports and two SATA 6.0 ports. The package got bigger and measures 35 x 24 mm (compared to 25 x 24 mm for the N5030 e.g.). The SoC is directly soldered to the mainboard (BGA) and can't be easily replaced.

Performance

The average N6000 in our database proves to be an OK entry-level processor, as of late 2022, its multi-thread benchmark scores nearly matching those of the AMD Ryzen 3 3200U. Yes, the chip is a whole lot slower than the latest Ryzen 3 and Core i3 processors, but it will at least let you run your day-to-day apps without annoying slowdowns.

The Asus Vivobook 13 Slate is among the fastest systems built around the N6000 that we know of, thanks to the long-term CPU power limit of 10 W. It can be more than 20% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Power consumption

Like nearly all other N-class Intel processors, the Pentium N6000 has a default TDP of 6 W (also known as the long-term power limit). This is low and thus good enough for passively cooled tablets, laptops, mini-PCs.

The SoC is built with Intel's 2nd generation 10 nm process (not 10 nm SuperFin or Intel 7) for low, as of mid 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-1135G7

The Intel Core i5-1135G7 is a quad-core, mid-range SoC designed to be used in ultra-light laptops. The Tiger Lake-UP3 processor was introduced in September 2020. It features four Willow Cove CPU cores running at 2.4 GHz (base clock speed @ 28 W TDP) Boosting up to 4.2 GHz (1-core Boost). The all-core Boost clock speed sits at 3.8 GHz. This is a Hyper-Threading-enabled CPU, allowing for up to 8 concurrent processing threads.

Architecture

A sizeable performance-per-MHz boost is one of the multiple strengths of Tiger Lake compared to the older Ice Lake and Comet Lake product families. Core i5-1135G7 is compatible with dual-channel DDR4-3200 or quad-channel LPDDR4x-4267 RAM, supports PCI-Express 4.0 (4 lanes) and is capable of HW-accelerating AI workloads. Thunderbolt 4, USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6 support is partially baked into the chip. Four PCI-Express 4.0 lanes allow for read/write rates of up to 7.9 GB/s, provided a suitably fast NVMe SSD is used.

The i5 is manufactured on Intel's third-gen 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin that is supposedly comparable to TSMC's 7 nm process that Ryzen 4000 series laptop-grade processors are manufactured on. Both the CPU cores and the iGPU enjoy access to 8 MB of L3 cache. Higher-end Core i7-11x5 processors are notable for their larger Level 3 cache (12 MB versus 8 MB), faster iGPUs and higher clock speeds. Core i5-1135G7 is supposed to be permanently soldered to the motherboard (BGA1449 socket interface) and is thus not user-replaceable.

Performance

The average i5-1135G7 in our database delivers multi-thread benchmark scores close to those of the Core i7-10810U, Core i5-1145G7, Core i5-1230U and also the Ryzen 7 3780U. The performance may not be ground-breaking, but it’s still on the sunnier side. This Core i5 will have no difficulty coping with some light gaming and video editing on the go, and the usual web browsing and spreadsheet editing will pose no problem to it, either.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 25 W, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ITL05 is among the fastest laptops built around the 1135G7 that we know of. It can be about 60% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Graphics

The 80 EU Iris Xe Graphics G7 is based on Intel's Gen 12 architecture. The iGPU is somewhat faster than the older Iris Plus G7 (Ice Lake) and much faster than the UHD 620 (Comet Lake). The 80 EUs are clocked at 400 MHz to 1,300 MHz. This graphics adapter can drive up to 4 monitors in resolutions up to SUHD 4320p@60 and hardware decode the AVC, HEVC, VP9 and last but not the least AV1 video streams. The iGPU's gaming performance is close to what a typical GeForce MX250 has in store; casual gamers will be happy with the Xe as it will easily handle most titles at 720p on low or medium quality settings. An important thing to keep in mind is that the iGPU has no video memory of its own, making fast RAM a necessity.

Power consumption

Just like all other Tiger Lake-UP3 chips, the i5-1135G7 has a default TDP of 12 W to 28 W, the expectation being that laptop makers will go for a higher value to get higher clock speeds and thus better performance. Either way, these values are a tad too high to allow for passively cooled designs.

The CPU is built with Intel's 3rd generation 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for decent, as of mid 2022, energy efficiency.

Intel Celeron N5095

The Intel Celeron N5095 is a quad-core SoC of the Jasper Lake product family designed for use in affordable SFF desktops and laptops. The Celeron was announced in early 2021. It features four Tremont CPU cores running at 2 GHz (base clock speed) Boosting up to 2.9 GHz (single-core Boost) with 1.5 MB of L2 and 4 MB of L3 cache but no thread-doubling Hyper-Threading technology. This processor is manufactured on Intel's first-gen 10 nm process to be not unlike the Ice Lake-U Core-series processors. The faster Celeron N5105 is notable for being more energy efficient (10 W TDP vs N5095's 15 W) yet featuring a faster iGPU model (24 EU UHD Graphics versus 16 EU UHD Graphics, with a higher clock rate to boot).

Architecture

Tremont architecture brings many improvements over the outgoing Goldmont architecture we know from Pentium N5030 and so many other N-class CPUs. According to Intel, the new architecture brings a 30% boost in single thread performance (+10% to +80% in SPECint and SPECfp depending on the test).

While the older N-class Celerons and Pentiums had to be content with up to 8 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, Celeron N5095 is officially compatible with up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933 or quad-channel LPDDR4x-2933 memory. Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) support is partially baked into the chip. The Celeron supports up to 8 PCI-Express 3.0 lanes, up to 14 USB 3.2 ports and up to two SATA III ports. Four PCI-Express 3.0 lanes allow for read/write rates of up to 3.9 GB/s, provided a suitably fast NVMe SSD is used.

Jasper Lake processor package is larger compared to what Gemini Lake models had (35 x 24 mm vs. 25 x 24 mm). Please note that the Celeron gets soldered on to the motherboard (BGA1338 socket interface) and is thus not user-replaceable.

Performance

The average N5095 in our database matches the Core i3-10110U, Core i3-1005G1, Celeron N5105 and also the Ryzen 3 3200U, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned.

Even if the cooling system is great and the Power Limits are high as the sky, some slight architectural improvements together with the updated manufacturing node and higher-than-usual wattage of the Celeron are not nearly enough to let it compete with modern Core and Ryzen-series processors. It's a good option for basic day-to-day tasks, but anything beyond that will be a struggle.

Graphics

The CPU features the DirectX 12-capable 16 EU UHD Graphics iGPU running at 450 MHz to 750 MHz. The graphics adapter is capable of driving up to 3 displays with resolutions up to 4096x2160@60; it will happily decode HEVC, AVC, VP9, MPEG-2 and other popular video codecs. The latest AV1 codec is not supported, though. (You can still play such a video but it will be software-decoded rather than hardware-decoded which puts a hard limit on the watchable resolution as the CPU cores are not very fast here.)

This is not a gaming GPU by any stretch of imagination. It is just as fast as an HD Graphics 515; it will let you play the least demanding titles (like Dota 2 Reborn) provided you are OK with 720p resolution and lowest quality preset possible.

Power consumption

Most N-class Celerons and Pentiums have a 6 W TDP (also known as the long-term Power Limit). The Celeron N5095 on the other hand has a 15 Watt TDP to mimic much faster U-class Core i3/i5/i7 processors. This basically means that passively cooled designs are out of the question with this chip.

This Intel processor is manufactured on Intel's first-gen or second-gen 10 nm process [no precise data available] for OK, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.