Pentium Gold 8500 vs Core i5-8365U

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Pentium Gold 8500 is positioned at rank 527 and the Core i5-8365U is on rank 880, so the Pentium Gold 8500 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium Gold 8500

#167

Core Ultra 7 258V

MSRP: $450|Avg: $400

99%

#169

Core i7-1280P

MSRP: $482|Avg: $482

98%

#515

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

691%

#516

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

680%

#517

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

625%

#518

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

622%

#519

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

616%

#521

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

595%

#522

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

570%

#523

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

570%

#524

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

554%

#527

Pentium Gold 8500

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-8365U

#865

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1467%

#866

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1446%

#867

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1327%

#868

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1321%

#869

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1309%

#871

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1264%

#872

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1212%

#873

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1210%

#874

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1178%

#879

Celeron Dual-Core T1600

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

100%

#880

Core i5-8365U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#881

Athlon II N330

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

100%

#886

Core i7-7820EQ

MSRP: $378|Avg: $378

99%

#887

Celeron 7305

MSRP: $128|Avg: $107

98%

#888

E-300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $20

98%

#889

Core i7-7820HK

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

98%

#892

Pentium B940

MSRP: $134|Avg: $11

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium Gold 8500 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core i5-8365U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.2% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium Gold 8500	Core i5-8365U
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	✨ Modern (Legacy / Intel 7 nm)	✨ Modern (Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium Gold 8500	Core i5-8365U
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Pentium Gold 8500 Benchmark Check

Core i5-8365U Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium Gold 8500 and Core i5-8365U

Pentium Gold 8500

The Pentium Gold 8500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It features 5 cores and 6 threads. Max frequency: 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache. Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1781. Thermal design power (TDP): 29 Watt. Memory support: LPDDR5-5200, LPDDR4x-4267. Passmark benchmark score: 5,949 points. Launch price was $69.

Core i5-8365U

The Core i5-8365U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 5,939 points. Launch price was $297.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium Gold 8500 packs 5 cores / 6 threads, while the Core i5-8365U offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Pentium Gold 8500 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Pentium Gold 8500 versus 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-8365U — a 7.1% clock advantage for the Pentium Gold 8500. The Core i5-8365U is built on the Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. In PassMark, the Pentium Gold 8500 scores 5,949 against the Core i5-8365U's 5,939 — a 0.2% lead for the Pentium Gold 8500. L3 cache: 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache on the Pentium Gold 8500 vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-8365U.

Feature	Pentium Gold 8500	Core i5-8365U
Cores / Threads	5 / 6+25%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+7%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	—	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	8 MB Intel® Smart Cache+33%	6 MB (total)
L2 Cache	—	256 kB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	—	Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019)
PassMark	5,949	5,939

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium Gold 8500 uses the FCBGA1781 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i5-8365U uses FCBGA1528 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.