Intel Core i5-10310U vs Intel Celeron 5205U vs Intel Core i3-10110U

Intel Core i5-10310U

The Intel Core i5-10310U is a power efficient quad-core SoC for notebooks based on the Comet Lake (CML-U) generation and was announced in August 2019. Compared to the similar Whiskey Lake processors (e.g. Core i5-8665U), the only difference is support for higher memory speeds (DDR4-2666 vs 2400) and two additional cores in the top model (not in this i5). The processor cores are clocked between 1.7 and 4.4 GHz (unverified). Thanks to HyperThreading 8 threads can be used. Compared to the faster i5-10510U, the level 3 cache was reduced from 8 to 6 MB. More information on Comet Lake and all the models and articles on it can be found here. The CPU supports the professional management features under the vPro umbrella.

The integrated graphics adapter however is still the same as in the previous generations. It should be still called Intel HD Graphics 620 and clock from 300 - 1100 MHz in the i5. Furthermore, the SoC integrates a VP9 and H.265 de- and encoder and an integrated dual channel DDR4-2666 / LPDDR4x 2933 / LPDDR3-2133 memory controller.

Performance

The average 10310U in our database is not really any different than other quad-core laptop CPUs running at similar clock speeds, such as the Ryzen 5 3450U or the Core i5-1035G4.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Power consumption

This Core i5 has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 15 W, a value that laptop manufacturers are free to change to anything between 10 W and 25 W with clock speeds and performance changing correspondingly. Perhaps more importantly, short-term power consumption can be as high as 80 W or even 90 W as far as 10th gen Comet Lake U chips are concerned, making passively cooled designs unlikely.

This Intel processor is manufactured on a fairly old, as of late 2022, 14 nm Intel process for subpar energy efficiency.

Intel Celeron 5205U

The Intel Celeron 5205U is a power efficient entry-level dual-core SoC for notebooks based on the Comet Lake (CML-U) generation and was announced in October 2019. Compared to the similar Whiskey Lake Celeron 4205U processors, the difference is the higher clock speed (+100 MHz) and support for faster memory. The processor cores are clocked at only 1.9 GHz (no Turbo) and don't support SMT / HyperThreading (so only 2 threads). More information on Comet Lake and all the models and articles on it can be found here.

The integrated graphics adapter is still the same as in the previous generations. It is called only Intel UHD Graphics but is still the same Intel UHD Graphics 610 like in the Pentium 4205U. Furthermore, the SoC integrates a VP9 and H.265 de- and encoder and an integrated dual channel LPDDR3-2133/DDR4-2400 memory controller (compared to DDR4-2666 in the faster and costlier Core i3/i5/i7 processors).

Performance

While we have not tested a single system powered by the 5205U as of August 2023, it's safe to expect the chip to be about half as fast as the Core i3-10110U (Comet Lake, 2 cores, 4 threads, up to 4.1 GHz). Which is nothing to write home about, really, as of mid 2022.

Power consumption

This Celeron has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 15 W. Intel officialy allows laptop manufacturers to reduce that value somewhat, 12.5 W being the lower limit, resulting in lower clock speeds and lower performance. Unlike most Comet Lake family processors, Celeron 5205U is fairly likely to actually stick to that limitation as its cores are not Boost-enabled.

Last but not the least, this CPU is manufactured on an old, as of late 2022, 14 nm Intel process making for subpar energy efficiency.

Intel Core i3-10110U

The Intel Core i3-10110U is a dual-core SoC of the Comet Lake family. The i3 is designed for use in ultraportable laptops of the more affordable flavor as well as mini-PCs. It was announced in August 2019. Just like the other Comet Lake processors, this Core i3 features several advantages over the outgoing Whiskey Lake family including support for faster memory (up to LPDDR4-2933).

Core i3-10110U runs at 2.1 GHz to 4.1 GHz (only 3.7 GHz are reachable when under multi-thread load). Hyper-Threading support is enabled for 4 processing threads in total.

Performance

The average 10110U in our database shapes up to be a decent entry-level CPU, as of late 2021, its multi-thread benchmark scores nearly matching those of the AMD Ryzen 3 3250U and also the Core i3-8145U. While not a whole lot faster than Intel's more affordable Pentium Gold and Pentium Silver chips, the i3 will still let you run most apps with virtually no annoying slowdowns.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Graphics

The Intel UHD Graphics 620 runs at up to 1,000 MHz. What makes this specific iGPU peculiar is that it only has 23 Execution Units at its disposal, not the 24 EUs typical for a UHD Graphics 620. Otherwise, it's the usual affair with 4K monitor support (up to three displays at the same time) and a hardware video decoder that's friends with VP9, AVC, HEVC but not the newer AV1 video codec.

Power consumption

This Core i3 series chip has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 15 W, a value that laptop makers are allowed to change to anything between 10 W and 25 W with clock speeds and performance changing correspondingly. By going for the lowest value, it will be possible to build a passively cooled system around the SoC.

The i3-10110U is built with one of the old 14 nm Intel processees for low, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.