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Intel Core i3-10100Y

Intel Core i3-10100Y: A Compact Processor for Mobility. Is it the Perfect Choice for Office and Travel?

Introduction

By 2025, the laptop market is overflowing with processors boasting "cores for every taste" — from the 4nm monsters like the Apple M3 to Intel's hybrid architectures such as the Core Ultra. However, even amidst this technological race, niche solutions remain for those who prioritize battery life and portability over absolute performance. One such "veteran" is the Intel Core i3-10100Y based on the Amber Lake Y architecture. Let's explore who should pay attention to devices with this CPU in 2025.

1. Architecture and Technology Process: Why are 14nm Still Alive?

The Amber Lake Y microarchitecture from Intel debuted in 2018. Despite its age, processors from this family are still found in budget ultrabooks. The Core i3-10100Y is built on a 14nm technology process, which appears archaic in 2025 compared to the 7nm AMD Ryzen 3 7440U or 4nm Apple M2. However, this allows for lower device costs.

CPU Specifications:

- 2 cores / 4 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading.

- Base frequency: 1.3 GHz, Turbo Boost: up to 3.9 GHz (but only for one core).

- Cache: 4 MB L3.

Integrated Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 615:

- 24 Execution Units (EU);

- Supports 4K@60Hz via DisplayPort;

- Hardware decoding for VP9 and H.265;

- Gaming: CS:GO at 720p/30 fps (low settings), Minecraft — up to 40 fps.

Why 14nm? The technology process isn't the most modern, but it's well-established, reducing the risk of manufacturing defects and lowering chip costs. However, the trade-off is higher power consumption per gigahertz compared to 7nm competitors.

2. TDP 5W: Cool, Quiet, but Slow

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 5W is a key feature of the i3-10100Y. This allows:

- Elimination of active cooling (fan), making the laptop silent.

- Integration of the processor in devices with a 30Wh battery, providing up to 12 hours of operation.

However, the low TDP limits performance. During prolonged loads (e.g., video rendering), the frequency drops to the base 1.3 GHz. For short tasks (loading web pages, launching applications), Turbo Boost provides a temporary surge to 3.9 GHz, but only for 10-15 seconds.

3. Performance: What Can 2 Cores Do in 2025?

Office Tasks:

- Microsoft Office, Google Workspace — no delays.

- Simultaneous work with 10+ tabs in Chrome is possible but may experience lags.

- Video calls (Zoom, Teams): stable assuming 8GB of RAM.

Multimedia:

- 4K video playback: hardware decoding via UHD 615 graphics works perfectly.

- Photo editing in Lightroom: acceptable for basic corrections, but exporting 100 photos will take 12-15 minutes.

Gaming:

- Only light projects: Stardew Valley, Terraria, Hearthstone.

- Cloud gaming (GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud) — the optimal choice.

Turbo Mode: Temporary "overclocking" is useful for speeding up program launches, but in multi-threaded scenarios (e.g., PDF rendering), the advantage is lost.

4. Usage Scenarios: Who is the i3-10100Y Suitable For?

- Students: For lectures, text work, and presentations.

- Travelers: Laptops weighing up to 1 kg (e.g., Lenovo Yoga 730 12") with battery life of 10+ hours.

- Secondary Device: As an addition to a powerful PC for travel.

Not Suitable For:

- Freelancers working with Premiere Pro or Blender.

- Gamers (except indie game enthusiasts).

5. Battery Life: How to Achieve 12 Hours of Operation?

Under typical load (screen brightness at 150 nits, Wi-Fi, web browsing):

- Laptop with a 38Wh battery: up to 9 hours.

- Devices with 50Wh (e.g., ASUS ExpertBook B9): up to 12-13 hours.

Energy-saving Technologies:

- Intel Speed Shift: Dynamic frequency adjustment to reduce power consumption.

- Passive Cooling: The absence of a fan saves up to 5% of battery life.

Tip: Disable Turbo Boost in power settings — this can add 1.5-2 hours of battery life at the cost of slower program launches.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (4 cores, 15W TDP):

- 30% faster in multi-threaded tasks;

- However, laptop battery life is 20% shorter.

Apple M1 (8 cores, 10W):

- A single-component system (SoC) with better optimization;

- MacBook Air M1 (2025 price: $799) works for up to 18 hours;

- However, macOS is not suitable for everyone.

Intel Core i3-10100Y vs. Previous Generations:

- 15% faster than the i3-8145U (Whiskey Lake, 2019);

- UHD 615 graphics against UHD 620: the difference is minimal.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low price of laptops ($450-600);

- Passive cooling (no noise);

- Support for modern interfaces: USB-C, Wi-Fi 6.

Weaknesses:

- 2 cores are insufficient for multitasking;

- 14nm against 5-7nm from competitors;

- No support for PCIe 4.0.

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

Look for:

- 512GB SSD (less will slow down the system);

- 8+ GB RAM (optimal — 16 GB for Windows 11);

- Full HD resolution screen (HD+ in 2025 is outdated).

Avoid:

- Laptops with HDD;

- Models without USB-C;

- Devices with TN panels.

Examples of 2025 Models:

- Acer Swift 1 (SF114-35): $499, 13.3" FHD, 8 GB, 512 GB.

- HP Pavilion Aero 12: $549, 12.5" OLED, 16 GB, 1 TB.

9. Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i3-10100Y is a processor for undemanding users. Its advantages — silence, battery life, and affordability — outweigh the drawbacks of weak multi-threaded performance.

Choose this CPU if:

- You need a lightweight laptop for under $600;

- You're willing to sacrifice performance for 12 hours of unplugged work;

- Your primary tasks are browsing, Office, and Netflix.

In 2025, the i3-10100Y remains a niche solution, but it is still relevant for its target audience.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2021

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i3-10100Y

Code Name

Amber Lake Y

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

1.30 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

3.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

3.90 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

5 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

1x4 | 2x2 | 1x2+2x1 and 4x1

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

LPDDR3-1866 | DDR3L-1600

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

16 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

4 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

33.3 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics 615

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

300 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.00 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

16 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Execution Units

The Execution Unit is the foundational building block of Intel’s graphics architecture. Execution Units are compute processors optimized for simultaneous Multi-Threading for high throughput compute power.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

3840x2160@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

3840x2160@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

4 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

940

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

1579

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

743

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1479

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1664

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

2940

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon Silver 4215

1041 +10.7%

Xeon E5-2630 v4

994 +5.7%

Core i3-10100Y

940

Xeon D-2123IT

894 -4.9%

Core m3-8100Y

847 -9.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon E5-1428L

1904 +20.6%

FX-8320

1739 +10.1%

Core i3-10100Y

1579

A12-9800

1445 -8.5%

Pentium G4500T

1260 -20.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i3-8140U

782 +5.2%

Athlon PRO 300U

766 +3.1%

Core i3-10100Y

743

Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U

729 -1.9%

Pentium Gold G5600T

708 -4.7%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Pentium Silver J5040

1668 +12.8%

Athlon X4 860K

1566 +5.9%

Core i3-10100Y

1479

Core i7-6500U

1409 -4.7%

Core i3-2130

1350 -8.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i3-10100TE

1715 +3.1%

Xeon E5-2670

1695 +1.9%

Core i3-10100Y

1664

PRO A6-8550B

1631 -2%

Xeon E5-2470 v2

1600 -3.8%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Pentium D1508

3240 +10.2%

Core i5-4570TE

3074 +4.6%

Core i3-10100Y

2940

Pentium G4500

2761 -6.1%

Pentium Silver N5000

2598 -11.6%