Quick Verdict
A marginally faster binned version of the 10210Y, offering slightly better sustained performance in fanless tablets.
Overview
Launch
2019
Status
ActiveGeneration
10th Gen (Comet Lake-Y)
Market
Mobile
The Intel Core i5-10310Y is an ultra-low power mobile CPU designed for premium fanless tablets and compact 2-in-1 devices. Released in August 2019 alongside the 10210Y, it features four cores and eight threads on the 14nm Comet Lake-Y architecture. What sets this specific model apart is its slightly higher base clock of 1.1 GHz, providing a minor bump in sustained performance over its sibling, while still maintaining a strict 9W TDP. It can boost up to 4.1 GHz, ensuring snappy responsiveness during bursty tasks like application launches and web browsing. The processor includes 6MB of L3 cache and supports LPDDR3 memory to minimize power consumption. Designed for the most thermally constrained environments, it enables completely silent, passively cooled computing. While not suited for heavy workloads or gaming, it offers a smooth experience for everyday productivity, media consumption, and business tasks on the go, balancing efficiency with adequate multi-threaded headroom.
The i5-10310Y sits at the top of the Comet Lake-Y lineup, featuring a 1.1GHz base and 4.1GHz turbo.
This slight bump over the 10210Y helps maintain sustained performance in tight thermal environments. It remains a fanless chip, prioritizing battery life and silent operation over raw power.
Specifications
Performance
Slightly better sustained performance than 10210Y for office tasks.
Can handle light VMs but thermal limits restrict usage.
Not suitable for gaming beyond simple 2D applications.
Exceptional power efficiency for all-day tablet battery life.
- •Basic UHD Graphics
- •Passive cooling limits GPU boost
- •LPDDR3 bandwidth is a bottleneck
- •No dedicated AI hardware
- •Low frequency limits CPU-based inference
Architecture
14nm
Process Node
Comet Lake-Y
Codename
4C / 8T
Core Config
6 MB
L3 Cache
9 W
TDP
Architecture Overview
The Core i5-10310Y utilizes the Comet Lake-Y architecture, a specialized iteration of Intel's 14nm technology tailored for extreme power efficiency. It integrates four physical cores and eight threads via Hyper-Threading, a significant upgrade for the Y-series lineup. Each core has access to 64KB of L1 and 256KB of L2 cache, sharing a 6MB L3 pool for fast data retrieval. To maintain the 9W TDP, the architecture relies heavily on aggressive power gating and dynamic frequency scaling. It supports LPDDR3 memory, which trades bandwidth for lower voltage operation compared to DDR4. The integrated UHD Graphics are based on the Gen 9.5 design, sufficient for hardware-accelerated video decoding and basic display outputs. The Sunny Cove architecture was bypassed here in favor of higher clock speeds on the mature 14nm node. This design ensures the chip remains within thermal limits during bursty workloads while surviving in completely fanless chassis designs.
CPU Design
4 cores and 8 threads optimized for silent, fanless operation.
Memory Subsystem
Dual-channel LPDDR3 controller for maximum power savings.
PCIe & I/O
16 PCIe 3.0 lanes for high-speed NVMe storage.
Overclocking
Locked, optimized for OEM thermal configurations.
- Doubled core count
- Slightly higher max turbo
Key Highlights
- Fanless, completely silent operation
- Excellent battery life
- Slightly higher clocks than 10210Y
- Good burst performance
- Low base clock limits sustained work
- Uses older LPDDR3 memory
- Weak integrated graphics
- Expensive when new for the performance offered
History
Launched in August 2019, the Core i5-10310Y arrived during a critical transitional phase for Intel's mobile strategy. As the company struggled to produce 10nm Ice Lake chips in volume, they refreshed the 14nm Y-series to remain competitive in the premium tablet market. The 10310Y succeeded the dual-core Core m3 and Core i5 Y-series processors, bringing much-needed quad-core capabilities to fanless designs.
This was a direct response to the increasing efficiency of ARM-based competitors, which were threatening Intel's dominance in ultra-thin form factors. By offering a slightly higher base clock than the 10210Y, the 10310Y targeted premium business tablets and high-end detachables where marginally better sustained performance was required. While it represented the peak of Intel's 14nm low-power engineering, it also highlighted the limits of the aging node.
The chip served as a final stopgap before the eventual transition to Tiger Lake and newer architectures.
Improvements over Previous Generation
- Doubled core count
- Slightly higher max turbo
Alternatives & Competitors
Should You Buy It?
Not Recommended for the right buyer
Buying a used premium business tablet for travel.
Avoid if…
- You need sustained CPU performance
- You want to play games
- You need hardware AI acceleration
Use Cases
Interesting Facts
It is a slightly higher-binned version of the i5-10210Y.
The base clock is only 100 MHz faster than the 10210Y.
It was commonly found in premium business detachables.
The chip uses a BGA 1440 package.
It has a strict 9W TDP rating.
LPDDR3 memory is used to preserve battery life.
It lacks the AVX-512 instructions found in Ice Lake.
The maximum case temperature is 72°C.
It supports Intel VT-d for virtualization.
It features 6MB of Smart Cache.
People Also Ask
Is the i5-10310Y better than the 10210Y?
Yes, slightly. It has a 100MHz higher base and turbo clock.
Can the i5-10310Y run without a fan?
Yes, its 9W TDP is designed for fanless operation.
What memory does the i5-10310Y use?
It uses low-power LPDDR3 memory.
Is the i5-10310Y good for gaming?
No, it is not suitable for modern gaming.
What is the turbo boost of the i5-10310Y?
It can boost up to 4.1 GHz.
Does the i5-10310Y support DDR4?
No, it only supports LPDDR3.
Can I overclock the i5-10310Y?
No, the multiplier is locked.
How many cores does the i5-10310Y have?
It has 4 cores and 8 threads.
What is the TDP of the i5-10310Y?
The TDP is 9 Watts.
Is it good for video editing?
No, it struggles with anything beyond basic 1080p trimming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it support Thunderbolt 3?
Yes, it supports Thunderbolt 3 via the platform controller.
What socket does it use?
It is soldered using the BGA 1440 socket.
Is it an Ice Lake processor?
No, it is based on the 14nm Comet Lake architecture.
What generation is the i5-10310Y?
It is a 10th Generation processor.
Does it have Hyper-Threading?
Yes, 4 cores and 8 threads.
What is the max memory supported?
It supports up to 16GB of LPDDR3.
Does it support AVX-512?
No, it only supports up to AVX2.
What is the L3 cache size?
It has 6MB of L3 cache.
Can it run Windows 11?
It can run it, but is not officially supported.
Is it good for programming?
It is adequate for light coding, but not heavy compiling.