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Intel Core M-5Y10a

Intel Core M-5Y10a

Intel Core M-5Y10a: Ultra-Mobile Processor for Compact Devices. Review of 2025

Introduction

The Intel Core M-5Y10a processor, released in 2014–2015, became part of the revolution in the ultrabook and compact device segment. Even a decade later, it remains an example of balance between energy efficiency and sufficient performance for basic tasks. Let’s explore whether this chip is still relevant in 2025 and who it might be suitable for.

1. Architecture and Process Technology: Broadwell in Detail

The Core M-5Y10a belongs to the Broadwell generation (5th generation Intel Core), manufactured using a 14nm process technology. This was the first phase of the transition from the 22nm Haswell, which allowed for reduced energy consumption without a loss in performance.

Key Specifications:

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores, 4 threads (Hyper-Threading).

- Clock Frequencies: Base — 0.8 GHz, maximum in Turbo Boost — 2 GHz.

- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 (24 EUs, frequency up to 800 MHz).

- Cache: 4 MB L3.

Architecture Features:

- Broadwell Microarchitecture: Improved IPC (instructions per clock) by 5–10% compared to Haswell.

- HD 5300 Graphics Accelerator: Supports DirectX 11.2, 4K output via DisplayPort, hardware decoding of H.265.

- Passive Cooling: With a TDP of 4.5W, the processor is often used in fanless devices.

2. TDP 4.5W: Energy Efficiency as a Priority

The 4.5W TDP (Thermal Design Power) is a key feature of the Core M-5Y10a. For comparison:

- Intel U-series processors (e.g., Core i5-5200U) have a TDP of 15W.

- Modern Intel Alder Lake-U (2023–2025) range from 9–15W.

What Does This Mean?

- Quiet Operation: The absence of a cooler reduces noise and thickness of the device.

- Thermal Stability: Even under load, the temperature rarely exceeds 60–70°C.

- Flexibility: Manufacturers can create devices with a thickness of less than 10mm.

3. Performance: Real-World Scenarios

Office Tasks:

- Document work, browser (10+ tabs), Zoom — the processor handles it, but during heavy multitasking, there may be some lags.

Multimedia:

- Viewing 4K@30fps (H.265) — no problems, thanks to the iGPU decoder.

- Video editing: Only simple projects in 1080p (for example, in Shotcut). Rendering 4K will take hours.

Gaming:

- CS:GO — 720p, low settings, 25–35 FPS.

- Minecraft — 30–40 FPS (without shaders).

- Modern games (2023–2025): Not recommended.

Turbo Boost:

Maximum frequency of 2 GHz activates for 10–20 seconds, after which it drops to 1.2–1.5 GHz due to TDP limits. This is useful for short tasks (opening applications), but ineffective for long-lasting loads.

4. Use Cases: Who Is It Suitable For?

- Students: Document work, online courses, light presentations.

- Office Workers: Email, Excel, browsing.

- Travelers: Compact 2-in-1 devices (e.g., Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro) with 7–9 hours of battery life.

- Home Media Centers: Connecting to TV via HDMI for streaming.

Not Suitable For:

- Gamers, engineers (CAD), video editors.

5. Battery Life: How TDP Affects Battery

Laptops with the Core M-5Y10a were equipped with batteries of 30–40 Wh, providing:

- 8–10 hours when working with documents (brightness 50%).

- 5–6 hours when watching videos.

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency scaling.

- C-States: Turning off unused components.

- Panel Self Refresh: Reducing GPU load when displaying static images.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD of 2015:

- A6-8500P (15W, 2 cores): Higher performance, but with a TDP of 15W and less battery life.

Apple:

- MacBook 12" 2015 (Core M-5Y51): Similar to 5Y10a, but macOS optimization provided +1–2 hours of usage.

Intel of 2025:

- Intel Core Ultra 5 134U (10W, 2P+8E cores): 3–4 times higher performance with similar TDP.

Conclusion: The Core M-5Y10a has become outdated even for basic tasks compared to modern ARM chips (Apple M3, Snapdragon X Elite) and Intel's hybrid processors.

7. Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Extremely low heat output.

- Support for 4K output and H.265.

- Compatibility with Windows 10/11 and Linux.

Weaknesses:

- Low performance in multitasking.

- Turbo mode is ineffective under prolonged loads.

- Outdated platform: DDR3L, PCIe 2.0.

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop in 2025

Devices with Core M-5Y10a in 2025:

Only found on the secondary market (price: $150–250). New alternatives are laptops with Intel N-series (e.g., Acer Swift 1, $400–500).

What to Look For:

- Type of Device: Ultrabook or convertible (e.g., ASUS ZenBook Flip).

- Display: IPS matrix with a resolution of at least Full HD.

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

- Ports: USB-C with charging support.

Advice: If the budget is under $600, it's better to choose a laptop with Intel Core i3-N305 (8 cores, 15W) or AMD Ryzen 3 7320U.

9. Final Conclusion

Core M-5Y10a in 2025 is:

- For whom: Users who need a cheap laptop for text work and internet use.

- Alternatives: Used MacBook Air M1 ($300–400) or new budget Chromebooks.

- Key Benefits: Quiet operation, compactness, adequate performance for basic tasks.

Final Note: If you're not ready to spend more than $200 and are looking for a device "just in case" — the Core M-5Y10a may still serve a purpose. However, for comfortable work in 2025, it's better to consider more modern solutions.

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Basic

Label Name
Intel
Platform
Mobile
Launch Date
September 2014
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.
5Y10a
Code Name
Broadwell

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).
2
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
4
Basic Frequency
800 MHz
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.
2.00 GHz
Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency
2.00 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
4 MB
CPU Socket
?
The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.
FCBGA1234
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
4.5 W
Max. Operating Temperature
?
Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.
95 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.
2.0
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.
12
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.
x1 (6) | x2 (4) | x4 (3)

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 1333/1600; DDR3L/DDR3L-RS 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.
2
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).
25.6 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.
No

GPU Specifications

GPU Name
Intel® HD Graphics 5300
Graphics Base Frequency
?
Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.
100 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.
800 MHz
Graphics Video Max Memory
16 GB
DirectX Support
?
DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.
11.2/12
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.
2560x1600@60Hz
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.
2560x1600@60Hz
Number of Displays Supported
3
Graphics Output
?
Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.
eDP/DP/HDMI

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 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 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 InTru 3D Technology
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.
4.3
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 5
Single Core Score
326
Geekbench 5
Multi Core Score
618
Passmark CPU
Single Core Score
993
Passmark CPU
Multi Core Score
1905

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 5 Single Core
Xeon E5-2428L
393 +20.6%
Xeon E5-2403 v2
362 +11%
Core M-5Y10a
326
A8-3520M
284 -12.9%
Celeron B710
231 -29.1%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
A10-5745M
804 +30.1%
EPYC 7351
713 +15.4%
Core M-5Y10a
618
Celeron B820
498 -19.4%
E2-3800
383 -38%
Passmark CPU Single Core
Pentium 3805U
1092 +10%
Xeon L5630
1046 +5.3%
Core M-5Y10a
993
Core i3-2332M
936 -5.7%
Celeron B830
828 -16.6%
Passmark CPU Multi Core
A8-3820
2174 +14.1%
Core i5-2415M
2013 +5.7%
Core M-5Y10a
1905
Celeron G1630
1707 -10.4%
Celeron N4020
1567 -17.7%