Intel Core M mobile processor announced

Intel has announced the Intel Core M, a processor intended to satisfy the demand for thinner, more powerful and more power efficient Windows tablets and hybrid laptops. The idea is to provide a processor that can provide increased performance over previous chip generations while also providing greater efficiency and improved battery performance. Indeed, Intel says the Core M can power an 11.6in, 8mm thick tablet without the need for a cooling fan.

Intel has announced two Core M processors: the 5Y10 and the more powerful 5Y70. Both processors have two processing cores, and both use Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology to split the two physical cores into four logical cores for better multitasking performance.

Both processors have a low 4.5W TDP, 4MBs of Level 3 cache memory and the Intel HD Graphics 5300 built-in graphics processor (GPU), but the 5Y10 has a base clock speed of 800MHz and a Turbo Boost speed of 2GHz, and the 5Y70 has a base clock speed of 1.1GHz and Turbo Boost clock speed of 2.6GHz.

Intel claims the Core M-5Y70 provides a big improvement in performance over a Core i5-4302Y, with up to 47 per cent better graphics performance, up to 82 per cent better video conversion and a battery life increase of up to 1.7 hours. The built-in HD Graphics 5300 GPU takes up 50 per cent of the Core M die, and Intel says that it’ll support Ultra HD graphics over HDMI at 24Hz, and provide up to 40 per cent better performance in games compared to previous-generation processors.

We’ve been told that Core M-based systems will be available from around five different OEMs in October, so we won’t have to wait long to see how the Core M performs in our real-world benchmark tests.