Intel Unveils Broadwell-Y Core M Processors with 4.5W TDP: 5Y70m 5Y10 and 5Y10a

ARM still have an edge in terms of power efficiency, but Intel has historically had an edge when it comes to process technology, and the company has announced their first 14-nm processors with three Broadwell Core M SoCs. The new process will also help with power efficiency, as all processors have 4.5W TDP, and Intel claims a Core M laptop will deliver twice the compute performance, and seven times more graphics processing power compared to a 2010 laptop powered by a 18W Core i5 processor, while doubling the battery life. Compared to more recent 4th generation Intel Core “Haswell” CPU, the new chips are said to offer up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and 40 percent graphics on a performance-per-watt basis.

The company reveals three Core-M processors: 5Y70, 5Y10, and 5Y10a, all dual core / quad thread processor with base frequencies between 800 and 1,100 MHz, and turbo frequencies between 2 and 2.6 GHz, as well as an an Intel HD 5300 GPU clocked at 800 or 850 MHz depending on the model. The differences between the three processors are listed in the table below (Source: Anandtech)

Intel Core M Specifications
	Core M-5Y70	Core M-5Y10a	Core M-5Y10
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4	2 / 4
Base Frequency / MHz	1100	800	800
Turbo Frequency / MHz	2600	2000	2000
Processor Graphics	HD 5300	HD 5300	HD 5300
IGP Base Frequency / MHz	100	100	100
IGP Turbo Frequency / MHz	850	800	800
L3 Cache	4 MB	4 MB	4 MB
TDP	4.5 W	4.5 W	4.5 W
LPDDR3/DDR3L Support	1600 MHz	1600 MHz	1600 MHz
Intel vPro	Yes	No	No
Intel TXT	Yes	No	No
Intel VT-d/VT-x	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intel AES-NI	Yes	Yes	Yes

5Y10 and 5Y10a are very similar (all specs are identical in the table above), but Anandtech reports one of Intel slides indicates that 5Y10 supports “4W Config Down TDP” (cTDP Down). The GPU will support DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.2, and OpenCL 2.0, support UHD resolution, and Intel Quick Sync Video, which should allow up to 1.7 hours extra battery life with a 35Whr battery compared to previous generations. If you want more technical information, you may want to visit Intel Core M page where you’ll find a product brief, and two datasheets.

Intel Core M processors will be found in thin (<9 mm), fanless 2-in-1 tablet/nodtebook hybrids and laptops that will be available later this year. Five companies have announced products with the latest low power chips by Intel: Acer (Aspire Switch 12), ASUS (Zenbook UX305), Dell (Latitude 13 7000 Series), HP (ENVY x2), and Lenovo (ThinkPad Helix). Since all three Core M SoCs have a price of $281 (1k order), they will only be found in high-end laptops or tablets, and all products aforementioned sells for around $1,000 or more. You can get a run-down of four of the devices on Liliputing.

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