Athlon II X3 445 vs Celeron N4500

Athlon II X3 445 vs Celeron N4500 Performance Spectrum

Athlon II X3 445

3 / 3

1,807

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Celeron N4500

2 / 2

1,817

+0.6%

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.

Athlon II X3 445 vs Celeron N4500 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Athlon II X3 445 vs Celeron N4500: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon II X3 445

2010

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,807 vs 1,817).
❌Launch MSRP is still $87 MSRP, while Celeron N4500 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1483.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 6W.

Celeron N4500

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 6W instead of 95W, a 89W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Celeron N4500 better than Athlon II X3 445?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon II X3 445 is ahead with a 2.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Celeron N4500 pulls ahead with 0.6% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Celeron N4500 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Celeron N4500 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Celeron N4500 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $87 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.6% better PassMark. Athlon II X3 445 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2010 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (20.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on AM3.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Celeron N4500 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2010) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 3/3. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon II X3 445 vs Celeron N4500 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Athlon II X3 445

The Athlon II X3 445 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 11 May 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Rana (2009−2011) architecture. It features 3 cores and 3 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,807 points. Launch price was $91.

Celeron N4500

The Celeron N4500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Jasper Lake (2021) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.5 MB (total). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1338. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 1,817 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Athlon II X3 445 packs 3 cores / 3 threads, while the Celeron N4500 offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Athlon II X3 445 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 3.1 GHz on the Athlon II X3 445 versus 2.8 GHz on the Celeron N4500 — a 10.2% clock advantage for the Athlon II X3 445 (base: 3.1 GHz vs 1.1 GHz). The Athlon II X3 445 uses the Rana (2009−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Celeron N4500 uses Jasper Lake (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X3 445 scores 1,807 against the Celeron N4500's 1,817 — a 0.6% lead for the Celeron N4500. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X3 445 vs 4 MB (total) on the Celeron N4500.

Feature	Athlon II X3 445	Celeron N4500
Cores / Threads	3 / 3+50%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	3.1 GHz+11%	2.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.1 GHz+182%	1.1 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	1.5 MB (total)+200%
Process	45 nm	10 nm-78%
Architecture	Rana (2009−2011)	Jasper Lake (2021)
PassMark	1,807	1,817

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II X3 445 uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron N4500 uses BGA1338 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.