Intel Core i5-10210Y vs Intel Core i7-880 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unusually clear-cut here: the Intel Core i5-10210Y wins every single head-to-head benchmark against the Intel Core i7-880. Out of five Cinebench tests, the i5-10210Y takes all five, with margins ranging from 19% to 19.2%. Both processors land at the 27th percentile among all CPUs and share an identical average benchmark score of 1006, which makes the consistent per-test advantage of the newer part all the more striking. The i7-880 is end-of-life, while the i5-10210Y remains active, and the data reflects that gap in raw performance despite both having four cores and eight threads.

Who should pick which? For anyone choosing between these two, the i5-10210Y is the only rational pick based on benchmark results. It is faster in every measured workload, and it does so with a dramatically lower power envelope. The i7-880 is a desktop part from 2010 on Socket 1156, while the i5-10210Y is a mobile part on BGA 1440. The i7-880 has no integrated graphics, meaning it requires a discrete GPU for any display output, whereas the i5-10210Y includes UHD Graphics. The i7-880 does offer a larger L3 cache (8 MB shared versus 6 MB shared) and a higher base clock, but those advantages never translate into a single benchmark win. If you are building a new system, the i5-10210Y is the answer. The i7-880 only makes sense if you are upgrading an existing Socket 1156 platform and cannot change the motherboard.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from entirely different eras of Intel design. The i5-10210Y is built on Comet Lake, specifically the Comet Lake-Y variant, using a 14 nm process node. The i7-880 uses the older Nehalem architecture with the Lynnfield codename on a 45 nm process. That process gap is significant: the i5-10210Y is three generations ahead in manufacturing technology, which explains how it can deliver higher performance while consuming far less power.

The i7-880 has more detailed silicon data available. It contains 774 million transistors on a 296 mm² die, while the i5-10210Y does not have published transistor or die size figures. Both are manufactured by Intel. The i5-10210Y belongs to the Core 10th Gen series, while the i7-880 has no series designation. The i5-10210Y uses the Intel BGA 1440 socket, making it a soldered mobile part, whereas the i7-880 uses the Intel Socket 1156, a socketed desktop design.

Cache configurations differ. Both have 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, but the L3 cache is where they separate: the i5-10210Y has 6 MB shared, while the i7-880 has 8 MB shared. The i7-880 also supports dual-channel memory, a feature not listed for the i5-10210Y. Memory support is DDR3 for both, and neither supports ECC memory.

Integrated graphics is a major architectural difference. The i5-10210Y includes UHD Graphics, while the i7-880 has no integrated graphics at all. The market segments reflect this: the i5-10210Y is a mobile processor, and the i7-880 is a desktop processor. The i7-880 does have PCIe Gen 2 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while PCIe support is not listed for the i5-10210Y. The i7-880 is also marked as end-of-life, while the i5-10210Y is still active in production.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data shows a consistent performance edge for the i5-10210Y across every Cinebench test. Starting with Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5-10210Y scores 350 against the i7-880's 294, a 19% advantage. In Cinebench R20 multi-core, the gap is 19.1%: the i5-10210Y posts 1461 versus 1227 for the i7-880. The single-core R20 test tells a similar story, with the i5-10210Y at 206 and the i7-880 at 173, again a 19.1% difference.

Moving to Cinebench R23, the i5-10210Y continues its dominance. In multi-core, it scores 3479 compared to the i7-880's 2923, a 19% lead. In single-core, the i5-10210Y reaches 491 while the i7-880 manages 412, which is a 19.2% margin — the largest single-test advantage in the entire comparison. Notably, the i7-880 has no Cinebench R15 single-core score listed, so that test cannot be compared directly.

