Core i7-6500U

Details and Benchmarks for Intel Core i7-6500U

Sysbuilds Alpha Stage!

Please take all results with a big grain of salt. Sysbuilds is in alpha stage at the moment which can lead to wrong data, strange counting errors, silly results and more. This site is under active development.

Benchmark Results

Combined benchmark scores based on multiple data points, giving a quick overview of this processor's performance.

Overall Score

Overall score for Core i7-6500U based on all benchmark results gathered. Look at this like a meta score, you will find more specific workload ratings below.

4,702 Rank: 1103
Rank Name Score Visual
1099 Core i5-3340 4,705
+0.1%
1100 Xeon X5660 4,704
+0%
1101 Pentium G3450 4,704
+0%
1102 Core m3-8100Y 4,703
+0%
1103 Core i7-6500U 4,702
1104 Core i3-4160T 4,701
+-0%
1105 Xeon X3470 4,699
-0.1%
1106 Core i5-6442EQ 4,696
-0.1%
1107 Core i5-2400 4,695
-0.1%
1108 Xeon E3-1280 4,695
-0.1%

View full ranking →

Multicore Score

Multicore performance score for Core i7-6500U based on multi-threaded benchmark results.

4,464 Rank: 1293
Rank Name Score Visual
1289 Core i5-3340M 4,467
+0.1%
1290 A6-7470K 4,466
+0%
1291 Core i7-940 4,466
+0%
1292 Athlon 200GE 4,465
+0%
1293 Core i7-6500U 4,464
1294 Celeron G3930TE 4,464
+0%
1295 Athlon II X4 645 4,464
+0%
1296 Phenom II X4 925 4,463
+-0%
1297 Phenom 9550 4,463
+-0%
1298 Xeon X5450 4,462
+-0%

View full ranking →

Singlecore Score

Single-core performance score for Core i7-6500U based on single-threaded benchmark results.

4,860 Rank: 1033
Rank Name Score Visual
1029 Core i7-4550U 4,865
+0.1%
1030 A10-7890K 4,864
+0.1%
1031 Core i3-4330T 4,864
+0.1%
1032 Celeron G3930T 4,863
+0.1%
1033 Core i7-6500U 4,860
1034 Core i5-3330S 4,860
+0%
1035 Core i7-3520M 4,858
+-0%
1036 Core i7 975 4,856
-0.1%
1037 Core i3-6100TE 4,850
-0.2%
1038 Celeron G3930 4,850
-0.2%

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Workload Scores

Performance scores grouped by workload type, normalized and aggregated from multiple raw benchmark results.

Number Crunching

Aggregated score for Core i7-6500U based on integer math, floating point math, and prime number computation benchmarks.

4,549 Rank: 1171
Rank Name Score Visual
1167 Core i7-5650U 4,550
+0%
1168 Core i7-3540M 4,550
+0%
1169 Xeon E5420 4,550
+0%
1170 Core i3-4160T 4,550
+0%
1171 Core i7-6500U 4,549
1172 Core i5-7200U 4,549
+0%
1173 Core i3-7167U 4,549
+0%
1174 Pentium G3430 4,549
+0%
1175 Phenom II X4 970 4,549
+0%
1176 Core i7-5500U 4,549
+0%

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Data Processing

Aggregated score for Core i7-6500U based on data encryption, data compression, and string sorting benchmarks.

4,525 Rank: 1187
Rank Name Score Visual
1183 Core i3-4330T 4,526
+0%
1184 Phenom II X4 B93 4,526
+0%
1185 Core i3-1000NG4 4,526
+0%
1186 Core i7-6560U 4,525
+0%
1187 Core i7-6500U 4,525
1188 Core i3-3240 4,525
+0%
1189 Core i7-3520M 4,525
+0%
1190 A10-5700 4,525
+0%
1191 A6-3670 4,525
+0%
1192 Core i5-2560M 4,524
+-0%

View full ranking →

Physics & Compute

Aggregated score for Core i7-6500U based on physics simulation and extended instruction set (SSE/AVX) benchmarks.

4,571 Rank: 1048
Rank Name Score Visual
1044 Core i5-2400S 4,573
+0%
1045 Xeon E5-2609 v2 4,573
+0%
1046 Core i3-4130 4,572
+0%
1047 Xeon W3520 4,572
+0%
1048 Core i7-6500U 4,571
1049 Core i7-6498DU 4,571
+0%
1050 Core i5-7200U 4,571
+0%
1051 Xeon E5530 4,571
+0%
1052 Xeon X3450 4,570
+-0%
1053 Core i3-4360T 4,570
+-0%

View full ranking →

Core i7-6500U Details

As of March 2026, the Intel Core i7-6500U remains a relevant mobile processor, though it is now nearly a decade old. Originally released in 2015 as part of Intel’s Skylake U series, this dual-core, four-thread CPU was designed for thin and light laptops, prioritizing power efficiency over raw performance. Despite its age, the i7-6500U still holds up in basic productivity and multimedia tasks, particularly for users who value long battery life over high-end performance. Its 14 nm process node and 15 W TDP reflect its focus on energy efficiency, making it a common choice in ultraportable devices of its era.

