Is it worth buying Intel Core i5 CPU in 2025?

Launched in 2009, Intel’s Core series marked a significant milestone for the company. By introducing the Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, Intel offered a range of performance levels to cater to different user needs. Here, we’ll focus on the Core i5, known for striking the best balance between performance and cost.

Core i5 processors have consistently delivered solid performance, appealing to both casual users who need reliable power and gamers or content creators who push their hardware harder. With that in mind, let’s explore whether an Intel Core i5 CPU is still a worthwhile investment in 2025.

What is Intel Core i5?

The Intel Core i5 was originally introduced as a mid-tier processor, featuring models with 4 cores—similar to the higher-end Core i7 lineup but with differences in specifications like cache size and clock speeds. During the late 2000s to mid-2010s, quad-core processors dominated the market, striking a balance between performance and affordability.

For those needing higher performance at the time, the Core i7 offered advantages like more cache and faster clock speeds. Meanwhile, entry-level users could opt for the Core i3, which featured more modest dual-core processors.

Today, while the Core i3, i5, and i7 naming structures remain, advancements in manufacturing have led to more cores and improved performance across the board. Intel also introduced the Core i9 series for extreme performance, effectively shifting the Core i5 to a lower mid-range segment. The Core i7 now occupies a higher mid-range position, offering greater power than before.

Despite this shift, Core i5 processors still deliver solid multitasking performance. With their increased core counts, they are well-suited for productivity tasks and gaming, particularly when paired with mid-range graphics cards. This makes them an excellent choice for users seeking smooth performance without breaking the bank.

Evolution of the Core i5 series over the years

The first generation of Intel Core i5 processors debuted with 4 cores and 4 threads, built on a 45 nm process. The Core i5-750 operated at clock speeds between 2.66 and 3.20 GHz, featured 8 MB of L3 cache, and had a TDP of 95W.

In 2011, Intel introduced the “K” series for Core i5, a feature previously exclusive to the Core i7 line. The Core i5-2600K, while still featuring 4 cores, introduced 8 threads with Hyper-Threading technology and a boost clock reaching 3.8 GHz. The lithography was reduced to 32 nm, but the TDP remained at 95W.

The next significant advancement came in 2012 with the third generation of Core i5 processors. Intel reduced the lithography to 22 nm, offering a variety of SKUs. While the most powerful models still had 4 cores, some versions came with just 2 cores, lower clock speeds, and no Hyper-Threading support.

Intel maintained its dominance until AMD’s Ryzen processors disrupted the market. In response, the 8th-generation Core i5 saw a major leap, now offering 6 cores. By the 10th generation, models like the Core i5-10500 featured 6 cores and 12 threads, a boost clock up to 4.50 GHz, a 14 nm process, and a reduced TDP of 65W—making it an excellent value option.

With the 12th generation (Alder Lake), Intel nearly doubled the L3 cache compared to the 10th generation, increasing it to 18-20 MB. But the most dramatic changes came with the 13th and 14th generations (Raptor Lake). These processors introduced a revamped architecture, offering configurations with 10 cores and 16 threads or 14 cores and 20 threads. They also included over 20 MB of cache and boost clocks exceeding 5.0 GHz.

Despite a more refined Intel 7 process, these latest Core i5 chips saw TDP levels climb above 100W, reflecting their increased power and performance capabilities.

Change in Intel nomenclature

After 14 generations and countless processors, Intel has made a significant shift in its CPU lineup, starting with a new name: Core Ultra. The first generation of this new era, Meteor Lake, debuted with mobile processors featuring up to 14 cores. As for the traditional Core series, the Core i5-14600K stands out as the last major and powerful processor before this transition.

Architecturally, the changes from the 14th generation were subtle. The main addition was low-power cores designed for handling basic tasks or when the PC is idle, further enhancing energy efficiency.

The driving force behind Intel’s transformation is the growing importance of AI. To address this, Intel has introduced dedicated AI-processing cores, known as NPUs (Neural Processing Units), aimed at making AI technology more accessible to everyday users.

In 2024, Intel brought its new vision to desktop PCs with the second generation of Core Ultra, dubbed Arrow Lake. This lineup focused on energy efficiency, addressing the higher power demands of the previous generation while continuing to refine performance for modern computing needs.

