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Intel Core i5-10210U

Intel Core i5-10210U: Review of the Processor for Everyday Tasks in 2025

An analysis of capabilities, comparison with competitors, and recommendations for laptop selection

1. Architecture and Process Technology: Staying at 14 nm

The Intel Core i5-10210U processor, released in 2019, belongs to the Comet Lake line and is still found in budget laptops in 2025. Despite being based on an outdated 14-nm process (compared to AMD's 7 nm and Apple's 5 nm), it remains relevant for basic tasks thanks to architectural optimizations.

Cores and Threads:

- 4 cores and 8 threads powered by Hyper-Threading.

- Base frequency: 1.6 GHz, maximum Turbo Boost: 4.2 GHz (for one core).

- Cache: 6 MB L3, which is sufficient for office applications but a bit limited for heavy multitasking.

Integrated Graphics:

- Intel UHD Graphics for the 10th generation (24 EUs) — suitable for 4K output but weak for gaming.

- Supports HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, H.265 decoding.

Architecture Features:

Comet Lake is an evolution of Skylake with improved power management and support for DDR4-2666. However, the lack of AI accelerators and the limitations of the 14 nm process make it less efficient compared to modern chips.

2. TDP 15 W: Balancing Performance and Battery Life

The Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 15 W positions the i5-10210U as a processor for ultrabooks and thin laptops.

- Power Consumption: In idle mode, consumption drops to 2-5 W, under load it can go up to 25-30 W (in Turbo mode).

- Cooling: Even in compact chassis, the cooling system handles short bursts effectively, but prolonged stress may lead to throttling (drop in frequency to 2.8-3.0 GHz).

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Speed Shift — quick transition between P-states to conserve charge.

- Adaptix Thermal Framework — dynamic fan management.

3. Performance: Speed in Everyday Tasks

Office Work and Multimedia:

- Launching 20+ tabs in Chrome, working with documents in Microsoft Office, rendering PDFs — the processor handles these tasks without delays.

- Geekbench 6: 1067 (Single-Core), 2938 (Multi-Core) — results are close to Ryzen 5 5500U, but lower than Apple M1 (~2300/8300).

Multimedia:

- Converting 1080p video in HandBrake: ~45 minutes for a 10-minute clip (H.264 to H.265).

- Editing photos in Lightroom: comfortable when working with RAW files up to 24 MP.

Gaming:

- CS:GO — 40-50 FPS on low settings (720p).

- Fortnite — 25-30 FPS (720p, low graphics).

- For games with graphics above 2020, an external graphics card is required (e.g., NVIDIA MX350).

Turbo Boost:

In turbo mode, the processor boosts to 4.2 GHz, but only on 1-2 cores and for a short duration (up to 28 seconds). This is useful for "burst" workloads (opening large files), but not for prolonged tasks.

4. Usage Scenarios: Who is the i5-10210U Suitable For?

- Students and office workers: Working with texts, spreadsheets, Zoom conferences.

- Budget-conscious users: Laptops based on this CPU cost $450-600 (in 2025).

- Travelers: Lightweight devices (1.2-1.5 kg) with a battery life of up to 10 hours.

- Not suitable for: Gamers, engineers (CAD, 3D modeling), videographers.

5. Battery Life: How Long Does the Laptop Last?

- Web browsing: 8-10 hours (at 150 nits brightness and Wi-Fi).

- Video (1080p): Up to 12 hours thanks to hardware decoding.

- Heavy tasks: 3-4 hours (e.g., code compilation).

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Panel Self-Refresh — reduces screen refresh frequency in static scenarios.

- Dynamic Tuning — real-time optimization of load on the cores.

6. Comparison with Competitors: What to Choose Instead of the i5-10210U?

- AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (7 nm): Better multi-threaded performance (+25% in Cinebench R23), similar price point.

- Apple M1: 2-3 times higher speed in Single-Core, double the battery life, but more expensive ($800+).

- Intel Core i5-1135G7 (Tiger Lake): More powerful Iris Xe graphics (2x faster than UHD), Thunderbolt 4 support.

Example: A laptop with Ryzen 5 5500U (e.g., Lenovo IdeaPad 5) for $600 will be better for video editing, while the i5-10210U is adequate for basic tasks.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Adequate performance for everyday tasks.

- Low power consumption and good battery life.

- Affordable device prices.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated 14-nm process (higher heat generation and fan noise).

- Weak integrated graphics.

- No support for PCIe 4.0 and Wi-Fi 6 (only in select laptop models).

8. Recommendations for Laptop Selection

Types of Devices:

- Ultrabooks: ASUS ZenBook 14, HP Pavilion Aero — weight up to 1.3 kg, screens 13-14 inches.

- Budget Laptops: Acer Swift 3, Lenovo IdeaPad 3 — priced at $450-600.

What to Pay Attention To:

- Cooling: Two fans are better than one.

- RAM: Minimum of 8 GB (preferably 16 GB for multitasking).

- Storage: SSD is a must (256 GB and above).

- Display: IPS panel with a resolution of 1920x1080.

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the i5-10210U Designed For?

The Intel Core i5-10210U in 2025 is an option for those looking for an inexpensive laptop for document work, browsing, and video viewing. Its key advantages are a balance of price and battery life, while its weaknesses are outdated architecture and graphics.

It’s worth buying if:

- The budget is limited to $500.

- There are no gaming or professional software requirements.

- Weight and battery life are important.

Alternatives: With a budget of $700+, it's better to choose laptops with Ryzen 5 7530U or Apple MacBook Air M1.

Prices are current as of April 2025. They are for new devices in the mass-market segment.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

August 2019

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.

i5-10210U

Code Name

Comet Lake

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

1.60 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.

4.20 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

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1528

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

15 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.

DDR4-2666 | LPDDR3-2133 | LPDDR4-2933

Max Memory Size

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

64 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).

45.8 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 for 10th Gen Intel® Processors

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.

1.10 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

32 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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@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.

4096 x 2304@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.

6 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 Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

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

1067

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2938

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

905

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

2746

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2180

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

6223

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

1139 +6.7%

Xeon E5-2697A v4

1098 +2.9%

Core i5-10210U

1067

Core i5-4570S

1010 -5.3%

Xeon E5-2660 v4

959 -10.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i3-N300

3364 +14.5%

Ryzen 5 2600E

3107 +5.8%

Core i5-10210U

2938

Xeon E3-1240L v3

2669 -9.2%

Xeon D-1527

2435 -17.1%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 1600

937 +3.5%

Core i7-5775R

922 +1.9%

Core i5-10210U

905

Core i9-10900TE

889 -1.8%

Core i7-4810MQ

874 -3.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2418L

3025 +10.2%

Ryzen 3 PRO 3200G

2864 +4.3%

Core i5-10210U

2746

Core i7-10510U

2609 -5%

Core i5-4430

2480 -9.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon Gold 6128

2238 +2.7%

Pentium Gold G5400

2208 +1.3%

Core i5-10210U

2180

Ryzen 5 PRO 1500

2152 -1.3%

Xeon E5-1650 v3

2126 -2.5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Ryzen Embedded V1605B

6735 +8.2%

Core i7-4870HQ

6359 +2.2%

Core i5-10210U

6223

Core i7-3840QM

5903 -5.1%

Opteron 6274

5643 -9.3%