Core i5-8210Y vs Core i3-7100U

Both the Core i5-8210Y and Core i3-7100U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Core i5-8210Y versus 2.4 GHz on the Core i3-7100U — a 40% clock advantage for the Core i5-8210Y (base: 1.6 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-8210Y uses the Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i3-7100U uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-8210Y scores 2,723 against the Core i3-7100U's 2,721 — a 0.1% lead for the Core i5-8210Y. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 796 vs 841, a 5.5% lead for the Core i3-7100U that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Core i5-8210Y vs 3 MB on the Core i3-7100U.

The Core i5-8210Y uses the FCBGA1515 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-7100U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches LPDDR3-2133 on the Core i5-8210Y versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i3-7100U — the Core i3-7100U supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i3-7100U supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 10 (Core i5-8210Y) vs 12 (Core i3-7100U) — the Core i3-7100U offers 2 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support VT-x, VT-d, EPT virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 617 (Core i5-8210Y) and HD Graphics 620 (Core i3-7100U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-8210Y targets Tablet/2-in-1, Core i3-7100U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-8210Y rivals Athlon 3050U; Core i3-7100U rivals Ryzen 3 3200U.