The pattern is remarkably uniform. Every deltaPct falls between 19% and 19.2%, suggesting the performance difference is systemic rather than workload-specific. The i5-10210Y is faster in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads, which points to architectural efficiency gains from the newer process node and design. The i7-880's higher base clock of 3.07 GHz versus the i5-10210Y's 1.00 GHz does not help it overcome the newer part's IPC advantage and 4.00 GHz boost clock.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i5-10210Y | Intel Core i7-880 |

|---|---|---|

| Base Clock | 1000.00 MHz | 3.07 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.00 GHz | 3.73 GHz |

| TDP | 9 W | 95 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1440 | Intel Socket 1156 |

| Architecture | Comet Lake | Nehalem |

| Codename | Comet Lake-Y | Lynnfield |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 45 nm |

| Transistors | Not listed | 774 million |

| Die Size | Not listed | 296 mm² |

| L3 Cache | 6 MB (shared) | 8 MB (shared) |

| Memory Bus | Not listed | Dual-channel |

| PCIe | Not listed | Gen 2, 16 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics | None |

| Market Segment | Mobile | Desktop |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2019-08-20 | 2010-05-29 |

| Part Number | Not listed | SLBPS |

The TDP difference is staggering: the i5-10210Y draws 9 W while the i7-880 draws 95 W. That is more than a tenfold difference in power consumption, and it explains why the i5-10210Y can be a mobile part while the i7-880 is a desktop-only design. The release dates are also telling — the i5-10210Y came out in August 2019, while the i7-880 launched in May 2010, a gap of over nine years. Both have 4 cores and 8 threads, and neither has an unlocked multiplier.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: The Intel Core i5-10210Y wins all multi-core Cinebench tests. It scores 350 versus 294 in R15 (19% faster), 1461 versus 1227 in R20 (19.1% faster), and 3479 versus 2923 in R23 (19% faster).

Q: Does the i7-880 have any benchmark advantage over the i5-10210Y?

A: No. Across all five head-to-head Cinebench tests, the i5-10210Y wins every one. The i7-880 has zero wins in the comparison data.

Q: Why is the i5-10210Y so much more power-efficient?

A: The i5-10210Y has a TDP of 9 W compared to the i7-880's 95 W. This is largely due to the manufacturing process: the i5-10210Y uses a 14 nm node, while the i7-880 uses 45 nm.

Q: Can the i7-880 run without a discrete graphics card?

A: No. The i7-880 has no integrated graphics, so it requires a separate GPU for display output. The i5-10210Y includes UHD Graphics.

Q: Are these processors interchangeable in the same motherboard?

A: No. The i5-10210Y uses Intel BGA 1440 (soldered mobile), and the i7-880 uses Intel Socket 1156 (desktop socketed). They are physically incompatible.

Q: Which processor has more cache?

A: The i7-880 has more L3 cache at 8 MB shared, compared to the i5-10210Y's 6 MB shared. Both have identical L1 and L2 cache at 64 KB and 256 KB per core, respectively.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-10210Y wins in every measurable benchmark category. It is faster in single-core performance, which matters for everyday responsiveness, lightly threaded applications, and older software that cannot use many cores. The R23 single-core score of 491 versus 412 (19.2% faster) shows a clear edge. It is also faster in multi-core workloads, as demonstrated by the 19% to 19.1% margins across R15, R20, and R23 multi-core tests. This makes it the better choice for modern productivity tasks, content creation, and anything that scales across threads.

The i5-10210Y also wins decisively on power efficiency. With a 9 W TDP, it is suitable for fanless or ultra-portable designs, whereas the 95 W i7-880 demands substantial cooling and a desktop power supply. The i5-10210Y includes integrated UHD Graphics, so it can run a display without a dedicated GPU, which is a major practical advantage for basic systems. It is also an active production part, meaning it is still available for new designs, while the i7-880 is end-of-life.

The i7-880 does have a few specification-level advantages, though they do not translate into benchmark wins. It offers 8 MB of L3 cache versus 6 MB, which could theoretically help in cache-sensitive workloads, but the data shows no such benefit in Cinebench. It also has a higher base clock of 3.07 GHz versus 1.00 GHz, but the i5-10210Y's 4.00 GHz boost clock overcomes that in practice. The i7-880 has dual-channel memory support and PCIe Gen 2 with 16 lanes, but these are platform features that only matter if you are already invested in a Socket 1156 system.

For a new build, the i5-10210Y is the clear winner. It outperforms the i7-880 in every test, uses a fraction of the power, includes integrated graphics, and remains in production. The i7-880's only realistic use case is an upgrade path for an existing 2010-era desktop motherboard, where the new part cannot be installed due to the different socket. The data does not support choosing the i7-880 for any performance reason — its sole advantages are cache size and platform-specific features that only benefit legacy systems.