Impact on the market and consumer perception

Whenever a product line undergoes a major change, it brings both positive and negative impacts for the company. After nearly 15 years of using the same naming convention, Intel’s switch to Core Ultra with Meteor Lake was met with skepticism from both users and the broader tech industry.

This skepticism wasn’t unwarranted, particularly after the issues surrounding the Raptor Lake processors (13th and 14th generations), which led to one of the most challenging periods in Intel’s history. The situation even prompted Intel to publicly assure consumers that the new processors would not face the same problems as their predecessors.

Focusing on the Core i5 lineup, there are notable differences between the last traditional model, the Core i5-14600K, and the new Core Ultra 5 245K.

The most significant downside is the removal of Hyper-Threading in the Core Ultra 5 245K, which results in fewer threads. While this primarily impacts tasks that heavily rely on multi-threaded performance, such as open-world gaming and image rendering, it’s less of a concern given that the CPU features 14 cores.

On the positive side, the Core Ultra 5 245K offers a larger cache memory of 26 MB, improved energy efficiency with a 5.2 GHz boost clock consuming just 159W, dedicated AI cores, and next-generation integrated graphics. These graphics are based on the same architecture as Intel’s Arc GPUs, adding a layer of modern performance capabilities to the processor.

Is it worth buying an Intel Core i5 in 2025?

Processors in this lineup cater to a variety of use cases, including content creation, general productivity, and gaming. They offer a solid balance of performance and affordability, thanks to their core count, high clock speeds, generous cache memory, and energy-efficient design.

Intel Core i5 performance

In gaming, processors play a key role in maximizing the graphics card’s potential while handling their own tasks. The latest CPUs in this segment, like the Core i5-14600K and Core Ultra 5 245K, can deliver performance on par with higher-end processors, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Core Ultra 7 265K, depending on the scenario.

These CPUs can drive a GeForce RTX 4090 in less demanding titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Remnant 2, and Baldur’s Gate 3. They can also maintain over 100 FPS in more CPU-intensive open-world games like Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy, and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Regarding content creation, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and the Core i5-14600K offer very similar performance, with the newer Arrow Lake model having a slight edge. In these tasks, both processors outperform competing AMD models, like the Ryzen 5 9600X, and slightly edge out the Ryzen 7 9700X as well.

Any CPU in the Core i5 lineup provides more than enough power for general productivity tasks. If they can handle complex content creation and gaming tasks, simpler workloads are easily managed by these processors.

5 best Intel Core i5 to buy in 2025

While the Core Ultra 5 245K is currently the standout processor in Intel’s lineup, previous generation models for desktops and laptops, like the Core i5-14600K, still offer solid performance. Despite differences in architecture and specifications, the i5-14600K comes closest to matching the new Core Ultra 5 245K.

Moreover, as these older CPUs have been on the market for a few years, they are now available at lower prices, making them even more attractive in terms of value for money. Given their performance potential, they remain excellent options, offering great cost-effectiveness for users looking for strong performance without breaking the bank.

All of these processors are great choices for general productivity tasks. However, the Core i5-13600K and i5-14600K are excellent desktop options for more demanding activities like content creation and gaming. For notebooks, the Core i5-13500H is the best choice, offering strong performance in these more complex tasks.

Final considerations

When choosing an Intel Core i5 processor, there are a few important factors to remember, with motherboard compatibility being one of the main considerations. Intel uses different chipsets, each offering various features that can benefit processors at different levels.

However, for the Core i5 segment, the motherboard choice isn’t as critical since most chipsets will meet the needs of these CPUs. What you do need to pay attention to is the socket type. Recent Intel CPUs use two main socket types: LGA-1700 for the 12th, 13th, and 14th generations and LGA-1851 for the Core Ultra 200 series.

Even though Intel Core i5 processors aren’t high-end, they tend to offer good longevity. While it’s hard to predict an exact timeline, you can realistically expect solid performance for around three years. This means your Core i5 processor should continue to meet the demands of new applications for a reasonable period.

The Intel Core i5 line has evolved significantly over the years. It started with more straightforward configurations, such as fewer cores, smaller cache, and lower clock speeds. Still, in recent generations, these processors have introduced more cores, improved architectures, and lower power consumption, resulting in a significant boost in performance. These advancements make the Core i5 very appealing.

The Core i5 lineup also avoids the hefty price tags seen in the Core i7 series. With various SKUs that range in price, the Core i5 still offers a solid balance of cost and performance, making it an excellent value for many users.

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