Celeron 3955U
VS
Pentium G6960

Celeron 3955U vs Pentium G6960

Intel

Celeron 3955U

2 Cores2 Thrd15 WWMax: 2 GHz2015
VS
Intel

Pentium G6960

2 Cores2 Thrd73 WWMax: 0.93 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

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 Celeron 3955U is positioned at rank 616 and the Pentium G6960 is on rank 881, so the Celeron 3955U 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 Celeron 3955U

#604
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
813%
#605
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
801%
#606
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
736%
#607
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
732%
#608
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
726%
#610
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
701%
#611
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
672%
#612
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
671%
#613
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
653%
#616
Celeron 3955U
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#622
Athlon II P320
MSRP: $50|Avg: $15
98%
#625
Core 3 N355
MSRP: $300|Avg: $300
97%
#628
Core i5-1335UE
MSRP: $312|Avg: $312
97%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium G6960

#1
Ryzen 9 7950X
MSRP: $194|Avg: $20
19361%
#2
Core i9-10900T
MSRP: $120|Avg: $5
18294%
#3
Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE
MSRP: $423|Avg: $5
13283%
#4
Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85
4002%
#5
Ryzen 9 9950X
MSRP: $649|Avg: $129
3170%
#6
Ryzen 5 8400F
MSRP: $303|Avg: $55
2773%
#7
Ryzen 7 PRO 2700
MSRP: $299|Avg: $60
1588%
#8
Ryzen 5 2600X
MSRP: $229|Avg: $55
1567%
#9
Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G
MSRP: $150|Avg: $60
1427%
#10
Core Ultra 5 245KF
MSRP: $294|Avg: $189
1427%
#11
Ryzen 5 5500
MSRP: $159|Avg: $85
1411%
#12
Ryzen 5 3600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $80
1373%
#13
Core i3-9100E
MSRP: $202|Avg: $30
1354%
#14
Core Ultra 5 245K
MSRP: $319|Avg: $200
1348%
#15
Core i3-8300T
MSRP: $138|Avg: $25
1336%
#881
Pentium G6960
MSRP: $89|Avg: $15
100%
#882
Core i5-2500T
MSRP: $182|Avg: $30
100%
#884
Athlon II X2 265
MSRP: $83|Avg: $15
99%
#885
Core i3-2100
MSRP: $117|Avg: $10
99%
#886
A8-3800
MSRP: $130|Avg: $40
98%
#887
Pentium E5200
MSRP: $84|Avg: $15
97%
#888
Athlon II X2 235e
MSRP: $69|Avg: $15
97%
#889
Athlon II X2 250e
MSRP: $77|Avg: $15
97%
#890
Core i7-2600S
MSRP: $297|Avg: $99
97%
#891
Athlon II X2 250u
MSRP: $60|Avg: $15
97%
#892
Core i3-2125
MSRP: $134|Avg: $15
97%
#893
Pentium G6951
MSRP: $89|Avg: $50
97%
#895
Celeron G1820
MSRP: $110|Avg: $15
96%
#896
Celeron E1600
MSRP: $53|Avg: $10
96%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium G6960 leads in gaming performance. However, the Celeron 3955U is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.7% greater multi-core processing power.
InsightCeleron 3955UPentium G6960
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($15)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Clarkdale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

InsightCeleron 3955UPentium G6960
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($0)
⚠️ Higher cost ($15)

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron 3955U and Pentium G6960

Intel

Celeron 3955U

The Celeron 3955U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 August 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1866/2133, LPDDR3-1600/1866, DDR3L-1333/1600. Passmark benchmark score: 1,443 points. Launch price was $107.

Intel

Pentium G6960

The Pentium G6960 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Clarkdale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.93 GHz, with boost up to 0.93 GHz. L3 cache: 3072 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1156. Thermal design power (TDP): 73 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,433 points. Launch price was $69.

Processing Power

Both the Celeron 3955U and Pentium G6960 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Celeron 3955U versus 0.93 GHz on the Pentium G6960 — a 73% clock advantage for the Celeron 3955U (base: 2 GHz vs 2.93 GHz). The Celeron 3955U uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Pentium G6960 uses Clarkdale (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron 3955U scores 1,443 against the Pentium G6960's 1,433 — a 0.7% lead for the Celeron 3955U. L3 cache: 2 MB on the Celeron 3955U vs 3072 kB (total) on the Pentium G6960.

FeatureCeleron 3955UPentium G6960
Cores / Threads
2 / 2
2 / 2
Boost Clock
2 GHz+115%
0.93 GHz
Base Clock
2 GHz
2.93 GHz+47%
L3 Cache
2 MB
3072 kB (total)+50%
L2 Cache
512 kB+100%
256 kB (per core)
Process
14 nm-56%
32 nm
Architecture
Skylake (2015−2016)
Clarkdale (2010−2011)
PassMark
1,443
1,433
Geekbench 6 Single
431
Geekbench 6 Multi
741
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Celeron 3955U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium G6960 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureCeleron 3955UPentium G6960
Socket
BGA1356
LGA1156
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0+50%
PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity
32 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
12
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Celeron 3955U) / not specified (Pentium G6960). The Celeron 3955U includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics 510), while the Pentium G6960 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron 3955U targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 3955U rivals Pentium 3825U.

FeatureCeleron 3955UPentium G6960
Integrated GPU
Yes
IGPU Model
HD Graphics 510
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d
Target Use
Budget