Intel Core i5-8500 8th Gen Desktop Processor, 6-Core, LGA1151
The Intel Core i5-8500 is a desktop processor with six cores and six threads, built on Intel's 8th generation Core architecture, codenamed Coffee Lake. It runs at a base frequency of 3.00 GHz and reaches 4.10 GHz under Turbo Boost, backed by 9 MB of Intel Smart Cache within a 65 W thermal envelope. It installs in an FCLGA1151 socket on 300 series boards and supports dual channel DDR4 at up to 2666 MT/s, which suits it to desktop workstations and industrial systems that need six cores without Hyper-Threading.
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Additional details
Compatibility and integration considerations
The FCLGA1151 socket is shared with earlier Intel generations, but this processor runs only on 300 series chipsets, which Intel lists as B360, B365, H310, H370, Q370, Z370 and Z390. It will not boot on 100 or 200 series boards even though it fits the socket, so verify the chipset rather than the socket when ordering against an existing platform. Boards that shipped before this generation launched may need a BIOS update before they will post. Memory runs in dual channel DDR4 at up to 2666 MT/s with a 128 GB ceiling, matching the i7 parts of this generation and running faster than the 8th generation i3 parts, which cap at 2400 MT/s. ECC is not supported. Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 requires display outputs on the board, so a discrete card is needed where those are absent. Cooling should be rated for 65 W.
Typical use cases
This processor sits between the four core i3 and the Hyper-Threaded i7 parts of the same generation, so it appears in office and engineering workstations, industrial PCs and signage controllers that need six physical cores but not twelve threads. Most demand is replacement and fleet maintenance on 300 series platforms, along with mid-life upgrades from a four core part on a board that is already validated, which avoids requalifying the design on a newer socket.