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Intel Core i5-10210Y

Intel Core i5-10210Y: Compact Power for Mobile Tasks

April 2025

Despite the rapid development of the processor market, some chips remain relevant even years later. One such example is the Intel Core i5-10210Y, released in 2019, but still found in budget ultrabooks and hybrid devices. Let’s find out who this processor is suitable for in 2025, what its strengths are, and what to consider when choosing a laptop.

1. Architecture and Process Technology: 14 nm and Four Cores for Balance

The Intel Core i5-10210Y belongs to the Comet Lake generation (codename Amber Lake Y) and is manufactured using a 14-nm process technology. Although by 2025 most Intel and AMD chips have transitioned to 7–5 nm, the 14 nm here is a compromise between cost and energy efficiency.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores and 8 threads thanks to Hyper-Threading. Base frequency is 1.0 GHz, maximum in turbo mode is 4.0 GHz.

- Cache: 6 MB of L3 cache, which is sufficient for office tasks and light multitasking.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics for the 10th generation with 24 EUs (execution units). It supports 4K@60 Hz via HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort, and decodes H.265 and VP9 video.

The CPU architecture is optimized for low power consumption, but due to the 14 nm process, the chip may heat up under prolonged loads. The graphics are suitable only for basic tasks: word processing, streaming video, and older games like CS:GO at low settings.

2. Power Consumption and TDP: 7 W for Passive Cooling

The CPU's TDP (thermal design power) is 7 W. This allows it to be used in devices without active cooling (for example, in tablets or thin ultrabooks).

- Operating Modes: Depending on the load, the processor dynamically adjusts its frequency. For instance, when launching a browser with a dozen tabs, it can boost to 3.5–4.0 GHz and drop to 1.0 GHz in idle mode.

- Thermal Regulation: In compact laptops, the chip often runs at the edge of its TDP, which can lead to throttling and frequency reduction during prolonged loads (e.g., video rendering).

3. Performance: Modest, but Sufficient for Basic Tasks

According to Geekbench 6 tests (Single-Core: 1079, Multi-Core: 2380), the i5-10210Y is comparable to modern budget processors like Intel N-series or AMD Athlon.

- Office Work: Easily handles Office 365, Google Workspace, and PDF editors.

- Multimedia: Streams video (Netflix, YouTube 4K), basic editing in Shotcut or DaVinci Resolve (with delays during rendering).

- Gaming: Only for undemanding games: Minecraft (30–40 FPS on medium settings), Dota 2 (720p, low settings), browser games.

- Turbo Mode: Boosts to 4.0 GHz lasts 10–15 seconds, then the frequency drops to 2.5–3.0 GHz.

For example: A laptop with an i5-10210Y opens 30 tabs in Chrome + a Zoom conference but starts to stutter when Photoshop is launched simultaneously.

4. Usage Scenarios: Portability Over Power

This processor is for those who value battery life and device weight:

- Students: Working with lectures, online courses, writing papers.

- Office Workers: Documents, email, video calls.

- Travelers: Compact 12–13-inch laptops weighing up to 1.2 kg.

Not Suitable for: Gamers, engineers (CAD, 3D modeling), video editors.

5. Battery Life: Up to 10 Hours in Energy-Saving Mode

Thanks to the 7 W TDP and energy-saving technologies, laptops with the i5-10210Y demonstrate good battery life:

- Technologies:

- Intel Speed Shift: Quick switching between frequencies.

- Dynamic Tuning: Adapts to current tasks.

- Examples of Operating Time:

- Web surfing: 8–10 hours.

- Video playback: 6–7 hours.

- Load (Zoom + browser): 4–5 hours.

Tip: Choose models with a 45 Wh battery for maximum autonomy.

6. Comparison with Competitors: 2025 Contenders

- AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (Zen 2, 15 W): Better graphics (Radeon 610M) but higher TDP. Suitable for light gaming.

- Apple M1 (2020): 2–3 times higher performance, but only within the macOS ecosystem.

- Intel Core i3-N305 (7 nm): More modern 8-core chip with a TDP of 15 W, but more expensive.

The i5-10210Y excels in device pricing (laptops starting from $600) but falls short in performance and efficiency.

7. Pros and Cons: Balanced with Reservations

Strengths:

- Low power consumption.

- Support for 4K displays.

- Affordable device prices.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated 14-nm process.

- Weak graphics.

- Limited multitasking capabilities.

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

Devices with the i5-10210Y in 2025 are budget ultrabooks and convertibles. Examples include:

- Dell Inspiron 13 5301 (13.3", 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, $650).

- Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", touchscreen, $700).

What to Look For:

- RAM: At least 8 GB.

- Storage: Only SSD (preferably NVMe).

- Display: Full HD (1920×1080) for comfortable work.

Avoid models with HDDs and 4 GB of RAM—these undermine the processor's advantages.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is This Processor For?

The Intel Core i5-10210Y in 2025 is a choice for those seeking an affordable, lightweight laptop with long battery life. It is suitable for:

- Students for studying.

- Office workers.

- Users in need of portability.

Key Benefits: Savings of $200–300 compared to modern counterparts, sufficient performance for everyday tasks, and the ability to work without recharging all day.

However, if you plan to use the laptop for 3–4 years, consider models with processors on 5–7 nm (Intel Alder Lake-N, AMD Ryzen 3 8300U) as they offer a better balance of power and autonomy.

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.

i5-10210Y

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

1.00 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.

4.00 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.

UTFCBGA1377

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

7 W

Max. Operating Temperature

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

100

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.

LPDDR3-2133 | 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).

33.33 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.

1.05 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.

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.

3840 x 2160@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.

3840 x 2160@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

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

1079

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

2380

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

802

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

1998

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

1876

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

4451

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1585L v5

1156 +7.1%

Core i3-6098P

1115 +3.3%

Core i5-10210Y

1079

Ryzen 5 7535H

1034 -4.2%

Core i5-4570R

982 -9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 3 3200GE

2875 +20.8%

Core i3-7300

2581 +8.4%

Core i5-10210Y

2380

Xeon E5-2418L

2130 -10.5%

Core i3-7100H

1961 -17.6%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon Gold 5318N

836 +4.2%

Xeon Gold 5119T

818 +2%

Core i5-10210Y

802

Xeon E7-8894 v4

784 -2.2%

Xeon D-2146NT

768 -4.2%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon D-1527

2319 +16.1%

Athlon Gold 7220U

2146 +7.4%

Core i5-10210Y

1998

Processor 300

1880 -5.9%

Athlon PRO 300U

1722 -13.8%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E3-1225 v2

1937 +3.3%

Core i7-5650U

1905 +1.5%

Core i5-10210Y

1876

Xeon Gold 5320

1826 -2.7%

Xeon D-2146NT

1802 -3.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon W-2102

5074 +14%

Xeon E5-2603 v4

4695 +5.5%

Core i5-10210Y

4451

Core i5-6350HQ

4255 -4.4%

Core i7-2710QE

4044 -9.1%