Intel Core i5-8260U vs MediaTek Helio G85

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i5-8260U CPU1 vs CPU2 MediaTek Helio G85
Intel Core i5-8260U MediaTek Helio G85

CPU comparison

Intel Core i5-8260U or MediaTek Helio G85 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i5-8260U has 4 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.90 GHz. Up to 64 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i5-8260U was released in Q4/2019.

The MediaTek Helio G85 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.00 GHz. The CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The MediaTek Helio G85 was released in Q2/2020.
Intel Core i5 (331) Family Mediatek Helio (37)
Intel Core i 8000U (KL) (7) CPU group MediaTek Helio G70/G80 (4)
8 Generation 1
Kaby Lake U Refresh Architecture Cortex-A75 / Cortex-A55
Mobile Segment Mobile
Intel Core i5-7260U Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i5-8260U is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 1.60 GHz (3.90 GHz). The MediaTek Helio G85 has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 2.00 GHz.

Intel Core i5-8260U Characteristic MediaTek Helio G85
4 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.60 GHz (3.90 GHz) A-Core 2.00 GHz
2x Cortex-A75
-- B-Core 1.80 GHz
6x Cortex-A55

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i5-8260U Characteristic MediaTek Helio G85
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU ARM Mali-G52 MP2
0.30 GHz GPU frequency 1.00 GHz
1.10 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
9.5 GPU Generation Bifrost 2
14 nm Technology 16 nm
3 Max. displays 2
24 Compute units 2
192 Shader 32
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
16 GB Max. GPU Memory --
12 DirectX Version 12

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU ARM Mali-G52 MP2
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i5-8260U supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The MediaTek Helio G85 can connect up to 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Intel Core i5-8260U Characteristic MediaTek Helio G85
DDR4-2400 Memory
64 GB Max. Memory 8 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
38.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 14.4 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
6.00 MB L3 Cache --
3.0 PCIe version --
12 PCIe lanes --
11.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Core i5-8260U has a TDP of 15 W, that of the MediaTek Helio G85 is --.

Intel Core i5-8260U Characteristic MediaTek Helio G85
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
25 W TDP up --
10 W TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i5-8260U has a 6.00 MB cache, while the MediaTek Helio G85 cache has a total of 0.00 MB.

Intel Core i5-8260U Characteristic MediaTek Helio G85
14 nm Technology 12 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions --
BGA 1528 Socket --
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Android
Q4/2019 Release date Q2/2020
297 $ Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i5-8260U to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the MediaTek Helio G85 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.4 stars (14 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i5-8260U (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 (36%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i5-8260U (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 (37%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
923 (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
359 (39%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 2.60 GHz
3624 (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
1283 (35%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
1288 (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
424 (33%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 2.60 GHz
3655 (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
1322 (36%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
Intel UHD Graphics 620 @ 1.10 GHz
422 (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
ARM Mali-G52 MP2 @ 1.00 GHz
64 (15%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 2.60 GHz
6149 (100%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
2417 (39%)

AnTuTu 9 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 9 benchmark is very well suited to measuring the performance of a smartphone. AnTuTu 9 is quite heavy on 3D graphics and can now also use the "Metal" graphics interface. In AnTuTu, memory and UX (user experience) are also tested by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu version 9 can compare any ARM CPU running on Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly comparable when benchmarked on different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 9 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The rating is made up of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the working memory, and the performance of the internal graphics.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 1.60 GHz
0 (0%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
226311 (100%)

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 8 Benchmark measures the performance of a SoC. AnTuTu benchmarks the CPU, GPU, Memory as well as the UX (User Experience) by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu can benchmark any ARM CPU that runs under Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly compareable if the benchmark has been performed under different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
Intel Core i5-8260U Intel Core i5-8260U
4C 8T @ 1.60 GHz
0 (0%)
MediaTek Helio G85 MediaTek Helio G85
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
179641 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i5-8260U MediaTek Helio G85
Unknown Unknown

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