Athlon 64 2800+ vs Celeron 540

Athlon 64 2800+

1 Cores1 Thrd89 WWMax: 1.8 GHz2004

Celeron 540

30 WW2007

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Athlon 64 2800+

1 / 1

420

+2.9%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Celeron 540

408

0.0%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon 64 2800+ is positioned at rank 1098 and the Celeron 540 is on rank 1212, so the Athlon 64 2800+ offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon 64 2800+

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

132083%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

124805%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

90619%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

27300%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

21624%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

18917%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

10835%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

10693%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

9736%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

9736%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

9627%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

9367%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

9236%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

9199%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

9115%

#1098

Athlon 64 2800+

MSRP: $178|Avg: $15

100%

#1099

Athlon 64 3700+

MSRP: $272|Avg: $20

97%

#1100

Athlon 64 FX-72

MSRP: $799|Avg: $40

95%

#1101

Athlon 64 X2 4200+

MSRP: $581|Avg: $110

92%

#1102

Athlon 64 3500+

MSRP: $272|Avg: $10

89%

#1103

Pentium D 830

MSRP: $316|Avg: $20

83%

#1104

Pentium D 960

MSRP: $523|Avg: $15

81%

#1105

Athlon XP 2500+

MSRP: $172|Avg: $15

79%

#1106

Athlon 64 3800+

MSRP: $354|Avg: $10

78%

#1107

Pentium 4 2.53

MSRP: $193|Avg: $13

76%

#1108

Pentium 4 2.40

MSRP: $193|Avg: $193

71%

#1109

Athlon XP 2400+

MSRP: $193|Avg: $10

67%

#1110

Pentium D 950

MSRP: $637|Avg: $10

62%

#1111

Athlon XP 1500+

MSRP: $130|Avg: $15

61%

#1112

Athlon 64 4000+

MSRP: $482|Avg: $30

59%

#1113

Pentium 4 2.66

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

53%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 540

#1200

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

6190%

#1201

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

6099%

#1202

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

5599%

#1203

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

5574%

#1204

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

5523%

#1206

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

5333%

#1207

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

5114%

#1208

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

5105%

#1209

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

4968%

#1212

Celeron 540

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

100%

#1213

Celeron U3600

MSRP: $134|Avg: $134

98%

#1216

Core 2 Quad Q9000

MSRP: $348|Avg: $15

97%

#1217

Core i5-2537M

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

97%

#1218

Core i7-720QM

MSRP: $364|Avg: N/A

96%

#1219

Pentium U5400

MSRP: $289|Avg: $214

94%

#1220

Pentium T2330

MSRP: $150|Avg: $7

93%

#1221

Z-01

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

91%

#1222

Pentium T2310

MSRP: $150|Avg: $14

88%

#1223

Celeron SU2300

MSRP: $134|Avg: $134

86%

#1224

Core i5-560UM

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

86%

#1225

Core i7-660UM

MSRP: $317|Avg: N/A

85%

#1226

C-30

MSRP: $50|Avg: $15

85%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Athlon 64 2800+ delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron 540 in both compute-intensive tasks (2.9% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Athlon 64 2800+	Celeron 540
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)	✅ More affordable ($5)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (NewCastle (2004) / 130 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Celeron 540 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $5 (vs $15), it costs 67% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 191% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Athlon 64 2800+.

Insight	Athlon 64 2800+	Celeron 540
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+191%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($15)	✅ More affordable ($5)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Athlon 64 2800+ Benchmark Check

Celeron 540 Benchmark Check

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon 64 2800+ and Celeron 540

Athlon 64 2800+

The Athlon 64 2800+ is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Abril 2004 (21 years ago). It is based on the NewCastle (2004) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: 754. Thermal design power (TDP): 89 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 420 points. Launch price was $100.

Celeron 540

The Celeron 540 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. Base frequency: 1.86 GHz. L3 cache: 1 MB L2 Cache. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 30 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 408 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Athlon 64 2800+ is built on the NewCastle (2004) architecture. In PassMark, the Athlon 64 2800+ scores 420 against the Celeron 540's 408 — a 2.9% lead for the Athlon 64 2800+. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon 64 2800+ vs 1 MB L2 Cache on the Celeron 540.

Feature	Athlon 64 2800+	Celeron 540
Cores / Threads	1 / 1	—
Boost Clock	1.8 GHz	—
Base Clock	—	1.86 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	1 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache	512 kB	—
Process	130 nm	65 nm-50%
Architecture	NewCastle (2004)	—
PassMark	420+3%	408

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon 64 2800+ uses the 754 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Celeron 540 uses PGA478 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR-400 on the Athlon 64 2800+ versus DDR2-667 on the Celeron 540 — the Celeron 540 supports -202% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 4 GB of RAM. Memory channels: 1 (Athlon 64 2800+) vs 2 (Celeron 540). Both provide 0 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: AMD 754 (Athlon 64 2800+) and Santa Rosa (Celeron 540).

Feature	Athlon 64 2800+	Celeron 540
Socket	754	PGA478
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	DDR-400	DDR2-667
Max RAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
RAM Channels	1	2+100%
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	0	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon 64 2800+) / No (Celeron 540). Primary use case: Celeron 540 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 540 rivals Pentium T2310.

Feature	Athlon 64 2800+	Celeron 540
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	No
Target Use	—	Budget

💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon 64 2800+ launched at $178 MSRP, while the Celeron 540 debuted at $86. At current prices ($15 vs $5), the Celeron 540 is $10 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon 64 2800+ delivers 28.0 pts/$ vs 81.6 pts/$ for the Celeron 540 — making the Celeron 540 the 97.8% better value option.