Built on the Skylake microarchitecture, the Core i7-6500U features a base clock of 2.5 GHz and a turbo frequency of up to 3.1 GHz, which it can sustain under two-core load. It includes 4 MiB of L3 cache and 0.5 MiB of L2 cache, with 0.125 MiB of L1 cache split between instruction and data. The processor supports DDR3L-1600, DDR4-2133, and LPDDR3-1866 memory, with a maximum memory bandwidth of 31.79 GiB/s. With a maximum of 32 GiB of RAM, it offers sufficient capacity for modern operating systems and multitasking, though its memory bandwidth and single-threaded performance limit it in memory-intensive applications.

The integrated HD Graphics 520 GPU is another key feature, offering 24 execution units and a max frequency of 1.05 GHz. While not suitable for gaming or professional graphics workloads, it provides adequate performance for video playback, light photo editing, and basic desktop use. The processor supports up to three displays and includes a range of Intel technologies such as AES-NI, AVX2, and Intel VT-x, ensuring compatibility with virtualization and encryption workloads.

In benchmark testing, the Core i7-6500U scores 4702 overall, placing it at #1103 among 2060 processors. Its single-core score of 4860 ranks #1033, indicating relatively strong performance per core, while its multicore score of 4464 places it at #1293, reflecting limited scaling due to its two-core design. Compared to modern processors, it trails significantly behind current top-tier chips like the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX or Core Ultra 9 285K, which score over 8,000 in single-core and 12,000 in multicore. However, it still outperforms many older processors, including the Core i7-3520M and Athlon 200GE.

In conclusion, the Core i7-6500U is best suited for legacy systems, budget laptops, or users who prioritize portability and battery life over performance. While it can handle everyday computing tasks such as web browsing, office work, and media consumption, it is not ideal for demanding applications like video editing, 3D rendering, or gaming. For new systems, more modern processors offer substantially better performance and efficiency, but the i7-6500U remains a viable option for entry-level mobile computing needs.
Frequently Compared

Intel Core i3-7100 39 views

Intel Core i7-2617M 37 views

Intel Core i7-3970X 36 views

AMD Phenom II X4 B45 35 views

Intel Intel Core i7-820QM 34 views

Intel Xeon E3-1275 V2 33 views

AMD Phenom II X4 905e 31 views

Intel Core i7-7600U 30 views

Intel Xeon Silver 4110 30 views

AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U 29 views

Intel Core i7-6500U

Main Specifications

Designer: Intel
Name: Core i7-6500U
Family: Core
Series: i7-6000
Model Number: i7-6500U
Cores: 2
Threads: 4
Base Frequency: 2500 MHz
Turbo Frequency (1 core): 3100 MHz
Turbo Frequency (2 cores): 3000 MHz
Clock Multiplier: 25x (locked)
Microarchitecture: Skylake
Core Name: Skylake
Core Family: 6
Core Model: 78
Package: FCBGA-1356
Target Segment: Mobile
Max CPUs: 1
TDP: 15 W
Release Price: $393.00

Cache Specifications

L1 Cache: 128 KiB
L1 Instruction Cache: 64 KiB (8-way set associative)
L1 Data Cache: 64 KiB (8-way set associative)
L2 Cache: 0.5 MiB (4-way set associative)
L3 Cache: 4 MiB

Memory Specifications

Supported Memory Type: DDR3L-1600 DDR4-2133 and LPDDR3-1866
Memory Channels: 2
Maximum Memory: 32 GB
Maximum Bandwidth: 31.79 GB/s
ECC Support: No

Integrated Graphics

GPU: HD Graphics 520
GPU Designer: Intel
GPU Max Frequency: 1050 MHz
Execution Units: 24

Physical Specifications

Process: 14 nm
Die Area: 98.57 mm²
Transistor Count: 1.75 billion
Manufacturer: Intel
Technology: CMOS
Word Size: 64-bit
ISA: x86-64 (x86)

CPU Features

MMX EMMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE4.1 SSE4.2 AVX AVX2 ABM BMI1 BMI2 FMA3 AES RdRand ADX CLMUL F16C x86-16 x86-32 x86-64 Real Protected SMM FPU NX HT TBT 2.0 EIST VT-x VT-d EPT MPX SGX Secure Key SMEP IPT Flex Memory MWT ISRT
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